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Eurovision 2024: Grand Final Jury Show – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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After the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, the contestants that got the golden ticket, along with the Big 5 and Sweden 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 37 participating countries.

Earlier today we saw the Dress Rehearsal and you can read our commentary here.

As announced by the EBU, The investigation into the incident with the Dutch artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is still ongoing.
Discussions are also taking place between the EBU and AVROTROS, the Dutch participating broadcaster. While the investigation continues the EBU has decided that Joost Klein will not perform during Dress Rehearsal 2 of the competition which is voted on by juries in the 37 participating countries. His performance from Semi Final 2 will be used instead.

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 11th.

The Show

Opening Act

The show starts with an introductory video where a child appears in an office surrounded by beams of light listening to iconic Eurovision. The artist Bjorn Skifs appears on stage singing Hooked On A Feeling.

Thie flag parade commences, during which we hear the well-known I Love It by Icona Pop and Beautiful Life by Ace of Base. The flag parade continues with The Look by Roxette, I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li, Sun Is Shinning by Axwell L Ingrosso and finally Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by ABBA!

Our two presenters Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman appear on the stage, explaining to us in a humorous way what the winner of the Grand Final will win.

They explain the voting process in English and French and the lines are officially opened!

The Competing Acts

1. Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable

The Norwegian superstar twins representing Sweden open the show with a bang, a sleek performance that has been elevated ever since they performed it in Melodifestivalen. A jury bait for sure but will televoters remember this by the end of the show? The fact that voting lines are open from the start could help them.

2. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria

Yet another strong and impactful performance by Ukraine, more confident than ever. The act is visually impressive, emotional and the vocals are on point. This is the ultimate test to the dreaded 2nd “death” slot. Will Ukraine manage to finish in the top 5 nevertheless? It is possible, as this has both televote and jury appeal.

3. Germany: ISAAK – Always On The Run

Germany delivers a decent but forgettable performance for yet another year. Isaak is a good live performer and has a radio friendly song that could receive some love from the juries but seems doomed to receive a very disappointing televote and end up among the last in the final ranking.

4. Luxembourg: Tali – Fighter

Luxembourg returns after 31 years with a fun, well performed entry that blends English and French lyrics. The fact that it appears so early in the running order, before all the other dance bops means that it will mostly rely on the juries, hoping to avoid at least the bottom 5.

5. Netherlands: Joost Klein – Europapa

We watch the semi-final performance of Joost Klein. We don’t know yet if the Netherlands will compete tomorrow, but the juries will rank this performance tonight.

6. Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane

Next up, the most controversial entry of Eurovision 2024 by Eden Golan, who has shot up to 2nd place in the odds after RAI revealed she won the Italian televote in a landslide. Loud booings can be heard for a big part of the performance. The entry is professional and vocally good but maybe not the best of her rehearsals. It seems that Israel will inevitably win the televote, but will the jury support be enough for Eden to win? The biggest mystery of the season will be answered tomorrow.

7. Lithuania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk

Sylvester Belt is next with his energetic bop Luktelk. Excellently staged and performed but probably a bit monotonous for the juries to appreciate. Appearing right after the most talked about entry will certainly not help. Will the Lithuanian diaspora support be enough to achieve a left side of the scoreboard result?

Break

8. Spain: Nebulossa – ZORRA

The adorable, unexpected winner of Benidorm Fest may not be the best performer but the arena goes crazy for her. However this poor performance will probably not be marked highly neither by juries nor by televoters, making it the favorite for the last place of the final.

9. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup – (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi

The band from Estonia is a unique entry to the final lineup but it sadly falls flat compared to other fun party songs. Vocally it’s also not great so I can’t see it finishing in the top 15.

10. Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue

Yet another controversial entry with striking imagery, staged and performed perfectly. An impressive show that the viewers won’t forget and will obviously reward. But could the juries kill its chances for a top placement?

11. Latvia: Dons – Hollow

The biggest surprise of the semi-finals, the likeable Dons is vocally great and is visibly happy to be in the finals. A bit forgettable but decent, most of the points he will get will undoubtedly be from the national juries.

12. Greece: Marina Satti – ZARI

Marina Satti delivers by far her best performance so far, full of energy and charisma, vocally great and sassy as ever, making the crowd go wild. The performance is equally fun but also sleek and modern so this could be appreciated by both televoters and juries, but it remains a very unpredictable entry that could polarize.

13. United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – Dizzy

A visually stunning and technically impressive entry but the charisma of the singer is not convincing enough, even if he is a worldwide star. Vocally improved but still shaky at some parts, the juries will still give him points. My televote prediction for Olly however is not very optimistic.

Break

14. Norway: Gåte – Ulveham

Artistic, unique, haunting, full of rich ethnic flavour and energy but it seems most of the tv audience could be left cold because of the intense vocalisms, leading to a disappointing televote result like Blanca Paloma from Spain last year, while I also sadly doubt that this will be one of the jury favorites, possibly finishing unexpectedly low.

15. Italy: Angelina Mango – La Noia

Angelina Mango is wearing a new sparkly black outfit that works better with the led backdrop, not blending in. Charismatic and vocally good as always, but the staging and choreography hasn’t helped elevate this song to a winner contender and will probably settle with a top 10 result, extending Italy’s impressive top 10 streak.

16. Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda

Up next, the beautiful Serbian ballad, executed perfectly. The staging is effective but perhaps too simple to make the audience pick up the phone. This should receive points however from the juries and the Serbian diaspora, leading to a mid-table result.

17. Finland: Windows95man – No Rules!

The nonsense troll entry of the year, some will say it’s disgusting and embarrasing while other will find it fun and genius. Obviously relies on the televote to save it from the bottom, as the juries will give it close to zero points.

18. Portugal: Iolanda – Grito

An interesting transition, from the biggest troll to the classiest entry of the final, the talented Iolanda with the elegantly presented Grito. Her impecable vocals earn a big applause and can certainly impress jurors but the viewers will easily forget it as it lacks a catchy melody.

19. Armenia: Ladaniva – Jako

Next up, the immensly charismatic Jaklin from Armenia gives us some much needed pure colorful ethnic fun. This could be the big surprise of the year if the song wasn’t so monotonous but it can still achieve a decent left hand side result.

20. Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar

17-year old Silia Kapsis is impressively confident and a great live performer. She should definetely be proud of herself for being such an accomplished artist at such a young age. Simple but effective performance that sadly comes before one of the big favorites. Hopefully it won’t be lost among the other acts.

21. Switzerland: Nemo – The Code

Nemo is vocally great (not at his best though) and delivers one of the most interesting and demanding songs of the year, full of twists and turns. The staging is technically impressive but not really coherent as it lacks a clear message. The juries are bound to love this but I fear it lacks emotional connection for the audience, resulting in a televote score that will be decent, not enough for the victory but probably enough for a top 5 placement.

Break

22. Slovenia: Raiven – Veronika

The other surprise of the semi-finals is certainly not helped by the running order, right after a big favorite and a break and before the big favorite. Vocally good as usual but this is neither televote friendly nor radio friendly enough for the juries. It will be a big surprise if Slovenia breaks into the top 15.

23. Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim

From underdog of the year to favorite for the win, Baby Lasagna should be proud of himself for elevating this performance a lot from Dora and improving as a vocalist, showing a lot more charisma. Tons of energy and fun, the crowd goes absolutely crazy. Juries should also appreciate this and it would be a totally deserved winner but I think the first victory of Croatia is not as certain as odds imply.

24. Georgia: Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter

Effective staging and Nutsa is vocally on point but we’ve seen this before a million times as this entry feels like it belongs in 2008, with its messy and loud production probably alienating jurors.

25. France: Slimane – Mon Αmour

France has managed to stage this song to perfection, with simplicity and class. Slimane is a great artist but tonight, when it really mattered, he wasn’t at his best. Especially at the end of the song his voice cracked and sounded very strained, almost like he lost his voice. I considered this the sure jury winner but now I have serious doubts.

26. Austria: Kaleen – We Will Rave

A great throwback party closer to the show with nice staging but sadly Kaleen has shown she’s not one of the strongest performers, neither as a dancer nor as a vocalist. The vocals were off especially at the end, making her chances for a good jury result even slimmer. An early fan favorite that won’t reach top 10.

Interval Acts

The first Interval Act we will see is the Swedish band Alcazar, who sing Crying At The Discoteque. It should be noted that the group will only reunite for the night of the grand final.

We then see highlights of ABBA and Waterloo on the LED screens. Charlotte Perrelli, Carola and Conchita Wurst take to the stage to sing the iconic song.

A recap of the songs follows.

We watch highlights from last year’s Junior Eurovision and Petra doing her own postcard like the artists.

Next up, last year’s winner Loreen takes to the stage and sings a new song “Forever” which was released today on music platforms. She then transitions to her winning song Tattoo in an alternate version.

We watch a recap of the song in reverse order (from 26th to 1st in the order of appearance).

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Eurovision 2024: First Two Dress Rehearsals (Press & Jury) of the 2nd Semi-Final Today!

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We are now in the final stretch towards crowning the winner of Eurovision 2024, with just three days left until the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Tonight, at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, the Press and Jury Rehearsal of the 2nd Semi-Final will take place. It’s worth emphasizing the significance of tonight’s show, which is not just a mere rehearsal where delegations try out various stage elements, but a show that could determine the scores they receive from a country that might face technical issues tomorrow night and unable to vote.

It’s important to note the running order of the 2nd Semi-Final:

  1. Malta
  2. Albania
  3. Greece
  4. Switzerland
  5. Czechia
    France
  6. Austria
  7. Denmark
  8. Armenia
  9. Latvia
    Spain
  10. San Marino
  11. Georgia
  12. Belgium
  13. Estonia
    Italy
  14. Israel
  15. Norway
  16. Netherlands

Let’s not forget that in this year’s contest, for the first time, we will see the Big 5 and the host country, Sweden, presenting their songs in the semi-finals in the televised broadcast.

Hosting tonight’s event, as well as all shows until Saturday, will be Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.

Through our YouTube channel, you’ll have the opportunity to watch today’s Press and Jury Rehearsals live. So, tune in at 15:45 CET and 21:00 CET to find out how the participating countries in the 2nd Semifinal vying for a spot in Saturday’s Grand Final fared!

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Eurovision 2024: The Jury Show of the First Semi Final – Live Commentary! (UPDATED)

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The most exciting week of the year for all Eurofans around the world, the Eurovision week, has officially begun!  

The preparations are heated in Malmö Arena so that everything will be set for the Live Shows: The First Semi-Final on May 7th, the Second Semi-Final on May 9th and the Grand Final on May 11th, at 9:00pm CET! EurovisionFun will be watching the rehearsals from both the on-site and the online Press Center to give you a taste of what to expect on the upcoming live shows. 

Ensuing the Dress Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final which occurred earlier today, it is time for the Jury Show, where the 15 competing acts, plus –for the first time- the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden will take the stage! It is noteworthy that, although the finalists are determined by 100% televote, the national juries are casting their votes tonight as well. This happens in case technical issues arise tomorrow during the live show and a country cannot produce a valid televote result. 

This article gets real-time updated, therefore in order to view the commentary, all you need to do is simply refresh the page! 

The show 

 And the show begins! We see a video of previous winners, from ABBA to Duncan Laurence. Then, the stage is revealed as Eleni Foureira (Cyprus 2018) is bringing her fuego and is performing a slightly different, more oriental version of her Eurovision entry. Up next, it is Eric Saade (Sweden 2011), singing a different version of his song “Popular”. Lastly, Chanel from Spain is taking the stage and is performing her “SloMo”, once again with minor changes. What a start!

Our hosts appear: Petra Mede, who is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest as she has hosted the Contest in 2013 and in 2016 as well and Malin Åkerman, a renowned Swedish actress, dressed in neon orange and pink respectively, matching with the background colours.

They are explaining the voting rules and process and we hear the long-awaited “Let the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 begin”!

The competing countries- LIVE COMMENTARY 

01. Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar

The semi final opens with the most dynamic way possible! In the beginning, the background is black, which makes great contrast with Silia’s white outfit. During the performance, we see teal water/smoke-like patterns on the floor and on the back screen and in the end, the lights turn red. Silia’s vocals are stable and full of confidence, despite her dancing for three minutes straight. What an opener for the competitive part of the Contest!

02. Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda

We set the tones down now with Serbia. One of the most powerful ballads this year and definitely one of the most haunting voices. An atmospheric setting in gray lighting, with the big rock in the middle. There are some rapid changes with the lights and lightning strikes as the song builds up and in the end, some purple emerges. Such a classy entry.

03. Lithuania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk

Not much has changed for Lithuania staging-wise. But why change something that already works? A very 2024 performance, with the lights turning red and blue and these colours blend in during the dance break. A solid, polished entry and Silvester seems to truly live the moments on stage!

04. Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue

This is how you stage such a song! The beginning is dark, with Bambie sitting down and being surrounded by candles and on the floor LED, there is a pentagram. They are accompanied by a dancer. During the “singing” part, the background is changing and is showing a moon in baby blue and pink colours. In the middle, there is an outfit change as well, from black to blue and pink. During the bridge, the lighting is red and in the end, there’s lot of fire!

Break

United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – Dizzy (not competing) 

The first of the Big5 that will perform tonight! At the start, Olly is upside down, accompanied by 4 male dancers. The camera is tilting during the chorus and as the bridge kicks in, the light turns red. It feels as if we are watching a video clip on stage! At the last chorus, they get out of the “box” and there is lots of pyro and smoke. A very sensual performance I must say.

05. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria

At the start, the lighting has a golden hue and on the floor there is a water visual. Jerry Heil begins to climb on the prop and there is wind, which makes the atmosphere even more haunting. As Alyona begins to rap, the colours turn to black and white. Then, it is golden again and in the end, both are laying on the ground, with the LED floor showing a picture of many women. It is like a Renaissance painting!

06. Poland: Luna – The Tower

Typical Polish extravaganza when it comes to staging. There’s a moon on the background, there are towers on stage, a red horse, a dancer dressed in white, another one in red and lastly, one in black. I find the vocals a bit weak to be honest. In the end we see some pyro. This performance definitely has everything!

07. Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim

A burst of colours! Neon pink, green, smoke, pyro, flames, every possible element in use and they all make sense! Vocally, he has definitely improved and he seems fully confident. During the last chorus, we could hear the audience screaming “OHH”! So much “wow” factor in a performance!

08. Iceland: Hera Björk – Scared Of Heights

Hera is back! Such a charismatic performer, she is shining in her golden outfit, similar colours prevail on her overall staging. After the first chorus, she gets down her stairs and on the background we see shadows of her dancing. During the bridge the light turns red and she is elevated on her stairs again. She is definitely not scared of heights!

Break

Germany: ISAAK – Always On The Run (not competing) 

Isaak is sitting down on a chair with fire close to him. And flames commence as they are all around him. Vocals-wise, he is of course very solid, with a slight raspiness, adding some dynamic to his performance. The flames are put out after the bridge, which turns the viewer’s attentions from the staging to Isaak.

09. Slovenia: Raiven – Veronika

Raiven is sitting on the floor, with a dark blue backdrop and smoke. Then the dancers appear, dancing very close to her and wearing outfits which give off the impression that they are naked. In the end, the floor turns blue as well. Vocally, she is strong.

10. Finland: Windows95man – No Rules!

The infamous egg is the first thing we witness on stage, with the singer standing on it and after the first chorus, he comes down. Much smoke on stage in the beginning. After the bridge, there is jean shorts coming down from the ceiling, where there is pyro coming from during the last chorus. A memorable performance, especially if we take into account Windows95man’s outfit, before he puts on the shorts…

11. Moldova: Natalia Barbu – In The Middle

Natalia is wearing a white gown and vocally, she is great. The colours of the LEDs are beautiful: purple and blue hues as we see behind her white birds flying, a purple tree and butterflies on the cubes. During the violin bridge, wings appear on the background and after that, the stage turns golden with aesthetically pleasing patterns.

Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable (not competing) 

The last of tonight’s automatic qualifiers to perform, the host country Sweden! It is pretty much the same as their national final performance, which is aptly translated on the big Eurovision stage. In the beginning, the twins are alone and as the chorus is kicking in, the dancers appear. There are some visuals on the cubes as well. Overall, a very well-curated performance by the host country!

12. Azerbaijan: Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar

What we see in the beginning is a beautiful landscape with mountains and water in gray. From the water there is a person emerging, very futuristic-like. There are some purple hues every here and there. Their outfits have something futuristic as well, almost sci-fi. As the song comes to an end, both of the singers stand in between of the huge hands on the stage.

13. Australia: Electric Fields – One Mikali (One Blood)

A celestial backdrop, nova-like, full of colours! At some point, the dancers appear and accompany Zaachariaha, whose voice is so lively. We also see Electric Fields on the LED screen, before they merge into a nova-like visual as well. The traditional elements of the song are enriched with someone who is playing didgeridoo.

14. Portugal: Iolanda – Grito

A total white performance, serving class in Portuguese. Iolanda, who is amazing vocally, is accompanied by 5 masked singers in completely white fits as well. When we say total whiteness, we mean that even the cubes are white!

15. Luxembourg: Tali – Fighter

 After 31 years of absence, Luxembourg is back with Tali and her signature braids! In the beginning, she is standing under a frame along with her 4 dancers. Even from the very first chorus there are fires on stage. There are tigers, smoke during the bridge, the light is switching from bright purple to orange. Close to the end, a big “Fighter” appears on the LED screen. Welcome back Luxembourg!  A strong ending to the competitive part!

Interval acts 

 After a first recap of the competing acts, Petra Mede introduces Johnny Logan, the first two-time winner of the Eurovision Song Contest as a singer and one-time winner as a composer, who is performing his own unique version of Euphoria. It is so moving seeing a Eurovision legend singing the winning entry of another Eurovision legend!

Petra is now in the Green Room, where all the artists are gathered and she is having a conversation with Luxembourg’s Tali.

After that, we are watching a brief video wrap-up of the Turquoise Carpet which took place yesterday, Sunday 5th of May.

Then a second recap follows.

The voting lines have now closed and we see a brief presentation of the acts of the Second Semi Final.

A video medley of iconic Eurovision entries is now on our screens, from Diggi-Loo Diggi-ley and Dschinghis Khan to Rhythm Inside and El Diablo! How many memorable songs in such a short video!

The second artist who is performing as an interval act is Benjamin Ingrosso, the Swedish representative from Eurovision 2018! He is singing a mixture of tracks from his discography.

One more video is shown, in order to highlight the wide variety of cultures and genres that come together in Eurovision!

Given what I watched tonight, I will attempt to predict the certain qualifiers, the borderline and the non-qualifiers. 

Certain qualifiers 

Cyprus

Lithuania

Ireland

Ukraine

Croatia

Finland

Portugal

Luxembourg

Borderline qualifiers 

Serbia

Poland

Slovenia

Azerbaijan

Non-qualifiers 

 Iceland

Moldova

Australia

The results 

Obviously, these are not the official results, but virtual in order to serve the rehearsal’s purposes. 

The executive supervisor Martin Österdahl confirms that the results are valid and “we are good to go”!

The 10 countries that virtually go to the Final are:

Serbia

Portugal

Slovenia

Cyprus

Azerbaijan

Australia

Ireland

Lithuania

Moldova

Croatia

 

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Eurovision 2024: First Two Dress Rehearsals (Press & Jury) of the 1st Semi-Final Today!

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We are now in the final stretch towards crowning the winner of Eurovision 2024, with just five days left until the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Tonight, at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, the Press and Jury Rehearsal of the 1st Semi-Final will take place. It’s worth emphasizing the significance of tonight’s show, which is not just a mere rehearsal where delegations try out various stage elements, but a show that could determine the scores they receive from a country that might face technical issues tomorrow night and unable to vote.

It’s important to note the running order of the 1st Semi-Final:

  1. Cyprus
  2. Serbia
  3. Lithuania
  4. Ireland
    United Kingdom
  5. Ukraine
  6. Poland
  7. Croatia
  8. Iceland
    Germany
  9. Slovenia
  10. Finland
  11. Moldova
    Sweden
  12. Azerbaijan
  13. Australia
  14. Portugal
  15. Luxembourg

Let’s not forget that in this year’s contest, for the first time, we will see the Big 5 and the host country, Sweden, presenting their songs in the semi-finals in the televised broadcast.

Hosting tonight’s event, as well as all shows until Saturday, will be Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.

Through our YouTube channel, you’ll have the opportunity to watch today’s Press and Jury Rehearsals live. So, tune in at 15:45 CET and 21:00 CET to find out how the participating countries in the 1st Semifinal vying for a spot in Saturday’s Grand Final fared!

Follow us on all social media, so you don’t miss a moment of what’s happening around the Eurovision Song Contest:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!

Eurovision 2023: Grand Final Jury Show – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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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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Eurovision 2023: Jury Rehearsal of the 2nd Semi Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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The “jury” rehearsal of the Eurovision 2023 Second Semi Final has just started and the the Liverpool Arena is filled with eurofans! Even though the Semi-Final results wil be determined 100% by the televote, national juries will watch and score today’s rehearsals and their votes will count in case a country’s televote fails to produce a valid result. Earlier today we saw the First Dress Rehearsal and you can read our commentary here.

Tonight, in addition to the 16 participating countries of the Second Semi-Final, we will also see the United Kingdom, Spain and last year’s winner Ukraine perform their entries.

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 Semi-Final tomorrow May 11th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

A spoken word piece opens the Second Semi-Final talking through the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The hosts, Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina welcome us and remind us that the competition is taking place in the UK because of the war in Ukraine. We see the 16 competing artists in the led wall behind the presenters and the voting numbers appear.

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Denmark – Breaking My Heart

Reiley, the TikTok star from the Faroe Islands, is dressed in pink, inside an elaborate pink prop that looks like a house and rotates to reveal different rooms. Later, Reiley walks to the second stage and the led wall becomes blue and then green. Sadly, it is vocally weak and rather annoying, something that will probably prevent him from reaching the Grand Final.

Armenia – Future Lover

Brunette delivers one of the most impressive performances visually, standing on a curved platform with pink projections on her, and later intense black and white lights. The added dance break is definetely eye-catching and Brunette is a great performer, that will undoubtedly qualify for Saturday’s final and is aiming high.

Romania – D.G.T.(On and Off)

Theodor is a good vocalist but sadly the entire performance and staging, with distasteful led content and awkward choreography from Theodor and his dancer, seems very amateurish. Romania will be lucky if they avoid the absolute last place of this Semi-Final.

Estonia – Bridges

Alika, the talented singer from Estonia, brings a slightly elevated version of her Eesti Laul performance with pretty blue leds and her characteristic piano that plays by itself. It’s an act that will suffer due to the absence of juries from the Semi-Finals, as the televoters could easily find it dull and forget it. It’s qualification feels very uncertain.

Belgium – Because Of You

Gustaph gives the show some much needed energy, with his 90s themed song. The staging is very similar to the one from Belgium’s national final, with an added staircase, a dancer and loads of voguing. Vocally great as always, but will it be enough for Gustaph to make it through? I’m leaning towards yes but I’m not certain.

First Break

Cyprus – Break a Broken Heart

The Australian born Greek-Cypriot singer Andrew Lambrou delivers a great live of his power ballad. The staging is a bit static, with repeated shots of a waterfall but nevertheless professional. The final minute of the song is filled with huge fire jets. A very decent performance that doesn’t scream winner but will easily earn its place in the Grand Final.

Iceland – Power

Next up, we have the energetic Dilja from Iceland. She is very good vocally but the performance feels completely all over the place, with the young singer doing unnecessary acrobatics and coming off rather aggresive. The camera shots aren’t great, making the viewer feel dizzy and overall quite bored, if not annoyed. Iceland’s journey in Eurovision 2023 ends tomorrow.

Greece – What They Say

16-year old Victor from Greece has visibly improved vocally, compared to his previous rehearsals. The beginning of the performance, with him laying on the floor is very interesting visually but the rest of the staging feels quite messy. Victor’s bouncing a lot and looks nervous, but maybe he could get just enough points to sneak into the Final.

Poland – Solo

Coming next, the big surprise of the rehearsals, Blanka from Poland. From certain non-qualifier, Poland now has a guaranteed spot in the Grand Final, thanks to the visually extremely entertaining show and the much improved vocals of Blanka, who looks stunning. Maybe too many effects, but obviously too much is never enough for the iconic “Bejba”.

Slovenia – Carpe Diem

Joker Out, the charismatic Slovenian band, transfer us to their concert, as they own the stage, delivering tons of energy and fun. The lead singer is vocally great and the tone of his voice elevates the song a lot. After 3 years, Slovenia is returning to the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Georgia – Echo

Iru looks stunning in her white dress and sounds pitch perfect. The performance is pretty, with nice lighting and led content, but quite static and overall dated. This would’t be out of place in a 2011 Eurovision National Final. However, it would be a big surprise if Georgia didn’t make it through, as it’s definetely one of the stronger acts in a weak Semi-Final. Georgia will return to the Grand Final, after 7 years, but will struggle to escape the last places once it gets there.

Second Break

San Marino – Like An Animal

Probably the biggest underdogs of the competition, Piqued Jacks from San Marino, deliver a well crafted show, vocally and visually decent. However, the professional staging with black and red pop-art led content isn’t enough to elevate a very weak composition, musically and lyrically. The landlocked microstate won’t escape the bottom two of this Semi-Final.

Austria – Who the hell is Edgar?

Teya and Salena grace the Eurovision stage with one of the most clever and funny songs of the year. Their stage show is very polished but perheps not fun enough. The red, black and white leds with the dancers are nice but quite repetitive, and it feels like the act doesn’t have a clear purpose and lacks energy. Vocally decent, with some weak moments, the female duo from Austria will obviously qualify but I’m not so sure that they can win the Semi Final. Once they get to the Final, I expect them to significantly underperform.

Albania – Duje

The very likable family from Albania give us a stereotypical Albanian act, full of powerful vocals, red, black and orange visuals and lots of fire. This definetely stands out as the only ethnic song and is performed professionaly but perhaps has a very limited audience. The noticable absence of countries with Albanian diaspora from this Semi-Final means Albania’s qualification is far from certain.

Lithuania – Stay

Monika Linkyte delivers a vocally powerful and visually pleasing, warm performance, accompanied by her backing vocalists. They manage to create a beautiful atmosphere that the audience seems to enjoy. This song really shines near the end of the Second Semi Final, making Lithuania’s qualification a certainty.

Australia – Promise

Voyager, the progressive metal band from Australia, are obviously very experienced performers and close the show with a bang. Excellent staging with 80s vaporwave vibes and a car on stage. The arena loves them, as they deliver an excellent performance, full of energy, that is guaranteed to qualify tomorrow night.

Certain Qualifiers

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Slovenia

Poland

Cyprus

Lithuania

Georgia

Borderline Qualifiers

Belgium

Greece

Albania

Estonia

Non Qualifiers

Denmark

Iceland

Romania

San Marino

Interval Acts

Ukrainian singers Mariya Yaremchuk, Otoy and Zlata Dziunka perform a medley of Ukrainian songs. Then we watch another recap and get ready for lines to close.

Three drag queens take the place of the presenters and perform “Be Who You Wanna Be”.

Mans Zelmerlow and Filomena return with the “game” of guessing which countries they have or have not qualified in the past.

Big 5 and Ukraine

Spain

Blanca Paloma transferred her Benidorm performance to the Liverpool stage, with minor improvements. Vocally impeccable and visually captivating, this entry will be greatly appreciated by jurors but maybe also by the European audience. There is quite nothing like it in the competition and viewers will certainly not forget it.

Ukraine

Ukrainians show once again that they are the masters of staging at Eurovision. TVORVHI probably have the most sleek, stylish and modern performance of the year. It starts a bit low energy but that is quickly fixed, when pyro jets join the show. Great act but the song is probably a bit forgettable. Of course, Ukraine’s result is maybe the biggest mystery of the year, as we don’t know how the sympathy and diaspora votes will impact their score.

United Kingdom

Mae Muller will close Saturday’s Grand Final with a fun and upbeat number, staged cleverly with colorful pop art vibes. Her vocals however are perhaps the worst in this year’s contest and completely destroy the act. She’s struggling to hit the notes and looks uncomfortable, which means United Kingdom could be returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.

The Results

Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the purposes of the rehearsal were the following:

San Marino, Lithuania, Belgium, Armenia, Cyprus, Estonia, Romania, Austria, Poland, Slovenia

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Eurovision 2023: “Jury” Rehearsal of the 1st Semi Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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The “jury” rehearsal of the Eurovision 2023 First Semi Final has just started and the the Liverpool Arena is filled with eurofans! Even though the Semi-Final results wil be determined 100% by the televote, national juries will watch and score today’s rehearsals and their votes will count in case a country’s televote fails to produce a valid result. Earlier today we saw the First 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 Semi-Final tomorrow May 9th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The show opens with a video of a young Liverpudlian boy traveling across the city telling his family, friends, neighbours (and some special guests!) that Eurovision is in Liverpool. The young boy dances yogether with a young girl on the Eurovision stage.

Julia Sanina performs “Mayak” by The Hardkiss. Translating from the Ukrainian for Lighthouse, the performance: “symbolises in many ways how the UK is United by Music with Ukraine through the hosting the 2023 Contest on behalf of the 2022 winners.”

Spice Girl Mel C‘ voice introduces to the stage the hosts of the contest to viewers across the globe. The hosts of the show are the female trio of superstars Julia Sanina of The Hardkiss, Hannah Waddingham, and Alesha Dixon.

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Norway: Alessandra – Queen of Kings

The jury rehearsal starts with an energetic show by Alessandra. The young singer looks confident and sounds great, with the exeption of small vocal instabilities. She nails the whistle note as usual but right after it, it seems she loses her breath a bit as she “talks” a few phrases instead of singing. A minor problem that she handled well. Norway will probably finish top-5 in the semi.

Malta: The Busker – Dance (Our Own Party)

Next up, a quirky, colorful fun but also a bit awkward and messy performance from The Busker, that gets the crowd cheering! Big applause in the Liverpool Arena but I doubt this will translate to many televote points for the small island nation.

Serbia: Luke Black – Samo Mi Se Spava

Luke Black looks more comfortable than ever, performing his unique number, full of strobing lights, clever camera cuts and video game referances. The crowd absolutely loves the crazy show he puts on, making sure that Serbia is sailing to the Grand Final.

Latvia: Sudden Lights – Aijā

The Latvian band manages to create a unique atmosphere on the Eurovision stage with their beautiful lightshow and masterful vocal performance. Definetely an entry that will be hurt by the absence of juries in the semi finals, as their qualification based on the televote alone seems very doubtful.

First Break

Portugal: Mimicat – Ai Coração

Mimicat is very much improved vocally compared to her previous rehearsal today. She delivers loads of energy and sassy choreography, that is almost enough to fill the rather empty stage. Excellent performance but will Portugal qualify, based solely on the singer’s charisma? It remains to be seen but I’m leaning towards yes.

Ireland: Wild Youth – We Are One

It feels like Wild Youth are almost performing at home soil, as the Liverpool audience welcomes them with the warmest applause. Sadly, they deliver their worst performance so far, as the singer looks uncomfortable, avoids singing parts of the song and sounds very off, making Ireland a strong candidate for the last place of the Semi-Final.

Croatia: Let 3 – Mama ŠČ!

The infamous Croatian band give us yet another wacky show that you either love or hate, but can certainly not forget. Even though it’s completely crazy and off-putting, it’s executed very professionally in terms of staging and vocal performance. They will probably make it to Saturday’s final!

Switzerland: Remo Forrer – Watergun

Remo is perhaps not very charismatic but is the stronger male vocalist of the Semi Final and presents a very well crafted show, staged by Sacha Jean Baptiste, in her trademark red and black colors and quick camera cuts. The “fireworks” falling from the ceiling and the interpretive dancers give this a special feeling, making its qualification very likely, but not certain.

Israel: Noa Kirel – Unicorn

The Israeli superstar has improved vocally from her previous rehearsal and looks stunning as always. An extremely polished and impressive MTV-award show-like performance with intense choreography, but perhaps not fun or engaging enough to smash its competition in the Grand Final, where it will be for sure.

Moldova: Pasha Parfeni – Soarele şi Luna

Up next, a very engaging mystical performance from Eurovision returnee Pasha, who seems to experience some audio technical difficulties in the beginning but quickly overcomes them. The unique feeling of the entry, with the horn-wearing back-up dancers and singers and the flute-playing dwarf, as well as the charisma of the singer make Moldova’s qualification pretty much certain.

Second Break

Sweden: Loreen – Tattoo

The Eurovision legend herself, Loreen, delivers a winning performance. She and her expert swedish team have managed to create a show as good as the one in Melodifestivalen, perfecting the camera angles and colors, making sure it still feels grand, cinematic and epic. Vocally strong and emotional as ever, Loreen is ready to be crowned as the first woman who wins Eurovision twice.

Azerbaijan: TuralTuranX – Tell Me More

The Azeri twins give us another cute performance of their vintage sounding song, that is sweet but sadly very forgettable and gets lost among stronger entries. Their qualification looks impossible.

Czechia: Vesna – My Sister’s Crown

The “slavic sisters” are amazing on stage and vocally on point. They manage to convey the message of their multi-layered song, giving strong female-empowerment vibes and filling the stage with their presence. A song and staging that stands out and will lead Czechia to their second qualification in a row.

Netherlands: Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper – Burning Daylight

The Dutch duo give an atmospheric performance of their ambient song that stands out with its simplicity but aren’t at their best vocally. They have improved from their pre-party lives but still struggle a bit to connect with each other and with the audience. It’s highly likely that the qualification streak of the Netherlands will break this year.

Finland: Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha

The unique Finish performer manages to make the crowd go crazy with his uplifting show, but struggles vocally and relies heavily on the pre-recorded backing vocals. The impactful fun energy will give him many televote points but the juries will probably punish his weak vocals, making his winning chances rather slim. Qualification of course is more than certain for Käärijä and his Cha Cha Cha dancers.

Interval Act

Alyosha (Ukraine 2010) and Rebecca Fergusson perform together a cover of “Ordinary World”. Wordwide superstar Rita Ora performs a medley of her hits, as well as a world premiere of ‘Praising You’.

Then a video with a good dose of British humour shows us the most characteristic Ukrainian and British entries. In the video the one and only Graham Norton does the voice over! Then a game starring Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden 2015) and Filomena Cautela (Presenter in 2018) follows, where they try to guess if some earlier entries qualified for the Final or not.

Certain Qualifiers

Sweden

Finland

Norway

Israel

Moldova

Serbia

Czechia

Croatia

Borderline Qualifiers

Switzerland

Portugal

Netherlands

Non Qualifiers

Malta

Latvia

Azerbaijan

Ireland

BIG 5 Performances

France: La Zarra – Évidemment

This entry oozes class and French glamor, with La Zarra being more and more confident and improving vocally. Her dress reveal is very impressive, while the last minute of the act looks spectacular. A performance that the crowd certainly enjoyed.

Germany: Lord of The Lost – Blood & Glitter

The members of the glam rock German band are back in their characteristic shiny leather outfits. The lead singer is one of the most consistent, pitch-perfect performers of Eurovision 2023 and never fails to transfer the vibe of “Blood and Glitter”.

Italy: Marco Mengoni – Due Vite

The audience of the Liverpool Arena loves the talented and charismatic Italian singer, who delivers yet another wonderful performance of his emotional ballad wearing a sparkly top. In the backdrop, the full moon and two male dancers falling from a staircase to a trampoline and back up again, creating a nice atmosphere.

The Results

Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

In the previous rehearsal, we saw a different method of announcing the qualifiers, with the contestants being brought to the stage but this has been scrapped and we’re back to the original announcement segment in the green room.

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the purposes of the rehearsal were the following:

Azerbaijan, Ireland, Swtzerland, Czechia, Malta, Israel, Netherlands, Croatia, Portugal and Norway

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Eurovision 2022: The Jury Rehearsal of the 2nd Semifinal! (Updated)

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After the completion of the 1st semifinal and the announcement of the qualified countries, now it is the turn of the countries of the 2nd semifinal. Tonight 18 extra countries are competing for the last 10 tickets leading to Saturday’s Grand Final.

Tonight,  50% of the total score will be determined and specifically the vote of the juries. Together we will comment on the appearances of all the participants in tonight’s show!

In the opening video we see one of the presenters of the show, Alessandro Cattelan, give us a special tour around the production and behind the scenes of the show, followed by a choreography.

Right after, we have the three presenters who come out on stage. And the show begins!

Finland

A very strong start to the Semifinal with the world-famous rock band The Rasmus. Yellow lighting and black balloons dominate the staging. At the same time, Lauri makes a very good appearance vocally. There does not seem to be any problem at the start of the Semifinal, the Finns give us from the beginning to understand that they are claiming the qualification for good!

Israel

Although many did not give much hope to Israel before the competition, Michael has come to change our minds here in Turin. It starts with mirrors at the beginning that reflect him, very strong dances while vocally Michael is nailing it. Tremendous energy from Israel, which raises the tension in the arena, as well as the competition in this Semifinal!

Serbia

Probably the most special participation this year, both due to the stage presence and the song itself. Konstrakta is awesome in her role and the audience participates in an impressive way. It is characteristic of the participation that subtitles for specific phrases of the song appear on the screens, another way to communicate the message. The choreography attracts the whole audience and we expect to see Serbia again on Saturday.

Azerbaijan

The Azeri ballad this year is based on the vocal abilities of the singer, which really impresses everyone. It’s a collaboration with another dancer, and the two are synchronized on the special construction that has been set up. Then this stage is divided by bringing the singer opposite the dancer. There was a small issue with a specific plan, which was skipped. We would really like to see azerbaijan on Saturday!

Georgia

Literally, the circus is in town. Circus Mircus bring a strong taste of a circus in the stage of Turin. The direction has nothing special and vocally the lead singer has no problems. It reminds us of Willy Wonka, but the qualification seems far away for Georgia this year.

Malta

Emma brings a more youthful air. Golden lighting and a piano on which Emma begins singing. Somewhat unstable vocally, perhaps, she tries to transfer her energy to the audience, something she achieves at the peak of the song along with the choreography. Overall, a full appearance from Malta that wants thequalification in the final. The battle has begun!

(A break with a video related to the music history of Italy and the Sanremo festival)

San Marino

San Marino is playing at home this year and this can be seen from the madness of the public for Achille Lauro. Describing the appearance as “bold” is not enough. Cages, furs, smokes and rock create an explosive combination, with Achille performing his own personal show. Pyros and fireworks are coming to peak the climate. Of course, our favorite bull is not missing. Just a panic in the arena! Will San Marino rock in the final too?

Australia

Sheldon is on a pedestal and behind him are two large stairs. Dressed in white and wearing the mask, he makes his appearance. Then he climbs the stairs, takes off his mask and conquers the TV shots. We believe that Australia will qualify, returning to the Grand Final!

Cyprus

Andromache is on the big prop of a shell like the two dancers. Orange and Blue lighting,  several vocal instabilities, the audience participates and enhances the participation. Maybe the vibes from the video clip did not pass so effectively on the Eurovision stage. We’ll see.

Ireland

A lot of pink for the Brooke who is dressed in turquoise. She starts the song lying down and then enters together with the dancers doing the choreography. Brooke gives her own show, along with the fireworks that accompany her. A girlish-cute appearance that may be the underdog that some are looking for, although the qualification still has a way to go.

North Macedonia

Andrea tries hard to support the song, but alone on stage and without any climax, she is far from approaching the competition. Andrea’s vocals are quite good, but the scene is very empty and it can be seen from most of the shots. Andrea is circling around the disqualification, we are moving on.

Estonia

Retro shots at the beginning, which, however, are not combined with the scene of the wild west prepared by the Estonians, due to the problems of the “sun”. Vocally starts a bit weak, but then he is as he should be. He enjoys it very much, Estonia is very likely togualify to Saturday as well.

(Βreak with a video that addresses life and the beauty of our reality)

Romania

Α dance participation this year from Romania and WRS. A lot of dance and golden lighting. However, here too there are permanent problems due to the immobility of the “sun”, as the scene in the back seems half and really very uncomfortable to anyone who observes it. Of course it is not the responsibility of the Romanians. WRS changes his costume, since the dancers tear his clothes apart, while the audience has a lot of fun. Maybe the train for Bucharest on Friday is not going to have WRS, since he is a strong qualifying candidate!

Poland

Ochman confronts his demons on stage. vocals are perfect although the effects used may surprise some viewers. Enough intensity and drama in the song as a whole, a very good and full performance from Poland, aiming high this year.

Montenegro

VVery blue and fairly low lighting. Vladana is quite stable vocally, perhaps one of the best performances here in Turin. Then she continues the song in Italian, raising the pulse of her song. We all take a deep breath for the qualification of Montenegro, which for many is quite doubtful.

Belgium

Dynamic song by Jeremy this year, based on golden lighting and plenty of space. Μaybe due to the pulse of the song we could see more. Despite a small vocal problem in the last part, Belgium is currently one of the countries we are expected to see again in the final.

Sweden

After the many technical problems that appeared in today’s dress rehearsal, Cornelia endures and returns to the stage. The vocal instabilities exist, as does the classic stage presence of the song. Fireworks, change of lighting and Sweden flies straight and relaxed to the final. Simple and Beautiful!

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic closes the 2nd semifinal by raising the pulse in the arena. Much improved vocally by Dominika  something that brings the song among the contenders for qualification. Really beautiful appearance from the Czechs, with intense alternation of lights and the audience seems to loves the song very much. We hope that the Czech Republic does not have the end of Austria!

(End of the competing part, the voting for the Juries has begun and we see the first recap)

Interval Act

For the first time on stage, Laura Pausini and Mika join forces and sing together Sting’s “Fragile” and Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power“. A quite beautiful collaboration from our hosts.

Τhe next big interval act is that of Il Volo‘s, who appear on stage, but without Gianluca, who is at home and on the screens. Ignazio and Piero sing their tremendous success from Eurovision 2015 Grand Amore, in English. Huuge love from the audience (and us) and we all shudder to hear this song once again on the Eurovision stage after 7 years!

Big 5

Spain

Spain has come this year with many ambitions and they stand out from the stage presence of Chanel. The change in melody at the beginning of the song has come to stay. Very strong choreography, Chanel is a star and wants to lead Spain to high positions this year!

United Kingdom

Really all this lighting is like being on a spaceship. Sam’s voice is one of the best voices in the competition this year and he proves it in every perofrmance (and in his TikTok). The United Kingdom returns dynamicallyand will be “launched” in a Top-10 spot this year.

Germany

Final, for today Malik Harris with Rockstars, Much passion in his appearance, many instruments on stage and quite a beautiful presence. It looked better than we expected and will probably not end up at the bottom of the table, but he will definitely be on the right side of the board in the final.

Which ones I think will qualify

Personal Opinion always:

Based on the rehearsal we just watched, I take it for granted that the following will qualify:

  • Sweden
  • Poland
  • Australia
  • Serbia
  • Czech Republic
  • Finland
  • Azerbaijan

Which will fight

The following will fight for the remaining 3 positions:

  • San Marino
  • Estonia
  • Romania
  • Montenegro
  • Malta

Which will be disqualify

These countries, either because of their appearance or because of their song, I find it very difficult for them to qualify:

  • Belgium
  • Israel
  • Ireland
  • North Macedonia
  • Georgia
  • Cyprus

Results

The executive supervisor of the competition, Martin Osterdahl gives the green light for the announcement of the results.

We’re going to see random qualifiers with random order, for the sake of the rehearsal.

The qualified countries are:

  • Belgium
  • Azerbaijan
  • Georgia
  • North Macedonia
  • Ireland
  • Estonia
  • Sweden
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San Marino

Thank you all for staying with us tonight for the Jury Rehearsal! Half of the voting has now been judged. Can’t wait to watch the TV show, tomorrow!

 

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Iceland: Systur faced technical difficulties during the Jury Rehearsal!

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The Icelandic band Systur has revealed that they faced  technical problems during yesterday’s Jury Semi Final One.

Systur described that a failure occured in the sound system which was “upsetting” to them as they did not have such problems during previous rehearsals.

The failure was apparently not detected by the juries but brought Systur out of balance as they were unable to hear each other on stage during their performance. However, they feel that the rehearsal went “incredibly well despite the failure”.

Systur will compete tonigh on the first semi-final  for a ticket for the Final, with the song “Með hækkandi sól”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2FYALU4N94

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Source: eurovoix.com