In this week’s Newsletter we review the 2nd rehearsals of the Big 5 countries and we also look at the highlights of the official Opening Ceremony and parties. We’re a bit tired now.
In Robertson’s Reflection this week he wonders if all this rehearsal watching, however fun, is actually a detriment to the artists on stage and the Contest as a whole. Would it be a ‘better’ Eurovision experience if we couldn’t watch them at all?
We’ve seen faults happen this year big time. Russia falling off the stage, Iceland missing camera cues and Malta wearing the dress that would have won Barbara Dex had they not cut it. What’s frustrating is that these get fed into the media, when all of these things are the results of creative experiments. Russia, Iceland and Malta are all examples of delegations that have taken some kind of risk with their presentation this year, and they are using rehearsals like one huge laboratory. Labs are not places open to the public for a reason. Things can go wrong, and plenty of safety checks need to be done before the public can access the drugs on offer.
I bumped into one of delegation member at the EuroClub who mentioned this problem to me. They were frustrated with the immediate feedback of doing a good or bad rehearsal, with an artist able to walk off stage and do their shift perfectly, but feel depressed by seeing odds turn red for doing their job. It’s a very tough feedback cycle.
Remember to read the Newsletter in full for the complete Reflection.