In the queue for next show.
(Iāll probably edit this post to add photos)
I Just bumped into Jedwardā¦ Hmmm!
Cheers,
Keith
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Well Adi, I watched the second semifinal on tv last night and I thought the Polish entry was the best of the lot! I think it has a really good chance of doing well.
My main issue with the contest and the surrounding āentertainmentā is why does it have to be wall to wall drag queens?
The Polish entry was good. We also enjoyed the Australian, Belgian, and Lithuanian songs.
The Spanish one was poor IMO.
The drag queens bother me not at all. In fact, they seem to be an established part of the whole show which, for the last 10 years or more, has been extremely camp and plays up to that.
I actually only remember a couple of instances of drag queens, one being the warm up at the start (which I donāt think was televised) the other being when the 3 presenters ātransformedā into drag acts. That was actually quite entertaining.
The whole show, and the whole vibe of the event and the stuff going on around the city was one of having fun, supporting each other, and (at the risk of sounding sappy) love and respect for our fellow humans.
The place was drenched in glitter and sequins, and that was just the audience.
We chatted with people from all around the globe who had come to support their act, but who were also there for the experience. It was a lot of fun and I would encourage anyone who gets a chance to go and experience it.
Itās not the best music in the world by any measurement, and most of the music was not really my taste, but the sheer spectacle of it makes it entertaining.
Iām particularly interested in the staging approach and technology and how they choreographed everything, which was very clever, even down to the acts knowing which of the many cameras they should be looking at at any point.
What occurred to me is that some acts are mainly set up to look great on TV and donāt look so good live, whilst others are great live but donāt look so good on TV (based on watching the nearby screens which were showing the live TV). There were moment where we were thinking āwhat is happening?ā but it was a set-up for the cameras.
I think some of this was reflected in the voting, as some of the better live performances didnāt get high votes.
I was impressed by the whole organisation as they had around 20 seconds to change the stage between acts and get the next act set up.
I have a of videos I may post somewhere which show what some of this looked like from an audience perspective.
Cheers,
Keith
6 Likes
So, I think the easiest way to share these videos is via a Google Photos album.
This is a mish mash of videos I took including parts of performances and some of the scene changes and camera and lighting rig choreography.
Itās a bit wobbly in places but, hopefully, itās good to be able to contrast against the TV version and to see how slick it all is.
Cheers,
Keith
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I didnāt even know, that we Germans will send a Gothic-Metal Band this year, called Lord of the Lost. Never heard about them, but had a quick look at their video. OMG 
What did they pay them to wear those morphsuits 
?
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@Helen0609 So we need to be happy Estonia passed, as she was dresses like Mary Poppins and sheāll put them back into line
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Isnāt it the spirit of Music: unitening peopleā¦the more genres, the more variety the better.
I havenāt checked the videos yet but Iām much interested to see how the worksmen behind the scene managed.
Thank you for sharing.
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Thatās up for interpretation, as always with lyrics. In broad terms he states that a hard week with long days is behind him, and now itās time to break up that outer icy shell. So, he goes out, gets drunk and finally decides that now he feels good enough to dance.
My personal interpretation is forget about social anxiety and expectations of other people. If you want to dance, go ahead and dance. Go ahead and break that icy outer shell - you may not even need alcohol for that.
People are starting to get Eurovision crazy here. There is such a KƤƤrijƤ hype, tables in supermarkets decorated with products in lime green, the statues at Helsinki railway station wearing lime green bolero-jackets and what notā¦
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I saw the videos and Iām much impressed as well ā¦what a stage! The lights system was stunning and the way they swiftly changed coreographies was amazing too.
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This is what I meanā¦
Looks as if many people are enjoying some piƱa colada this evening. Of course there is no rum in the shelve, since Finnish supermarkets are only allowed sell beverages with an alcohol percentage of up to 5,5 %
the tune is so very danceable, I guess his fans to be young peopleā¦Itās nice to see they want to be supportive 
I remember that! You have special markets for alchool where you need to be 21yo to buy and they ask for your identity card to check it! I had a flatmate who was only 20 and she always asked me to buy her stuff! Each country has its own rules, in Italy they do sell alchool in supermarkets, and they ask for Identity cards only to the very young, to prove they are at least 18yo.
True. There is almost always one Alko or several Alkos in every Finnish town or city (donāt know about villages). They have updated the rules a bit however, if you can prove that you are at least 18, you may buy beverages with up to 22 % alcohol, if you can prove that you are 20 or older you may buy everything without restrictions.
Finland wants to keep the residents healthy. Thatās why. Supermarkets may sell alcohol only between 9:00 and 21:00, and these rules are actually strictly enforced.
Checked that Italian song btw. 
You got one vote (and thatās coming from me, who doesnāt like that typical Eurovision stuff at all)
I hadnāt heard them or their Eurovision song either. I just did.
I have to say (and Iām sorry for that), for a metal band in the Eurovision, Lordi (Finland) were much better way back when! (to my ears!)
Germany should somehow convince Kreator to represent the country in the Eurovision. Iād vote for them! lol
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No need to feel sorry for that, I had a quick look at them yesterday and at first sight, I find them embarrassing somehow, just my individual opinion. Somehow like metal in kindergarten. We donāt have good hands to be successful at the ESC.
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I think they try to (kind of) imitate Maneskin in the sense that they present something alternative and eccentric. Letās see what will happen 
Having said all that, Greeceās song was uhmā¦ letās say I couldnāt really watch the video on youtube all the way through. It was freaking painful! lol
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ā¦the winner takes it allā¦
Congratulations Sweden!!! 
Thrilling though it was 
Yes, yes, congratulations to our dear neighbour Sweden.
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Germany: 18 Points .
Congrats to Sweden!
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āā¦the loser standing small, beside the victory thatās a destinyā¦ā
To my ear it does sound like quite similar to the Abba song - sorry, not sorry - except that that one was created by real people playing real instruments (that acoustic guitar through the all tune 
) and this one seems created more in a studio, if anyone knows more about it please feel free to contradict me!
Iām reading now Italy won the Critics Award for the best composition! 
All well deserved, as the lyrics are most beautiful and musically the structure of the song with its dynamics takes the listener into that inner world of emotions