Day 1 - AZE-POR

Last two today!

PORTUGAL

Contrasts, it's all about the contrasts.

They are using the little satetllite stage amid the audience for the first time. Think Anouk in Malmö. Backdrop is the Dutch forest without the witches of Eastwick.

There is an inherent risk with having him standing in the middle of the audience that there could be a lot of distracting flags, but I think it will work and look really good seeing him amid a sea of people. Maybe they could drop some of the long shots - they could either add atmosphere and look amazing or be an awkward boisterous contrast to the soft song.

Have to say I'm glad it will be Salvador singing, not keen on Luisa's interpretation.

And that was it for the first day!  Now I'm off to find whatever it was the Azerbaijanis took.


AZERBAIJAN

So, they have a concept. Of some sort. What. The.

Words, there are no words.

Waiting for the second run-through. Maybe it was all a dream?

So. She starts surrounded by walls, or giant blackboards and she gets some chalk out at one point and starts scribbling like a possessed primary school teacher. Next to her there's a man up a ladder wearing a horse's head. Then the walls come down, the man up the ladder takes off his horse's head. The backing singers appear, do some moves. Dihaj looks angry. She gets the chalk out again and scribbles on the backing singers' backs and....I really don't know. Such a busy three minutes.