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rehearsal

Belarus First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 12:28

Ok, so Belarus have a flying boat, sort of, as the boat is not really flying but the backdrop LED creates that impression.
Fun performance, the two have excellent chemistry and the staging looks less static than what we have seen from them before. Vocals are also good.
I'm not sure I understand the relation between staging and theme of the song.

Norway First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 09:50

Norway is a very cool and relaxed performance.
The scrambling video effect known from MGP seems to be a work in progress, not sure what went wrong there, but we even lost the signal once.
All in all I believe Norway played a little too safe here, by just replicating their NF staging. But it should qualify because the song is credible and modern.

Croatia First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 09:23

Jacques Houdek is a very secure vocalist and the schizophrenic elements of his song are caught from different camera angle shots. I feel like they could have done a bit more to make this entry fun, but they probably don't want to be considered a novelty entry, so one should respect that.
The imagery of sunflowers and rainbow gives the performance a cheesy touch, but also provides uplifiting sense of feel-good.

San Marino First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 08:16

Valentina is back and brought Jimmie Wilson with her. The two are harmonizing quite well, and the press centre is clapping along.
Visually it looks like an eurovision entry from more than a decade ago. Valentina has a handbag with her and is wearing a glittery cap. But that is how you go clubbing in San Marino I suppose. Charming.

Day 3 Review

ChrisB on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 17:45

Here's my day 3 review:

The big winners of 1st half 2nd semi for me today were:

- Romania.
This is an easy one. The overall package is much more fun than what we have seen in the Romanian National Final.
What they can improve: More camera focus on Ilinca as Alex takes too much space at the moment.

- Denmark.
Just a superb performer in every run through. I can not believe how well she handles the camera interaction.
What they can improve: Change her outfit so it fits better to the color scheme of the backdrop.

The losers of today:

There weren't any losers today. Serbia did not get a lot of love from the press centre, but it was early morning and I have praised for them for the current and clean look of their staging.

So congratulations to all delegations today! Good job!

Denmark First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 14:33

Denmark delivers a superb performance with fantastic camera interaction.

It is not the strongest song in the field by any means, but I'm pretty much blown away how well she lifts this song. The performance is much more controlled than it was in DMGP.

My only caveat: The current outfit doesn't match the backdrop. Not the final thing, is it?

Hungary First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 13:25

Hungary's presentation resembles the National Final performance. The difference is that the violinist is on the satellite stage, which gives some lovely wide angle shots here.

Joci puts a lot of heart and passion into every run through. And there are certainly a lot of fans of the Hungarian entry in the press centre today as Joci picks up a decent amount of cheering.

I'm hoping viewers on the night will realise what a humble and honest personality Joci has, despite the rapping for the middle eight.

The Netherlands First Rehearsal

ChrisB on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 13:09

I can only echo Desiree's thoughts on the Netherlands.

The harmonies were flawless and if juries judge vocal capacity they should have this very close to the top of their scorecard.
The backdrop features understated imagery, inspired by the very reason the song was written: it's a tribute to the sisters' ill mother.