Next is César Sampson for Austria who will perform just after the 2nd break - so far the breaks are completely straight forward with them being after each 6th song.

First run - in the hall the performance starts completely dark. As César Stands up we get to see more lights on stage. We now get to see that the backing vocals move away after the first chorus to a place where we can not see them anymore. During the bridge they are back on one of the bridges.

The projections of César in the background are also only visible only on tv. There we have also some strange cuts in the screen that are not really in its favour.

Something really strange happens though - almost at the end of the rehearsal César cuts off his performance mentioning about a form he has to sign....
The second run is then also cut off for unclear reasons.

The rehearsal is delaying the schedule as we get three full runs after all - the first one was held back a lot but in the second one sounded more like it should.

Franka is next to perform. Vocally flawless again from the first run. Franka's really charismatic and the smoke effects in especially the first part of the song look beautiful.

It looks and sounds very professional - still as impressed as I was with the first rehearsal.

The last block of rehearsals is starting where we get to see Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Greece and Finland.

Marija starts with some strong vocals. The first part on the bridge is pre-recorded as she actually stands on the mainstage with the rest of the group.

The flashy intervals work really well on screen and Marija now has a dress change to reveal a very special outfit - a mainly grey top with purple/red accents and an open back and hotpants in the same colours.

Vocally it sounds great but I think it would be better to keep the pink dress on from beginning to start.
Also - if there is going to to be a dress change, the timing would need a little work as now we can just see her start taking it off. One second later - or the camera away one second earlier - and it's completely unvisible.

Last to rehearse before another small break - just 20 minutes - are EQUINOX for Bulgaria. The first run is cut off - hasn't happened for a while.

The harmonies sound great - but it probably won't be the song that engages the audience the most as the stage is mainly dark and there's hardly any movement on stage.

No changes for Estonia either today - still sounding and looking great, it comes across beautifully in the hall. For those watching in the hall and standing (and maybe not watching the screens) - you do miss something as the biggest spectacle actually happens with the part of the skirt on the floor and not the part we see.

Similar rehearsal to the first one a few days ago - sounding good, still completely over the top of course. Let's see if in a few minutes I can reveal a bit more about how all the little tricks are done!

Ok, I've just been down to see the last run of Belarus - the dancer actually does take the flower off the camera - and the rose through his hand is clicked on by someone running by very quickly.