Well, here we are. After months of dissecting dozens of songs from dozens of nations, picking apart rehearsal footage and costume choices, over-analyzing every note, and digesting the running order, we’ve finally come to the moment of truth. For those of you who will be tuning in (which is, let’s be honest, just about anyone reading this article), here’s a list of facts and tidbits for you to look out for tonight.
Acrobatics and Athletics
Backing dancers aren’t a particularly new phenomenon at Eurovision, but the performances from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Greece all feature eye-catching performances by more specialized performers. Respectively, we’ll see a massive hamster wheel, a trapeze, a figure skater, and a trampolinist. Will they enhance their nation’s stage shows, or detract from them? Either way, the more jaded fans among us may be waiting with bated breath for someone to face-plant…
Postcard Funtimes
Post-its, hockey pucks, library books, dominoes, tulips, frilly skirts, Rubik’s cubes, fireworks, sliced mozzarella cheese, and inflatable rafts. What do these seemingly random objects have in common? Watch tonight’s postcards and find out!
The (Potential) Hot Mess Brigade
What’s Eurovision without a bit of on-stage insanity? Even without circus performers, Eurovision can always bring up a bit of outlandish, off-the-wall fun. Romania’s awkward hugs and circular pianos, France’s demand that the already-standing crowd get on their feet, Italy crawling around as if she was searching for a lost contact lens, a Russian see-saw going in the opposite direction that it logically should (in Russia, laws of physics defy YOU!)…there’s really something for everyone.
English, English, and More English…
Despite the fact that only two songs performing in this year’s Final come from nations where English is considered a national language, there are very few entries in Saturday’s show that incorporate other languages. Only Montenegro and Italy are purely English-free, while France has a few lines in English and Spanish and Poland, Spain, and Slovenia perform bilingual versions of their songs. Compare this to eight foreign language entries in 2013 and ten in 2012.
A Sister (or Brother) Act
Eurovision is all about love, music, and displaying your talent and gifts for the world. Who better to share that moment with than with a member of your own family? Out of the 26 acts in tonight’s Final, four feature at least a pair of siblings (and a further entry, Macedonia, was eliminated at the Semifinal level). Pollapönk’s members in red and pink, Haraldur Freyr Gíslason and Arnar Þór Gíslason, are brothers, as are Twin Twin’s François and Lorent. Obviously, Russia’s Tolmachevy Sisters, Masha and Nastya, share a fair bit of genetic material, and four out of the six members of Malta’s Firelight (Richard, Michelle, Wayne, and Daniel) grew up listening to their father, local musician Joe George, as he performed around the island. Going a bit further out in the family tree, you can see that Norway’s Carl Espen’s song was written for him by his cousin, Josefin Winther. The family that sings together sticks together, I suppose!
DRINK! (Responsibly, of course…)
This might be the appropriate time to bring up the ESC Insight Drinking Game. It’s pretty simple: when you see pyros, drink! (You might want to refill your cups before the Swiss, Austrian, and British performances.) However, this year appears to be somewhat lacking in the amount of pyrotechnic “oomph” that we’re used to seeing here. For advanced partakers who want to make up for lost opportunity, you can add rules of your own (eg., sip when the satellite stage is used, when a camera shot of the crowd shows a bored audience member on their phone, or when Emma Marrone actually looks into the camera).
However you decide to celebrate Eurovision Night, whether it’s with family, friends, or simply a pint, we wish you a flag-waving, song-belting, heart-pounding evening! Keep in touch with us throughout the evening via our Twitter feed (@escinsight); we’d love to hear from you!