Welcome to the ESC Insight Newsletter being released before the Second Semi Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. As always our newsletter includes the latest news and views from the Eurovision bubble and can be viewed online here.
This week Robertson’s Reflection takes a personal look into the atmosphere that prevails in one of the most strange Eurovision viewing experiences that ever happens. Coming back from the bizarre world of viewing the First Semi Final in the Eurovision Press Centre, Ben Robertson gives his views on what he experienced there.
As ‘Te Deum’ once more begins the volume across the Press Centre TV’s increases. It’s not at arena level but you certainly could sing along. Moldova suddenly makes a lot more sense at this kind of volume, not enough to start spontaneously dancing but enough to think it’s solid cheesy fun. Many around me screamed qualifier, and although I wouldn’t be surprised if Moldova was close in the qualification mix this year; this is an example of where the media bubble got into their own hype a little too much during those two hours.
I was promised a nationalistic atmosphere that would go a little crazy, but the atmosphere didn’t feel too special at all. I believe the cheers and the excitement were louder and more genuine when we all witnessed just how wonderful France’s rehearsal was on Sunday compared to Tuesday night. Perhaps it could be a staleness of seeing the show over and over again, or it could be my personal belief most of the songs were dull and contrived, but there was little magic in the Press Centre for me. Another factor may simply have been that too many, me included, had our heads half-fixated on our laptop screens as we tried to capture any new twitter peeps during the Semi Finals. The only saving grace of this would have been from the results, but they came so fast this year we had barely any time to work them through and express our outrage or relief to each other.
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