Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? With day five promising rehearsals for France, Spain and the entirety of the first Semi Final, even the most ardent journalists are apprehensive at the prospect of a 13 hour marathon of Eurovision – not to mention the same again tomorrow for the second Semi Final.
Spending days at a time sitting through low quality rehearsal footage in a confined space can’t help but act as a bonding experience for the journalists, and in the window between the arrival of the dedicated community sites and the descent of the international media in week two the various press teams have become a tight-knit group, happily sharing table space, snacks and equipment while keeping spirits high with a mix of impenetrable in-jokes and forensic analysis of the action onscreen. One of the unique quirks of this environment is that you can safely leave a £2,000 MacBook unattended for hours at a time, while unguarded promo CDs have been known to vanish in the blink of an eye.
The artists also have a long day ahead of them, and those with more relaxed schedules can often be found mingling with the press in between interviews and rehearsals. Lidia from Moldova, Argo from Greece and Minus One from Cyprus are virtually ever-present, posing for selfies and gamely belting out their entries with such regularity that I’m starting to worry for the state of their vocal chords by the time the live shows roll around.
In between rehearsals, many of the artists take the opportunity to mingle with the journalists at the press centre.
Photo: Eurovision.tv
Security in the venue is understandably tight, with occasional armed police strolling across the hall providing a slightly unsettling addition to the usual milieu of journalists, delegates and volunteers. Press are under strict instructions to keep their lanyards visible at all times, as I discover when I absent-mindedly put mine down as I wander across the room for a glass of water, only to be forcibly marched straight back to my desk by a security guard, presumably to prove I’m not an undercover agent of the Islamic State.
A far more welcome addition to this year’s press centre is ‘4 o’clock Fika‘, which has quickly gone from a pleasant afternoon treat to an essential blood sugar boost at the precise point in the day when our collective energies are threatening to irrevocably flag – particularly today, coinciding as it does with another ear-splitting Azerbaijani rehearsal. For one of the healthiest countries in Europe, the Swedes certainly have a love affair with confectionary, serving up a variety of cakes, buns and chocolates in potentially diabetes-inducing volume.
As the rehearsals progress, we have the opportunity to see the performers edging closer to the final product the public will see at next week’s live shows. Some performances – Netherlands, Hungary, Estonia – are virtually identical to the first run throughs, indicating that the respective delegations are relatively satisfied and are simply using the time to fine tune details such as movement and camera angles.
Douwe Bob’s simple, well-realised stage concept requires only minor tweaking from the first set of rehearsals.
Photo: Eurovision.tv
Russia’s performance is also little changed, although Sergey has noticeably softened his facial expressions, making the performance feel slightly less like the climactic number from ‘American Psycho: The Musical.’ The stage show is still too busy and mechanical for my liking, but it’s enough improved to see Russia’s odds narrowing once again.
More radical overhauls are in evidence from Iceland, Moldova and Malta. After a difficult first set of rehearsals on Tuesday, Greta Salome has ditched many of the more ambitious effects and reverted to a version of the stage show she presented at the Icelandic National Final. The result is a much slicker, more comfortable performance, with the larger Globen stage and a richer colour palette enhancing the graphic effects from Söngvakeppnin and placing Iceland back in contention for their best result in several years.
Moldova’s space oddity-themed first rehearsal failed to move them out of the bottom five in betting odds, and it seems like Lidia and her team are still desperately searching for a gimmick that might improve their currently dim chances of escaping the semi final. Today she sings the second verse of the song in French, a reference to her past life as an Edith Piaf impersonator. EBU rules suggest a penalty fee for language changes at this late stage, and as much as I welcome linguistic diversity, the impact of the change does nothing to justify the cost.
Malta have made major changes to their stage show since the first rehearsal, with impressive results.
Photo: Eurovision.tv
The award for most improved rehearsal of the day goes to Malta. The unflattering heavy coat is gone, with simplified projection effects to compensate. Ira now looks much more comfortable onstage, and stunningly beautiful in a glittering gold dress. The choreography has also been revised to create more interaction between Ira and her dancer. This now looks like a bona fide pop star performance, and promises to finish the first Semi Final on a very strong note indeed.
There’s still no clear consensus on who has this year’s Contest sewn up, so all eyes are on France to deliver a game-changer as Amir finally takes to the stage at the end of the day. It’s important to remember that the Big 5 are one set of rehearsals behind everyone else at this stage, so there’s plenty of time for improvements, but even with this in mind, the initial run through of ‘J’ai cherché’ does little to push it ahead of the pack. The cosmic themed visuals look great, and it’s a warmer, more accessible performance than Russia and Sweden, but Amir remains frozen to the spot almost throughout, and the overall feel is more of a comfortable top ten than a potential winner.
The twentieth and, mercifully, final rehearsal of the day comes from Spain, another well regarded entry, though not one that’s considered a frontrunner. Barei startles us out of our late-night fatigue with a classic Lill Lindfors-style fakeout, staging a dramatic pratfall during the first chorus and leaving a beat of silence just long enough to make everyone nervous, before throwing herself back into the second verse. A stage gimmick that reads as an accident is a big risk to take with the TV audience, but for tonight at least, as we file wearily onto the streets of Stockholm, the feeling is that France have been comprehensively upstaged. Who would have predicted that?
Nice summary there – it’s taking long enough to watch and review it all here in the UK and I’ve got all the comforts of home to hand!
At least tomorrow you’ll have Joe and Jake to watch – at least they’ll be up early doors too!