Semi 1 - Dress rehearsal 3 + Predictions

One big big hello from Basel!

The third and final dress rehearsal of semi 1 starts at 15:00 CET. I will be following it from the media centre where it is shown on big screens. Don't expect another exhaustive liveblog like yesterday. Instead I will mostly focus on camerawork and how artists connect and perform vocally.

I might add a bit more background info about other show contents but I will separate that again for people who still want to avoid spoilers.

Finally, I will make a prediction of what I believe the top 15 ranking will be tonight. Yes, I know, this can and will be used against me. What do I have to lose except for my credibility, right?

I was just walking from the nearby Aldi to the media centre past the arena where people were entering to watch the final rehearsal and they were actually blasting Quand je te rêve. This is not a drill.

The show has started! It's really weird that they didn't start with The Code's Welcome to the show, let everybody know, but hey, you can't have it all.

01. Iceland

Camerawork: Bit messy but I guess that's the point, it fits the song very well.

Artists: Shouty. Endearing but forgettable.

02. Poland

Camerawork: Perfectly matches the energy of the song and performer.

Artist: Obviously holding back a bit, still outstanding.

03. Slovenia

Camerawork: Good balance of close-ups and wider shots that show the gorgeous backdrop.

Artist: He has sounded better before, but is likely just also saving the best for when it matters.

04. Estonia

Camerawork: When the 'fan' enters the stage they really make it look very convincing with purposefully wobbly camera shots. Many people will believe it's real.

Artist: It's impressive how consistently he's off-key throughout.

XX. Spain

Camerawork: Still very messy, an awful lot of totally random shots that take the energy out of the song and performance.

Artist: Too much is happening and even the diva can't cope with it all.

05. Ukraine

Camerawork: Really quite wonderful.

Artist: Better than yesterday although the lead singer still seems rather nervous.

06. Sweden

Camerawork: You know what's coming.

Artist: Also an improvement on yesterday - more convincing and engaging.

07. Portugal

Camerawork: A lot more dynamic than you'd expect and really solid but it's all just... there.

Artist: The lead singer sounds tired. Just one more time after this, buddy.

08. Norway

Camerawork: Jacqline knows.

Artist: He had to push to go for that final vocal but he made it. Barely.

09. Belgium

Camerawork: Some unique angles and movements that elevate the song and performance excellently.

Artist: His voice cracked a bit in that final crucial note which is unfortunate but very good otherwise.

XX. Italy

Camerawork: For the first time I wonder if this is supposed to be a duet or not.

Artist: I genuinely feel sorry for him and hope he is or will be well. And I mean that in the nicest of ways.

10. Azerbaijan

Camerawork: All over the place, which again is appropriate for the song and performance.

Artist: Perfunctory.

11. San Marino

Camerawork: Apparently the LED background visual of the statue chewing gum is an ad for a Seletti design lamp.

Artist: A lot is going on but nothing is happening.

12. Albania

Camerawork: How many wide shots do you want? - Po.

Artist: Kolë doesn't blink once during his speech. Scary but impressive. Beatriçe is a treasure.

For what it's worth, Albania got the loudest cheer here in the media centre so far.

13. Netherlands

Camerawork: This looks like a one-take and it's visually stunning. So many little details - look behind Claude when he does a Cathérine Ferry and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Artist: Very vulnerable, but he succeeds at using it to his advantage.

14. Croatia

Camerawork: Lots of visual effects. They went all out but I guess I'm just too old for this by now because die Zeit ist einsam und ich bin müde.

Artist: Bless his soul.

XX. Switzerland

Camerawork: Mesmerisingly beautiful in some parts but in others it just looks as if they ran out of money and/or ideas. Gorgeous with the audience phone lights at the end.

Artist: Not always vocally nailing it but better than yesterday.

15. Cyprus

Camerawork: The ending is the best part (and not just because it's over).

Artist: He goes off key at the end of almost each line :(

Other points (spoilers!)

• The canned applause is strong throughout the show, also during performances.
• The lower thirds first show the slogan United by music for about two seconds before shifting to the running order number and country name. Nice touch.
• Sandra is very professional, Hazel tries her best to be funny but is tied to a mediocre script.
• After the first recap, the hosts look at the first two Eurovision editions in Switzerland, showing a snippet of Lys Assia's 1956 performance. This culminates in a song performed by Hazel and Sandra. It's a combination of Wicked and a Swiss version of the 2013 Swedish Smorgasbord interval act. And if that all doesn't sound Swedish enough, Sandra and Hazel are eventually joined by... Petra Mede who is performing as William Tell. I am NOT making this up. I am absolutely loving this but it will have its haters too.
• Afterwards we get a video montage of the opening ceremony where Hasel can finally be her own genuine self. She is amazing.
• The delegations in the greenroom are not seated in performance order nor alphabetically and I cannot deal with this right now.
• After the second recap, the lines are closed. We see an overview of records in Eurovision: highest notes, oldest performers, highest hats, most la's in a song (it's not La La La!), and so on. Very entertaining. We get a top 10 of most streamed Eurovision songs with random audience shots of people not engaging at all.
• After this we get a video message by Céline Dion. It really is very emotional and heartfelt. This is followed by a rendition of Ne partez pas sans moi by past Eurovision artists (you know, some of the many past participants that were announced the past weeks). There's a huge live orchestra on stage too. It's beautiful <3
• We are then treated to some very forced greenroom interviews, especially entertaining now as none of the artists are actually there. Hasel adlibs her way through it and I am making a mental note that I should look her up as she is funny in a very lowkey way.
• Next we get a recap of all countries in semi 2, showing us rehearsal footage so it looks as if we're already seeing a retrospective rather than what is to come.
• One final interesting minor change before I round up this blog: we don't see Martin Österdahl before the hosts start announcing the qualifiers. I wonder why.

Predictions

Below what I predict to be the top 15 of semi 1. Let's see how bad I do after Saturday!

1. Sweden
2. Albania
3. Ukraine
4. Poland
5. Belgium
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Cyprus
9. Estonia
10. Slovenia
11. San Marino
12. Iceland
13. Croatia
14. Azerbaijan
15. Portugal