Lisbon Day 2: The view from Berlin
Lisbon Day 2: The view from Berlin
The second day at the Altice Arena is over, and it’s time for another short review from Berlin two days before I arrive in Lisbon myself.
While I praised the artworks and motion graphics yesterday, now it’s time to express some disappointment: The stage. It just isn’t very good, is it? I do approve of the lack of LED, don’t get me wrong. LED is fine in small doses, but it has been overused and abused in recent years. If we could go back to the LED levels of Stockholm 2000 or Riga 2003, well, perfect. Even without any LED walls, you can create an awesome stage – just look at older contests (1978, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1997, etc). But… this stage in Lisbon? Way. Too. Dark. And it doesn’t look very nice either. I get why they chose the concept behind it, but the end result leaves me cold. Maybe the proper camera views will get me more excited, though. We’ll soon find out!
Anyway, what excited me in today’s rehearsals? First of all, Croatia. I never had this one on my radar, but this performance and staging gets everything out of a song where there was no song before. Getting something amazing out of nearly nothing? That is crazy! Then, Austria, which is one of my favourites, though I’m not yet convinced that this kind of hands-free performance suits the song and the vibe well. He could do with a hand-held microphone, maybe even a mic stand, whereas this… just doesn’t feel right? However, the staging is promising in every other aspect.
What else did we have? Well, there was a rather underwhelming Greece (what a pity), a messy Macedonia, and a romantic but boring Ireland.
Everything else was as expected – including Finland. I already felt that this could be a second “Vampires Are Alive”, and in that respect I wasn’t disappointed. Saara’s rehearsal hurt my ears quite a lot, and my eyes didn’t get much compensation either.
Oh, and I forgot: The biggest surprise of all for me was Cyprus. I actually had it in my personal bottom 3, but I found this performance quite entertaining and fun. That’s some classy mid-00s-style Eurovision there, and I … erm… I like it. And now I can finally see and understand what the producers have created with this running order: A damn nice framework around semi-final 1, with Azerbaijan opening and Cyprus closing – both performances and stagings that are “Eurovision” at its core.
Featured image photo: Andres Putting, eurovision.tv
Visit our Eurovision Chat!
0 Comments
Visit our Eurovision Chat!
Follow us:
Running orders announced for ESC 2024 semi-finals
The two semi-finals of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest now have running orders. But who will sing where? Find out here!
SongHunt 2024 – The Final
It’s the grand final of SongHunt 2024 – and YOUR votes will help us find the most robbed national final song of the season. Vote now, vote often!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 4
The SongHunt continues! Semi-final 4 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 3
The SongHunt continues! Semi-final 3 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 2
The SongHunt continues! Semi-final 2 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 1
Let the SongHunt begin! Semi-final 1 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
SongHunt 2024 is launched!
It’s time for SongHunt 2024! The first chat event and poll launch will take place on Sunday 11 February. Find out everything you need to know, and save the dates in your calendars!
Allocation draw for ESC 2024 takes place
Check out the semi-final allocations for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden!
It’s a Eurovision takeover on the UK singles chart!
“Tattoo” at number two-oo-oo! Loreen, Käärijä, Mae Muller and Alessandra all celebrate UK chart success in a bumper week for the contest.
After the Grand Final: A verdict and three wishes
Pre-recorded backing vocals and a wish for more cultural flavour – these are some of Felix’s takeaways from the Eurovision 2023 grand final!
Running orders announced for ESC 2024 semi-finals
The two semi-finals of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest now have running orders. But who will sing where? Find out here!
SongHunt 2024 – The Final
It’s the grand final of SongHunt 2024 – and YOUR votes will help us find the most robbed national final song of the season. Vote now, vote often!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 4
The SongHunt continues! Semi-final 4 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
SongHunt 2024 – Semi-final 3
The SongHunt continues! Semi-final 3 is open and YOUR votes will help to decide who qualifies, so get involved!
escgo! on Twitter
0 Comments