At the Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday night, while Eurovision’s Greatest Hits was being recorded, reports were spread over social media about booing from the audience. This occurred as Russia’s Dima Bilan was announced, the 2008 winner of the Song Contest. This follows on from the events of Copenhagen when clearly audible jeering rang out as The Tolmachevy Sisters received points as Russia’s representatives. Ben Robertson contemplates if, and when, booing is ever appropriate to do in our Contest.
What Happened At The Greatest Hits Concert?
Eurovision’s Greatest Hits is a special show to celebrate the 60th year of the Eurovision Song Contest featuring many of the most well known winners and performers. As the show recording was progressing, there were reports from fans inside the arena that the reaction to Dima Bilan’s appearance was less than savoury. Sam Phripp told us the feeling from the auditorium:
I don’t think it’s fair to say that Dima was booed, because there wasn’t any hostility towards Dima himself. Graham Norton was recording the link between songs and there was a huge amount of booing when Russia was mentioned. Russia was booed rather than Dima.
With the show being a pre-record which will first go out for transmission this Friday (April 3rd) on the BBC, the production team have possibility to edit the show. They certainly made sure to grab some spare footage and audio:
Graham had to actively tell the crowd not to show their disapproval and so the link was re-recorded. There was still audible booing at this point. The audience were later recorded applauding, including applauding as if an act had just been introduced.
This sentiment is further confirmed by the Independent newspaper, who quoted Norton complaining to audience members that “you can boo in Vienna, you can boo at home, but not here.”
When watching the show as it gets released across Europe, expect this gesture made by the audience to be chopped out of the 90-minute TV extravaganza (the pantomime booing around Norton’s cheerfulness that ‘there will be no voting tonight’ is more likely to stay in than out).
With the reaction as strong as this towards Russia, once again in Eurovision circles there seems to be little evidence to suggest Polina Gagarina will avoid this treatment in Vienna.
Why Fans Boo During Their Beloved Eurovision Song Contest
Booing at the Eurovision Song Contest is not exclusively a recent phenomenon. For example in 2006 Icelandic comedic character Silvia Night was perhaps a little too good at playing her diva character leaving many offended. The reaction at the end of her Semi Final performance, which closed the show, was loud and aggressive booing aimed directly at the artist. Furthermore in the same year LT United, who still have Lithuania’s only top 10 placing with ‘We Are The Winners’, were booed for the almost antagonistic and arrogant attitude their entry gave to the Song Contest.
With both of these entries which were spawned during the crazy and eclectic era that 100% televoting created, it was the way fans perceived the entrants treating Eurovision that created the controversy. The fans reacted against the feeling that being in Eurovision was a big joke and that the competition was not been given the respect that it deserved.
The story around Russia and the 60th Concert is different. This here is aimed at a country, not a particular act or artist. When I spoke to Sam (who has also been a Liberal Democrat Councillor and has his own politically-charged blog So Sam said), he gave his own opinion as to why Russia was feeling this hatred.
I totally respect why Russia got booed. The Putin government has rolled back human rights for all kinds of people, including the LGBT+ community, many of whom were present last night.
Eurovision’s Greatest Hits attendee Sam Phripp
The issues involved clearly matter a great deal to the audience. Many older fans will have experienced having their sexuality criminalised, they may have experienced homophobia etc, so I totally respect the strength of feeling.
Russia’s political movements like the increased intolerance towards LGBT-identifying people and also the invasion of Crimea, have made the country unpopular amongst many in the Eurovision community. Those that know the Eurovision community will know that they are as flamboyant as they are fabulous, and certainly are not a group willing to let themselves be trampled over easily. The actions from Russia caused such concerns amongst Eurovision circles that the EBU even stepped forward to make statements in November 2013 concerning fan fears for if Russia was to once again win and host the Eurovision Song Contest.
That action may seem quite dramatic to make when we all awaiting news on a Contest not in Russia but in liberal Denmark. However the EBU had felt already the strength of opinion and knew that this issue was in danger of slipping through the cracks of Eurovision apoliticism. The effect though was that making an official stance to support the rights of Eurovision fans and putting pressure on Russia only helped to fuel the fires of anger inside many a Eurovision fan. These flames do not appear to be dying off any time soon either. The fact is there there is little other way for Eurovision fans to make their feelings known and to be able to get that message out there onto a worldwide audience, and one the international media are happy to gobble up.
Caution Needs To Be Exercised To Keep Fans Together
It should be said that this is not a co-ordinated response. There has not been ever an organised action to boo at a certain song or artist; this is the grassroots of the fan movement, those buying tickets and attending shows, that are making their voices heard of the TV broadcasts. We spoke to the President of Eurovision’s biggest fan club, OGAE’s Maiken Mäemets, to give us the opinion of the fan organisation on the noise that many of their members are making.
Maiken Maemets (Photo: Dennis Stachel / EBU)
While freedom of speech is one of OGAE International’s core values, we do not believe in mixing possible political protests with the Eurovision Song Contest. We celebrate the contest through diversity and unity.
OGAE has to of course play a delicate game. The freedom of expression of their members is vital, but to be actively supporting things to disrupt the Song Contest would leave the 10,000 strong organisation walking a tightrope. As OGAE membership rates grow across Europe the club needs to cement and strengthen is in a position where strengthening its working relationship with the EBU is vital to generate further opportunities for fans. Taking and encouraging political movements inside the Contest are not only against OGAE’s aims and objectives to be politically-neutral but could irreparably damage their reputation.
Also, despite the respect that many people have for the reasons for booing, there exists an equally large group that are furious at a sub-section of fans for being involved in these statements. Arguments range from that we need to lead by example to make Eurovision a place to respect all and also to make sure fans from other cultures do not feel they could be victimised based on where they come from.
However the main one is that booing is often indiscriminate. For Dima Bilan and the Tolmachevy Sisters, they are pop stars who have no correlation to the political system they come from. For LT United and Silvia Night, they are acts that are purposefully playing up for the big stage and can perhaps take the abuse, but both acts won in massive televotes in their home countries and what does this say to the people back home who chose them?
Even if a small section of the audience boo then that can easily be picked up by the microphones and give an impression that the whole crowd was in uproar. Yes the booing is loud and yes many are involved, but it is not all and there actions quite easily may not be a majority.
So Is It Ever OK To Boo The Song Contest?
I am of the opinion that Eurovision fans involved in booing the recent Russian entries may need to take a second chance to think. The fear is that this becomes almost into a continuous running joke each and every year and the Eurovision fans treat Russia like some sort of pantomime baddie. Neither the broadcaster nor the act on stage are likely to fit into this mindset. I believe that we as fans should take a leaf out of the words of darling Conchita Wurst; we should be the role models of that peace and freedom. We should make sure our actions show unity, and that the unity is unstoppable. The key to this debate is about demonstrating how awesome diversity is.
Going back to Copenhagen I felt the movement by some fans on the floor of the arena to unfurl Pride flags to get into the camera shots of ‘Shine’ was far more subtle and far more specific in its attack. It was able to give the tabloids a headline without the need for negativity, making a message of love that we should send to all people. The artists, songwriters, TV producers and the whole team and population of Russia need to be able to realise this is not about them and they can feel the arguably unparalleled love that the Eurovision Song Contest can offer. This was better than booing, however I do believe that when we are in game mode we should be looking to steer ourselves away from making such distracting political gestures.
Booing needs to be used only when it is imperative for fans to get their voices heard and when this is to do with the Eurovision Song Contest losing its integrity. The dramas of Greece’s and Cyprus’s exchange of 12 points (and along with many others), especially when we as fans know that their entries are undeserving of such praise, is on that occasion I argue appropriate. Our response can not be pre-planned with banners and flags and in that case we are showing our complete dissatisfaction for the voting, for an integral part of the competition that is not to be used as a toy.
On a more extreme level of this I go back to the 2012 Junior Eurovision hosted in Amsterdam. In the arena I could see the autocue and the points coming in as Azerbaijan took forever to read out their points. The favourites were almost all given the lowest scores and rank outsiders Moldova and Albania took the top scores, leaving eventual podium-placing Armenia in last place. I am certain to this day that was tactical voting made not just to undermine their neighbour (a favour which was returned) but also to cement Azerbaijan’s chances of winning on their debut (which didn’t end very well).
The Armenian fans in the hall certainly threw abuse at the Azeri’s and I would have launched into full booing mode into my nearby microphone if it wasn’t for my now-wife reminding me it was Junior. I didn’t boo and I regret it now, with it being Junior that actually made what I witnessed so much worse and I should have shown my disgust to that made clear. I think the little Albanian girl would have perfectly understood and certainly was not jumping for joy when her top score came in.
I believe there is a distinguishing difference between the two. We should keep our voices out of the politics of Europe, and trust that by sharing love and tolerance and demonstrating how wonderful it is to bring more together through this great contest. What fans should use their voices for is to ensure that Eurovision itself is protected. Here there is nobody else who can stand up, nobody who can kick up a fuss.
The example of countries using their points obviously to play little games is pathetic and deserves the immediate negative response. While Western politicians all clamber together to raise the pressure on the huge neighbour to the East there is nobody else who can make sure our Contest is treated the way it deserves. If we witness in the live show moments that Eurovision itself is being disregarded then I believe that is when we can show our audible displeasure.
Booing is okay when the audience has been provoked by the artist e.g In X-Factor when there was a duet ( 2 teens) and one of them told the crowd to “Shut up” right before they started singing.
another case would be if the artist was singing something that was really offensive to the audience e.g If the ESC was held in Kiev and the Russian artist was singing something about Crimea. But if someone is booing an act because of it being a Novelty or Because its a country they don’t like ( ESC fans booing Russia or Armenians booing Azerbaijan) then its just plain wrong!
The only thing that really happens when fans boo Russia is that the fence between “the “West” and Russia grows bigger. It strengthens the position of those in Russia who believe that the West is hostile towards them, and it can produce an attitude of defiance. Who wants this? I certainyl don’t. It’s quite the opposite of building bridges.
was it me or was there a little booing during the 2001 montage, when Dave and Tane flashed up?
I am sure that booing for Russia will be a regular feature at Eurovision events. Even a momentary clip of Dina Garipova was booed while we waited for the start of the 2014 London Eurovision party.
This year’s Russian entry is about peace and harmony while the country continues its war again the Ukraine and discriminates gay people and other minorities. I strongly believe that the non-independent Russian broadcaster (just like last year) has choosen such kind of song to present their country to the world as a peaceful and tolerant country which it really isn’t. That kind of propaganda definitely deserves to be booed. Or how about a total silence in the hall as an “alternative” reaction?