Stephen Colbert welcomed to the Vancouver Olympic Games by cheering crowd and Canadian bald eagle

VANCOUVER — Hundreds of fans went wild Wednesday morning as late-night comedian Stephen Colbert brought his faux conservative talk show to Creekside Park, located next to Science World in Vancouver.

He shared the stage with a stuffed moose, First Nations' thunderbird totem, fake snow, assorted skis, hockey sticks, snowshoes and U.S. and Canadian flags.

There is also a giant poster of Colbert astride an eagle carrying an Olympic torch.

As hoot, cheers and hollers greeted the U.S. comic to the stage, Colbert implored the crowd: "One last thing — if I f---k up, forgive me."

After a countdown Colbert, well, messed up, stumbling over the introduction.

The satirist explained to onlookers that he was covering the games "without the help of marijuana."

After another countdown, the Colbert Report got under way, with the comedian pretending the show was taking place at the time in the evening when the program airs:

"It's 11:30 at night and the sun is still shining. And they wonder why there is no snow." Colbert is taping segments Wednesday and Thursday for his late-night show.

Guests on Wednesday included Michael Bublé (Colbert called him "Celine Dion without the white jumpsuit") and NBC's Bob Costas.

Just minutes before Colbert took the stage, a bald eagle soared across the enamel blue skies over False Creek.