Mario van Tongeren of the Netherlands looked at the dress rehearsal of semi final one of the 2023 Eurovision song contest on behalf of ESC COVERS via on line accreditation. ESC Covers are very thankful for Mario for this since Roy van der Merwe in Johannesburg has load shedding last night which made it impossible to watch at least the first hour and a half of the show.
The featured image used was taken by Sarah-Louise Bennett of the EBU.
Semi-Final 1 – Dress rehearsal 1
Monday 8 May in Liverpool, the second dress rehearsal of the first Semi-Final took place. For the occasion, I obtained accreditation to the Online Media Center, to be your eyes and ears this evening. I will talk you through the show, the whole show, with all 15 acts and also the exciting interval acts the EBU and host broadcaster BBC have prepared.
The show starts with a video where a young boy from Liverpool finds out the Eurovision will be held in his city, and he immediately tells his mum, his friends and everyone who wants to hear about it, in excitement. The same boy is then seen on stage, with some other children, for the opening act, which includes a Ukrainian song call “Maiak”, by The Hardkiss and a well known British song titled “Together In Electric Dreams”. After that, we are welcome by the three hosts Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina, who explain what we have come to do here tonight, as is usual at the beginning of a Eurovision show.
And then it’s time to start with the performances. As always, they have postcards, which this year feature images from the United Kingdom, Ukraine and the country the postcard is introducing.
01. Norway
Alessandra from Norway is kicking off this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with a high energy performance similar to what we saw during the Norwegian national final. There are four dancers doing an intense routine behind and around the singer. Her vocal performance is powerful, but likely not the best of the night. Still, I think this entry will qualify for the Final comfortably. Great opener!
02. Malta
Time to get groovy with The Busker. The performance starts with the lead singer standing in front of a few paper replicas of former Maltese Eurovision participants, among them Destiny, Chiara, Fabrizio and Claudia. This performance is very lively, as the artists move around the stage a lot, into a car, then onto a couch, and back onto the center of the stage. They are giving us a very energetic performance, but is it good enough for a place in the Final? I personally don’t think so.
03. Serbia
It’s a bed, of course! I was wondering what that large white prop is that Luke is lying on at the beginning of the song, as it looks a bit like a flower of some sort, but it’s just a very interestingly designed bed. This intriguing performance continues with Luke climbing out of the bed, walking down a small staircase and looking around in a slightly confused manner. The dancers are also doing all kinds of strange moves. Luke is not the best singer, but then this is also not a song that requires great vocals. I think the weirdness of this will stick with the viewers and it will qualify to the Final.
04. Latvia
The second band of the night is already on stage and we’re only at the fourth song. Sudden Lights have taken their retro lamps to the stage and the performance really gives the vibe of a smokey old American bar with live performances every night. Yet this soft rock song has some electronic elements in it too. The vocal performance is fine. I think this will find its audience in the live show of semi final 1, as it’s not bad at all. However, when we do the math, I don’t think that audience will be large enough to translate into a sufficient score to qualify for the Final.
After Latvia, it’s time for the first break of the night. The hosts greet us again, and we are in the green room, where there is some chitchat with The Busker from Malta and with Alessandra from Norway. The host then does a bit of rapping to celebrate that the UK is hosting for the first time since 1998. After a short meet with Cheryl Baker who suddenly shows up, let’s continue with the performances!
05. Portugal
Mimicat has made it to the stage with her dancers, and everyone is dressed in red. She is an absolute showgirl, as she works that stage with a very intense stage presence. You can just imagine yourself at a old beach bar on a warm summer night in Portugal, enjoying a good glass of wine and then listening to this music, performed to you live. The energy is great. This is the best vocal performance we’ve heard so far tonight, too. There is little doubt on my mind that this will succeed in qualifying for the Final tonight.
There is apparently a delay in the setup of the next entry, so the hosts take over and then a video is shown about the various types of performances we’ve seen in the history of Eurovision. It’s all very interesting, but it does leave one wondering what technical issues the Irish entry may have.
06. Ireland
We’re at the sixth song and it’s the third band of the night on stage. Wild Youth are performing an anthemic song about how we’re all different and unique. The singer is dressed in a very glittery golden suit, and glittery gold is also what we see the most in the staging for this entry. The singer moves around the stage and is quite energetic. At the end, there are also pyros, to make it more intense. The vocal is not great, though, it is especially shaky at the beginning of the song and remains so throughout the performance. This entry is unfortunately very likely to stay in this Semi-Final.
07. Croatia
Are we all ready for come Croatian cabaret? Well, ready or not, it’s here, and it’s blasting full speed ahead. The artists are wearing their typical clothing that we’ve gotten used to see them wear, the backdrop features an army of all kinds of people marching. The whole thing is very colourful and intense. You can clearly understand what their message is, this is a statement against the war going on. In case you don’t get the message, a few missile props are also brought out near the end of the performance. This will be supported by a lot of people, I do think, and therefor it will likely qualify for the Final.
08. Switzerland
From the intensity of Croatia, we move to the calm of Switzerland. Remo is dressed in a black see-through jacket and there are four dancers doing a well choreographed routine. The staged has a very blue theme colour at the beginning of the performance, but from the second verse it becomes red. There are also some pyros coming both from the stage up and from the ceiling. The vocal performance is very strong here, as Remo has a very powerful voice. This is the slow performance that will impress the audiences at home the most in this Semi- Final and therefor, I expect it to qualify for the Final.
09. Israel
Noa begins her performance in what looks like a cube that is a bit on its side. Then she walks out of it and her five dances join her, after which an incredible routine is being shown on stage, it’s very slick, it’s very professional. She throws in a solo routine during the bridge of the song that is very athletic. Noa’s vocal performance is very strong and she is not afraid to throw out some big, risky notes. This is sailing through to the Final, and may be viewed a dark horse there.
10. Moldova
Pasha Parfeni from Moldova is giving us to the most traditional performance of the night. There are two dancers with horns on their heads, there is a shorter guy with a mask and a flute, there is fog. There are also drums, don’t forget the drums. Pasha’s vocal performance is good, despite the very intense dance routine. While the entry is positioned in between two very strong ones, which may slightly harm it’s chances, I still think this has a very good chance of qualifying.
We are at the second break of the night. The video they have prepared for this moment has frozen, though, so we’re looking at a screen that is not moving. Whenever they’re ready, we can continue with the next performance.
11. Sweden
This singer, we’ve seen before. Eurovision 2012 winner Loreen has returned to the Eurovision stage with enough pop banger. The staging used during Melodifestivalen had to be scaled down, because the screen that hangs from the ceiling was too heavy. This results in a smaller staging, and also a smaller effect than what we’ve seen before. Nevertheless, Loreen remains one of the best vocalists in this year’s contest and she delivers a very passionate, high energy performance. Qualification for the Final is almost certain and this a strong contender to win on Saturday night.
A very short break with the hosts here, as Sweden’s staging takes a while to remove from the stage, but we’re well shortly our way again after that.
12. Azerbaijan
The twins from Azerbaijan are up next, and this is so cute. One is dressed in a light brown suit, the other in what looks like dark purple. They are standing on a platform and playing their guitars. This is a very dreamy song, and it’s very pleasant to the ears. It is also the first Azerbaijani Eurovision entry that is composed entirely by people from Azerbaijan, of which the twins are very proud, as they mentioned during the red carpet. However, I feel this is getting a bit lost in all the violence of this show and is not likely to qualify for the Final.
13. Czechia
It is time for some Slavic sisterhood on stage, as the ladies from Czechia are all dress in pink, with long ponytails on them, which they swing around during the performance. On the very light backdrop, we see some hands moving around. The whole thing is carefully choreographed and the girls are a unity together, which is very nice to see. Their vocal performance, especially together, is good. Near the end of the song, the stage turns dark and the light circles around them. It is also sung in four languages. We will see this back on Saturday, I do think.
14. The Netherlands
Mia and Dion are back on stage with a very intimate performance. The stage is quite dark, as is their clothing. They are using techniques where they spin around on the stage, to create the effect of movement, together with the cameras. It is definitely thought out well by the Dutch delegation. However, the vocal performance of both is not great. You can hear they are holding back out of fear of missing the key, although the backing vocals support them very strongly. The two still do not look very comfortable there, and they are also still not a unity, the chemistry is missing. I do not expect this to qualify for the Final.
15. Finland
We conclude the night with one of the big favourites in this year’s contest, which is Finland. Käärija is wearing his typical green top, as he breaks out of a wooden box at the beginning of the performance. They are making use of a huge shadow effect, as the singer’s shadow is being displayed behind him while he is standing on top of the box he broke out of. Then the dancers dressed in pink appear and after a while, the song swings into it’s happier parts. This is a very well staged performance, it’s a lot of fun, it’s incredibly energetic and it will certainly qualify from this Semi-Final. It is also a contender to win the contest on Saturday.
Now that everyone has performed, the hosts proceed to open the televoting and the first recap is shown. Immediately after that, it’s time for the first interval act of the night. It is the Ukrainian singer Alyosha, who represented Ukraine in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, together with British singer Rebecca Ferguson, who bring a message of love and hope together.
It’s time for another recap, as Europe is making up its mind. Well, they will vote in the live show. After the recap, we move on to the second interval act of the night, which is none other than Rita Ora, performing a medley of her songs.
After we’re back with the hosts, a video is played showing a bit of recent UK Eurovision history, compared with Ukraine’s much different track record. All changed for the UK after when Sam Rider arrived last year, although the UK once again finished behind Ukraine. Then it’s time for the countdown, closing the televoting. During the break that follows, one of the hosts has a chat with the Ukrainian commentator and a video of game where two former Eurovision hosts guess whether a few former entries did or did not qualify for the Final. Then it’s time to see bits of the performances from Germany, France and Italy, the direct finalist countries voting in semi final one as well, before we move on to the results.
It’s time for my final prediction on the results. I’ll have you know, a track record of getting at least 8 out of 10 finalists right. So here goes.
The 10 countries that will qualify to the Final from Semi-Final 1, in my view, in order of performance, are:
Norway
Serbia
Portugal
Croatia
Switzerland
Israel
Moldova
Sweden
Czechia
Finland
That would mean that Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the Netherlands will not qualify.
But.. I’m not the one deciding. So you can watch the show at 21:00 CET tonight and decide for yourselves, as we will find out who the televoters will actually be sending to the Final.
I will be back with you for a similar report of the second Semi-Final on Wednesday night!