Day 5. Live Blog 2nd Rehearsals

Today we will follow the 2nd rehearsals in Ahoy, and will keep you informed live.                                                 In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists. Photo & Video Credits: EBU

17.15 – Ukraine

Last of the day Go_A, performs with a stand-in (Emmy) for singer Kateryna Pavlenko. Kateryna did not feel quite fit this morning, and in accordance with the security measures, she remains in quarantine pending a Covid-19 test. Whether the stand-in Emmy sings live, or whether the tape recording from the first rehearsal was used, is not entirely clear. Fact is, whether you like this genre or not … the act is rock solid. With a 9th place in the polls, Ukraine will undoubtedly easily qualify for the final.

16.50 – Azerbaijan

Also today, Efendi puts down a solid rehearsal. Here and there some minor flaws in song and dance, and a little more conviction than last Sunday. 21st place in the poll. A place in the final is certainly not excluded.

 

16.25 – Romania

Roxen performs in the same comfortable as last Sunday. Although vocally a little bit stronger than during the 1st rehearsal, Roxen comes across as nervous and anxious, which does not help her voice and the strong message of her song. 16th in the polls … Final perhaps , if she manages to recover.

16.00 – Israel

During the first rehearsal it became clear that it is sometimes difficult for Eden to combine singing and dancing. The whole act looks energic and modern, but also today, Eden has trouble with the combination of singing and dancing. 17th in the polls, but will Israel make it to the final?

 

15.35 – Belgium.

Hooverphonic still impresses today with their modest, sober and well-thought-out act. A welcome change from all the visual violence. Only a 20th place in the polls, but hopefully thanks to the professional jury we will see Belgium back in the final.

14.45 – Croatia

Vocally, this rehearsal sounds a lot better than the first. The act is well put together, Albina herself still seems a bit insecure and nervous. Hopefully she will get over that before Tuesday. Own the stage girl!! With a 19th place in the polls, a final place should certainly be possible.

14.20 – Norway

Today TIX puts on a much better rehearsal than last saturday, when the nerves seemed to be playing tricks on him. TIX has a high favor- and sympathy factor, and with a 15th place in the polls, we would like to see him back in the final.

13:55 – Cyprus

Elena once again puts on an okay rehearsal, occasionally she sounds a bit out of breath. With seventh place in the polls, Cyprus will reach the final without too much trouble.

1.30 pm – Ireland

Hard work has been done in the Irish camp in recent days. The whole thing seemed very messy last Saturday, during the 2nd rehearsal all the graphics come into their own much better, and it seems as if Lesley is running barefoot through a book, turning the pages. Vocally, there is still some gains to be made. With a 24th place in the polls, the question is whether it is all good enough for a final place.

 

13.05 – North Macedonia

While there were some minor flaws in his vocals last Saturday, today Vasil puts down a solid rehearsal, although it seems that, especially at the end during the last blow, he is holding back to spare his voice. North Macedonia ranks 32 in the polls. It is very doubtful whether Vasil will be able to qualify for the final.

 

11.40 – Australia

Just like last Saturday, no rehearsal in Ahoy , since Montaigne is not present in Rotterdam, but an exclusive preview

11.15 – Sweden

Tusse had still some problems with his voice last Saturday, this now seems to have recovered completely. On stage there was an apparently self-assured, radiant Tusse, with a well-thought-out, slick act as we are used to from Sweden. Sweden ranks 10th in the polls. We will certainly see Tusse in the final

 

10.50 – Russia

No changes in the act here either. Solid and stable act and vocals. The powerful message / ode to the Russian woman is very clear! Russia is ranked 14th in the polls. Finals should not be a problem. We would not be surprised if Russia managed to get a top ten, perhaps even a 5 position  in the final

10.25 – Slovenia.

In the second rehearsal for Slovenia, Ana comes out better than last Saturday. More confident in her singing and movement across the stage, although it seems her shoes are killing her. Slovenia is in 35th place in the polls. A final place will be a challenge.

10.00 am – Lithuania. The Roop shows  a solid,  dynamic act again in the 2nd rehearsal, with little or no changes. The Roop is ranked 8th in the polls. A top ten listing should certainly be possible for the Roop.

 

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The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1962 Eurovision traveled to Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg. Everything was just a little too small in this small country. Luxembourg television received assistance from the German broadcaster ZDF. The presentation was in the hands of Mireille Delannoy. The same sixteen countries as in 1961 participated. Camillo Felgen took part for Luxembourg yet again. With a third place, he did much better this time than two years before. But the absolute top favorite was Germany. Dutch commentator Willem Duys introduced her with the words: “She looked as if she had just won the entire Grand Duchy in a lottery.” After hearing the competition, she was slightly less self-assured. Ultimately, she would finish sixth with her “Zwei Kleine Italiener.” However, she did have the contest’s big hit. The French-speaking countries were in charge this year. Luxembourg itself came third, Monaco second, and France won. A ballad by Isabelle Aubret about, of course, love. Aubret received 26 points with her “Un premier amour.” That was double the score of the runner-up. That year, there were even four countries that received no points at all! That was a first time. But that didn’t bother Isabelle Aubret; she won! 1963 Because France had had enough of organizing by then, the United Kingdom took over. The festival was held in various studios of the brand-new BBC Television Centre in London. Host Cathy Boyle was in one studio, the artists in another, and the orchestra in yet another studio. This made it look just as if the viewer was watching a pop music show from those days. Big stars tried their luck. Françoise Hardy participated for Monaco, Nana Mouskouri for Luxembourg, Carmela Corren for Austria, and Esther Ofarim for Switzerland. Hardy was deeply disappointed when she discovered that she wasn’t allowed to lip-sync. Mouskouri walked away crying and stamping her feet afterwards. She was nowhere to be found at the afterparty. Switzerland won. But then the Norwegian jury had to vote one more time. The jury spokesman spoke way too fast. Cathy Boyle had been unable to repeat the points. The second time, Norway suddenly submitted a completely different result. As a result, it was not Switzerland that won, but Denmark instead. An investigation by the EBU later revealed that the Norwegians didn’t cheat. When they were called, the points had not yet been ready. Esther Ofarim has always said that she was the winner. But it was ultimately the Danish couple Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann with the three-quarter time “Dansevise”. 1964 Copenhagen was the venue. Not much footage of this festival has been preserved. Only the opening scene and parts of the winner’s performance remain. Sweden did not participate. A musicians’ strike resulted in a withdrawal. The Swedes could not send a participant to their neighboring country. However, because Portugal made its debut, the number of participants remained 16. Host Lotte Waever hosted the show. It was held at the Tivoli Theater in Copenhagen. Big stars did not come to Copenhagen. That is to say: Udo Jürgens, who participated for Austria, only achieved international breakthrough later. A trio participated for Spain: the Uruguayan group Los TNT. That is not allowed. The two male members of the group were therefore relegated to a backing choir. The broadcast did not go smoothly. Midway through, a demonstrator managed to get onto the stage. He held up a sign reading ‘Boycott Franco and Salazar’, referring to the dictators of Spain and Portugal. Little of it was visible on television. However, photos were taken of the incident. It did not get exciting that evening. Italy won with 49 points. By comparison: the runner-up, the United Kingdom, had 17. It was sixteen-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti who captured the hearts of viewers and jury members. She sang the innocent “Non ho l’eta” (I am not old enough yet). It became not only the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, but also a worldwide hit. The EBU recently posted a video on the Eurovision YouTube channel with a complete reconstruction of the performance.

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