This afternoon’s rehearsal as seen from the press centre!!!
A sublime opening with the graphic of the Building Bridges logo being formed from lighted shots of Viennese buildings and the city’s lights from the air. This then merges with the undulating baubles pulsating in the ceiling of the arena. Oh this is fabulous!! Conchita appears on stage in a stunning white dress with a full orchestra behind her and she walks through the crowd to the green room. Just before the climax of the song she breaks off to stop and welcome Europe and the contestants to the Vienna and hand over her stage to them. They then rather busily all file out of the green room to the stage which is very clumsy and busy segment for the camermen and the viewer to be fair. Conchita then returns to Phoenix and reaches the climax before handing over the presenters on stage.
Usual hammy opening segment but it’s nice they’ve the artists on the stage behind them. The presenters seem competent. All in all a stunning opening..
MOLDOVA messing about in the countryside with a tractor for the postcard. Still a lively opening, still performed well but I’m not sure people will be blown away by this. Borderline
ARMENIA in a fairground for the postcard. They sing this very well and I as a performance it totally works however it’s still a turgid song to sit through. Still looking at the maths I can’t see how they don’t qualify.
BELGIUM and Loic and the gang are cavorting outside a bakery for the postcard. This works so well for me. It’s quirky and jerky and he is all kinds of cool. I want to say this is sailing through but I’ve heard it many times and is it accessible enough for the casual viewer?
THE NETHERLANDS and they get sent up in a hot air balloon to admire mountains they don’t have at home. Jeez how much shopping has the Dutch delegation done this week. Over budget what? Trijntje is in a much more flattering shawl style dress covering up all those rounder parts she’s sick of watching on playback. She looks nervous as hell and the backing singers are hardly seen in as they are all dark. She’s LOVE luminously painted on her knuckles, mmmm she may as all have BYE painted on. The last bit is effective as she begs the guy walk on! Think Europe will jog on too… Doomed!
FINLAND and the boys are messing about in a tramshed and its charming. The performance is exactly as it as at first rehearsal but I still think they should have more smoke. You don’t do punk in bright lights like this but they’ve kept the band shots slick. Musically off putting for most. Not qualifying.
Break here and Conchy in a slick pant suit chatting to Loic and Trijntje. Loic in French, so cute, and Trijtnje talks about women being vulnerable and then powerful again or something.
GREECE and she’s messing about with kids and painting a toy boat. The Greek cruise ship industry has fallen. She’s singing the socks off this and, like all year for me, I’m up and down with this. Bits of it bore me but bits make me go ‘ahhhh’. She should make it, just, with a very non Greek song.
ESTONIA missed the postcard for this but I certianly didn’t miss the song. I was transfixed. The emotion is oozing throughs this. Elina almost sheds a tear at the end, her eyes convey this. She staging is perfect and Stig looks so smouldering and sexy. Sailing through and still in the mix for top three on Saturday.
FYR MACEDONIA skiing or something for the postcard. I can so see what they’ve tried to do with this. Give a solid Swedish composed MOR track a more RnB vibe but I think it falls flat. It’s a shame because the staging is nice and he’s a nice lad and sings ever so well. Missing out sadly.
SERBIA is doing a bit of tye dye for the postcard. Lots of it for the frock (enough of the fat bird jokes). This as we know is a big belter, it’s the party song but how many people party on a Tuesday night. Oh wait, the eurofans and we know that demographic will love this. I think she should just make it and then flop on Saturday.
HUNGARY was putting out a fire for the postcard (no doubt caused by war rather than a discarded match). A plodding ballad as before, I find it still rather bland and the backdrop too colourful once the machine guns become a try. It shouldn’t be so green and lush, more of a mist.. Or a bog! More Boggie! (Sorry Ewan at ESCInsight) the staging is too much yet the song is too little for me. This is borderline but I hope it misses.
BELARUS pop into see come old guy in a drop in centre to provide ‘entertainment’ Poor sod. Uzari still smoulders in his parts of this song and Maimuna still tries earnestly to engage with this song. I know she’s needed but in many ways she’s not. This is just ok despite his looks and I think they’re going home.
RUSSIA damn I missed the postcard again, I can’t keep up! Russia gets to perform before the next break which means only four songs in the last segment. Putin has been on the phone ‘arranging’ this. Polina is Polina and does what Polina does best, belt it out perfectly and hoover up tons of votes. Winning the semi and possibly Eurovision.
Break now and Conchy talks to Estonia and there’s an ill advised rap with Elina. Then a gossip with Bojana and we get to carry on.
DENMARK sledging in a forest for the postcard I think, or a snowball fight. Who knows. The lead is getting uglier as the week goes on and more clammy and the hot little dark guitarist better looking. Sorry it’s about the music. This is Dansk pop by numbers and nowt wrong with it. I think they’ll make it but they’re not sailing, merely bobbing their way across the channel to Saturday.
ALBANIA and I missed the postcard, people keep saying hello here and I can’t be rude. Undoubtedly a fabulous vocalist and has lots of neighbourly support but I found nothing endearing in th staging. It leaves me thinking ‘meh’ and she’s really underwhelming. I think just missing out.
ROMANIA as you know I love this song but I’m a bit worried the first Romanian part is flat and there is a bit of a fizzle at the end. However the main body of the song with the message is very strong. Pulling at all sorts of heart strings and there’s the lad from the video in the green room at the end. Awwww. Though? Oh yes..
GEORGIA up next and she’s invited to pore over some old lace in what looks suspiciously like the British embassy! I am not getting this song at all and apparently Thomas G:sson is co writer? You wouldn’t know. This song still is a poor national final song given maximum oomph in the staging. She’s singing it well, no dropped notes here and owns that stage. Qualifying? Probably…
Conchita struts around the green room hosting more than the hosts. Oh wait, they’re back and looking competent but it must be hard for them as they’re three and following a strict script. Conchy is allowed to flounce more and veer more off that strict script. She’s the queen after all.
Into recap now and I can catch up!! Yay!!
The hosts are back to show us the sights and sounds of Vienna accompanied by recent Eurovision entries which will be lost on 99 percent of the viewers, but I like it. The host’s dog takes us on a tour, weird just weird.
I love how the undulating balls are featured so much over the heads of the presenters as we head for the final recap. The presenters are struggling a bit and slightly er, stiff. We get a segment on famous Austrians which is pretty dire to be honest. I suppose they know many broadcasters go to commercial at this moment. And BBC3 viewers may get to see That Monty and That Me chatting with That Scott Mills! Maybe…
Ooh we have the fake results now and a ‘technical problem’ rehearsal with real paper envelopes I guess I’m case the graphics go down tonight. This is as loose a whore’s fifi at the moment and needs some serious work to tighten it up. They’ve a few hours left….. Will they manage it.. We will find out in a few hours..
Time for a prediction…. Let me think a while…