After the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the contestants that got the golden ticket are ready for the Grand Final tomorrow at 21.00 CET. 50% of the Grand Final result will be determined tonight, in the Final Jury Rehearsal that has just started and will be evaluated by the national juries of the 38 participating countries.
Earlier today we saw the Dress Rehearsal and you can read our commentary here.
This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!
So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Grand Final tomorrow May 13th.
The Show
The contest begins with an introductory video featuring the Kalush Orchestra singing the winning song “Stefania” in the Kyiv subway, while Sam Ryder is featured playing guitar. We actually listen to a remix of “Stefania” with lyrics in English as well. Then we move to the M&S Bank Arena stage where the Kalush Orchestra are now singing live.
Next comes the flag parade, during which Go_A (Ukraine 2020-2021), Jamala (Ukraine 2016), Tina Karol (Ukraine 2006) and Verka Serduchka (Ukraine 2007) perform.
After the flag parade, the 4 presenters present themselves and welcome us. A very interesting addition is the display of the ranking of the countries with the most wins in the competition and the show begins!
The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY
Austria
The Eurovision party starts with a fun and sleek performance from the Austrian female duo. Teya and Salena give one of their best performances, in terms of vocals and energy, that could be appreciated by juries. A great opening act but maybe performing so soon will reduce their chances for a top-10 result.
Portugal
Mimicat was lucky to qualify, but unlucky to take the 2nd spot in the running order. Nevertheless, she manages to fill the stage with her great vocals, tamperament and sassy choreography. A decent entry that will probably struggle to avoid the last places of the scoreboard.
Switzerland
Remo Forrer sings his contemporary ballad “Watergun” as good as always. Perhaps he doesn’t give all the energy he could tonight, but his pitch perfect vocals and professional staging will surely boost his jury score a lot. However, I doubt the televoters will remember this performance once the show is over, so his televote could be very low.
Poland
The big surprise of this year’s contest, Blanka from Poland, that earned her place in the Grand Final, delivers a decent performance of her summer bop, that the tv audience will surely enjoy tomorrow. The juries on the other hand, could rank it much lower, due to the singer’s limited vocal abilities and to the fact that “Solo” is a very repetitive song.
Serbia
Luke Black is yet another singer with limited charisma and vocal abilities that could struggle to gather votes from the juries. However, Serbia has managed to hide the performer’s disadvantages, creating a memorable energetic show with clever graphics and camera cuts. Luke doesn’t have the best spot in the running order but could get a decent televote score tomorrow.
France
La Zarra is the first of the big favourites to appear in the Grand Final with a performance that oozes French class. Vocally she’s good but certainly not great, with the backing vocals sometimes overpowering her. She manages to hit the high note! An entry that will probably do well enough with both juries and televoters, but hasn’t reached its full potential and could miss out on the top spots.
Cyprus
Andrew delivers a very good performance of his power ballad “Break A Broken Heart”. It wasn’t his best time vocally and the backing vocals overpowered him at times but overall a great “package”, that could sadly underperform due to it’s unfavorable spot in the running order, between many favorites.
Spain
Up next, one of the most artistic and engaging acts of the entire show by Blanca Paloma. Vocally and visually stunning, the juries should reward Blanca with many points. The televote result, on the other hand, remains a big mystery, especially as Spain appears right before the absolute favorite of Eurovision 2023.
First Break
Sweden
It’s time for the big favorite, Loreen from Sweden, performing her hit-single Tattoo, that is already charting all over Europe. The camera angles, lighting and colors have been perfected, making the act as impressive as it was in Melodifestivalen. Loreen’s vocals are amazing and she owns the stage more than ever. The shot with the “tattoos” on the led screen during the bridge is finally caught by the camera! It will be a big surprise if Sweden doesn’t win the jury vote in a landslide and the contest overall.
Albania
The Albanian family defined all odds and qualified to the Grand Final! A big success already, no matter what place they reach in the Final, Albanians can be proud as this is a very professional act. Tonight we see some different camera work in the beginning, improving the show even further.
Italy
Marco Mengoni is back in his sparkly silver top and leather pants. His vocals are very strong, as always, and we can see more shots of the dancers in the background. It would help if Marco connected with the camera a bit more, but Italy will surely get a great result, continuing their top 10 streak.
Estonia
Yet another act that wasn’t a certain qualifier but managed to get through thanks to a professional performance. Alika is pitch perfect once again and sings her ballad beautifully but being squeezed between many favorites means she will probably finish in the last spots of the scoreboard.
Finland
The second favorite of this year’s contest, Kaarija from Finland, gives us a great fun performance, together with his “Cha Cha Cha” dancers. Kaarija doesn’t have the best vocals and sounds tired by the end of the act but the entire arena parties with him. He ends his crazy show saying his catchphrase “it’s crazy, it’s party” and he will definetely get a huge televote score tomorrow. His jury score however will probably be significantly lower.
Czechia
Vesna, the Slavic “sisters”, proved that they are more than capable performers, crafting a great and meaningful show on the Eurovision stage. Maybe not perfect vocally but still strong, this remains one of the most unique songs of the contest. Performing right after a “televote magnet” however could hurt their chances.
Australia
Next up on stage, the progressive metal band from Australia, Voyager. Their lead singer is one of the most consistent and obviously experienced performers of the contest. It is no surprise that they deliver yet another excellent live vocally and staging wise. It remains to be seen how juries and televoters will react to this song.
Belgium
Gustaph, considered as sure non-qualifier when first selected, managed to turn the table around and qualify to the Grand Final as a sure qualifier. The crowd goes grazy for his 90s inspired dance track, his impeccable vocals and voguing dancer. An act that surprisinly stands out and could manage to crack the top-15 tomorrow, gathering points from both juries and televoters!
Second Break
Armenia
Brunette managed to define statistics and qualify from the 2nd spot of the Semi-Final, delivering one of, if not the best performance. Tonight she gave her best live so far! Beautiful vocals, clever staging and a captivating dance break that should give Armenia their best result since 2016, especially if juries respond to it.
Moldova
Up next, an entry that stands out with its ethnic-techno vibes. A good performance by Pasha, made memorable by the clever staging with the flute-playing dwarf and backing dancers-singers. Moldova is hoping to receive a strong televote result, as usual, but the juries probably wont’t rank this very high.
Ukraine
Last year’s winning country returns with a modern and sleek entry. Tvorchi give a good performance, perhaps not their best vocally but overall this is a strong package that should be respected by juries and could get a very big televote.
Norway
Alessandra starts her act more confident than ever. However, it seems there is some audio issue as a strong echo can be heard. In the second verse she’s a bit off vocally. Thankfully, the talented performers overcomes the problems and finishes the performance with lots of energy and a succesfull, but maybe flat, whistle note. The televoters will surely love this but will the juries respond as much? It remains to be seen.
Germany
Lord of The Lost, the second rock band of this Eurovision edition, are also vocally on point and impress with their effortless energy that the Liverpool audience certainly enjoys. This should hopefully be enough for Germany to at least avoid last place for the first time after a few years.
Lithuania
Monika Linkyte and her backing singers give us yet another great performance. Even if she lost her breat once and asked the audience to sing, that was a very impressive live that should be rewared by juries and will definetely get televote points tomorrow, at least from the Lithuanian diaspora.
Israel
Noa Kirel, the Israeli superstar, commands the stage, looking and sounding better than ever. An amazing MTV-awards-level show that will surely impress both juries and tv viewers and land in a high spot tomorrow night.
Slovenia
Joker Out, the charismatic band from Slovenia that managed to bring their country back to the Grand Final, deliver yet another energetic concert-like show, that gets the crowd going. Performing late in the Final could give Slovenia their best result in years.
Croatia
In the very favorable penultimate spot of the Grand Final, we see the most bizarre act of the year. You either love it or hate it but you can certainly not forget it. Could Croatia be the biggest surprise of the year getting a huge televote tomorrow night! I would’t be surprised!
United Kingdom
Mae Muller has sadly proven that she is the weakest performer of the year. A colorful finish to the show, drowned in pre-recorded backing backing vocals and subpar singing from the British representative. This would definetely be more entertaining in mute, meaning the UK is returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.
Intervals acts
The interval acts start with Sam Ryder. “Liverpool Song Book” follows.
First up is Mahmood (Italy 2019 and 2022), who performs “Imagine” by John Lehnon, whose birthplace was Liverpool. Next is Netta (Israel 2018) singing “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. Then, Daði Freyr (Iceland 2020 and 2021) with “Whole Again” and Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022) with “I Turn to You”. Last, Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) sings 30 years after her participation “Better the Devil You Know” and also Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019). In some moments we also see Ruslana from Ukraine. The common denominator of all these appearances is the city of Liverpool. Very moving interval act.
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