If all goes according to plan, in about 36 hours we will know the winner of the 69th ESC. But before that, we still have three last dress rehearsals to get through.
I will be attending the first one of those in person again, live from the still tiny but shiny St. Jakobshalle, watching the stage and the big screens.
You know what to expect at this point as you've seen all performances so this blog will focus on other elements (again listed in part 2 as to not spoil things). Based on the terrific ideas by ThomNL and ijwblue, the 26 competing performances will be mercilessly judged by yours truly based on three parameters:
LYS: How's the flow?? How does the performance tie in with the overall feel and flow of the final?
NUŠA: How are the energy levels of the artists? Of course no one can beat Nuša Derenda but I will try to find appropriate comparisons from ESC's rich history to paint you a picture.
SUNTRIBE: Let's get loud! I will measure audience reactions in the arena during the first dress rehearsal using an app (the things I do for blogging purposes...) that tracks decibel levels. To give you an idea, the image below that I've taken from this website explains what the numbers mean.
PART 1: The performances
01. Norway
LYS: Quite the perfect opener really but also in bigger risk of being forgotten more at the end.
NUŠA: Tooji but less cocky
SUNTRIBE: 70.3 dB
02. Luxembourg
LYS: Last year proved that #2 isn't a bad thing necessarily. I can see why this is necessary to keep the energy going.
NUŠA: Natalia Gordienko but less influenced by Kirkorov
SUNTRIBE: 90.0 dB
03. Estonia
LYS: Feels a bit out of place here as the energy is a lot lower than it seems at first.
NUŠA: Frédéric Etherlinck but less hungover.
SUNTRIBE: 82.4 dB
04. Israel
LYS: It works very well as the first ballad of the night. Also clever to get it over and done with early on.
NUŠA: Annet Artani but without Britney Spears.
SUNTRIBE: 88.8 dB
05. Lithuania
LYS: Very odd choice to have this year's moodiest song right after the most controversial one. Energy and vibe feel off.
NUŠA: 90s Irish spokesperson lady but without Irish greetings
SUNTRIBE: 70.1 dB
06. Spain
LYS: Great to get the energy flowing again in the show! Much-needed at this point so great r/o for Melody.
NUŠA: Alina Eramia-level
SUNTRIBE: 94.5 dB
07. Ukraine
LYS: The past few songs have really showcased the great diversity in genres which works really well.
NUŠA: Céline... Carzo. But pink.
SUNTRIBE: 72.2 dB
This was a pretty bad performance unfortunately and the singer knew it, walking off stage angry with himself.
08. United Kingdom
LYS: This also would have been a great opener actually but it does the trick after a break too.
NUŠA: Suntribe but off off off Broadway.
SUNTRIBE: 79.4 dB
09. Austria
LYS: I think this works *so* well here as the first entry that's actually a contender and properly gets the show started.
NUŠA: Çetin Alp but with longer waves
SUNTRIBE: 69.5 dB (!)
10. Iceland
LYS: Having the most child-like song and performance come right after the most artsy ones of the night is a bold move but I think I like it?
NUŠA: Marcus & Martinus but from Wish
SUNTRIBE: 64.4 dB
11. Latvia
LYS: And we're back to the fine arts. This could have been spaced out more from Austria to make it stand out more on its own merit.
NUŠA: Neiokõsõ but less aggressive.
SUNTRIBE: 77.4 dB
12. Netherlands
LYS: Very odd that this also more artistic performance gets shoehorned right before Erika Vikman and so shortly performances with similar vibes from Austria and Latvia.
NUŠA: Jean-Jacques but less annoying.
SUNTRIBE: 87.6 dB
13. Finland
LYS: Perhaps the best possible position for them - this stands out so much here. Televote magnet?
NUŠA: Lena Philipsson but after UK watershed time.
SUNTRIBE: 88.4 dB
DRAMA: The microphone didn't work and Erika had to finish her song on the main stage. The crowd chants Erika's name in support. The SUNTRIBE goes up to 96 dB but I won't count it.
We get a filler montage of past Eurovision meetings which will obviously not be shown here tomorrow. It is confirmed that Finland will perform again. This time around everything goes smoothly and Erika comes in time.
14. Italy
LYS: This would have worked a lot better if it weren't for the short break before which took out the flow - coming back with a piano/guitar/harmonics ballad maybe wasn't the best of ideas but I guess they needed something between Finland and Poland.
NUŠA: Lux57 but even more black and white, somehow
SUNTRIBE: 70.3 dB
15. Poland
LYS: This will definitely grab everyone's attention again - for better or worse remains to be seen though.
NUŠA: Ruslana but without unconditional love for Axel Hirsoux
SUNTRIBE: 78.4 dB
We are seated right below very loud Polish journalists/fans and a Belgian colleague next to me remarks that Germany might have left them alone if they would have screamed as loudly in 1939. Speaking of which...
16. Germany
LYS: This is such an odd blend of very high and low energy at the same time and it doesn't work as well as it could or should. Coming after Poland does it little favour. However, I still think there could be televote appeal for this.
NUŠA: Elena Ionescu without in-ears
SUNTRIBE: 60.3 dB
17. Greece
LYS: Damn it, this works so well here... Blows the previous ones out of the water.
NUŠA: Moran Mazor, but more mythical
SUNTRIBE: 63.4 dB
18. Armenia
LYS: One of the most clever performances of the year comparing what happens in the arena vs. what you see on screen. Yet I feel this was left out at first while assembling the order and shoehorned in here because the producers had no choice. Works less well than in the semi I think.
NUŠA: Robin Bengtsson but after work hours.
SUNTRIBE: 69.4 dB
19. Switzerland
LYS: Joins Armenia in huge arena vs. screen discrepancy - so odd choice to have them back-to-back from an arena audience perspective. Of course this is the host country so it will get a warm welcome. This was already fixed so little to say about this in itself but rather what was positioned around it. Well done, producers.
NUŠA: Åse Kleveland but without an old man
SUNTRIBE: 81.3 dB
20. Malta
LYS: Feels a bit underwhelming to be honest - much lower energy than it should have but of course this needs a big energetic crowd to come to life. Still, something is lacking and it's not just a song.
NUŠA: If Destiny and Erika Vikman had a love child that would be an annoying teen
SUNTRIBE: 89.3 dB
21. Portugal
LYS: The difference in energy between the Portuguese journalists/fans in the arena and the Portuguese performers is hilarious.
NUŠA: Softengine but so soft you don't see or feel it anymore
SUNTRIBE: 68.4 dB
22. Denmark
LYS: Very low energy, not just the performance vs song but also the comment below so it's understandable
NUŠA: Marlene Charrell when she has to introduce the Norwegian conductor.
SUNTRIBE: 76.4 dB
She doesn't sing the choruses to save her voice and asks the crowd to do so. Of course they do.
23. Sweden
LYS: The Big Favourite, making the wait for it almost as long as possible will definitely work in its favour. But no matter where this would be put, it is almost impossible to imagine this not winning the public vote at this point.
NUŠA: Dubrovački trubaduri but in a sauna
SUNTRIBE: 79.5 dB
24. France
LYS: It needs a lot of prep time, but very clever to position this so late and right after Sweden as the big outsider. Easy to see why this is racing up the odds as we speak. This is "A Moment" - more so than Sweden perhaps.
NUŠA: Mika Newton but with a mother from Cork
SUNTRIBE: 85.5 dB
25. San Marino
LYS: Very dangerous to have this here - it's annoying as hell but such an earworm and people will remember it. Works quite well after the intense French performance too as something easily digestible and upbeat. Could do surprisingly well in the televote.
NUŠA: DJ Bobo but at an Italian wedding
SUNTRIBE: 61.3 dB
26. Albania
LYS: I think this would have worked a lot better in 22-24 like Konstrakta a few years back. It kinda feels more like an interval act already and doesn't really work as a closer for me. That said, this will go big.
NUŠA: Julie and Ludwig but mainly Off again
SUNTRIBE: 84.4 dB
So according to my measurement system (a smartphone in my lap), the top 10 according to the journalist arena of today's first dress rehearsal was:
- Spain
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Israel
- Finland
- Netherlands
- France
- Albania
- Estonia
- Switzerland
Make of that what you want!
PART 2: The rest of the show
The final opens with a pretty cool and funny video in which our now three hosts try to recover the lost winner trophy. There are jabs at Nemo who broke theirs last year and many Eurovision songs are used of course.
Nemo then opens the final performing The Code, alone on stage with an impressive light and laser show.
Next is the flag parade, very traditional stuff but the visuals are amazing. After Greece there is a random dance break moment for twenty seconds that doesn't really do anything.
Michelle Hunziker has a rather unpleasant voice and already in the opening she seems... unnecessary? The voting lines again open at the beginning of the show. It's quite anticlimactic without a big crowd :D
We get our first short break after Ukraine with the three hosts trying to pump some life into the crowd, the show and everyone's lives. It's pretty awkward BUT THEN Sandra performs an abridged version of Canzone per te and world peace has never been closer <3 If that wasn't enough, Michelle Hunziker in the same break also performs a snippet of Volare because she speaks Italian you know. I want her to call out Mr. Naeff at some point.
After Iceland we see Michelle and Hazel and apparently Michelle can do funny things with her tongue too. It sounds wrong and it kinda is but not that wrong, trust me.
After (the second performance from) Finland, Sandra and Hazel advertise the Eurovision 2025 CD and DVD, and every year this is my only reminder that these are still actually released.
After Germany we get a backstage video of how all props are carried on and off the stage in a matter of second. Hazel rightfully remarks that these are hte people who actually work - he typed, comfortably sitting in an arena.
After Denmark we get a reminder of the Made in Switzerland interval from semi 1 because they are obviously really proud of it. No Petra Mede though, which is too bad considering what country is next.
After Sweden we get another big break where we cut live to the football arena next door where the final will also be aired for 36.000 spectators, Parken-esque. It drags on quite a bit but we get why as France does need a lot of prep time on stage.