The first impressions of the stage performances of 14 countries has caused all attention yesterday.

The first four rehearsal days in Turin were a bit special. The press centre was still closed and the arena was only open for the delegations, which had their rehearsals. Furthermore there were no first stage shows visible like we used to have. There has been a special agreement with the organizers and TikTok that all the first impression should be covered by this mobile platform in short compilations.

Yesterday was the first day, that the press centre at PalaOlimpico opened its door for the press. At this stage it’s not possible to enter the arena for photos or acoustic and visual impressions. The only way to follow the rehearsals is via TV screens, like for the online press. The issues with the stage (the rotating sun and the arrows) has not been fixed yet, and it won’t be to give every country the same chances. Delegations, who brought their own props, may be the lucky ones, instead of delegations, who depended everything on the provided stage setting.

Here is a quick overview of the first 14 countries:

Albania – Ronela is wearing a sexy outfit, silver body with a pink cape. There is an awesome choreography. But it could be a bit too much for the spectators as they have to concentrate on the song.

Latvia – The Latvians are all dressed in coloured suits, jumping around, similar to the national final. The group Citi Zēni obviously enjoy themselves.

Lithuania – The most sophisticated entry of the day, a bit of jazz a bit of club atmosphere is filling the arena. The singer Monika Liu looks great in a silver body. A great contrast to the previous entry.

Switzerland – A dark stage has been chosen by the Swiss team to focus everything on Marius Baer. His voice was stabile from the beginning to the end. A reduced stage show can create wonders.

Slovenia – The guys (four boys and one girl) have made a solid impression. Nothing spectacular, but a good vibe though. The lead singer Filip Vidušin is wearing a velvet suit and a big disco ball support this entry.

Ukraine – As always Ukraine is very creative when it comes to stage design and show effects. The golden sun turns into yellow – blue colours, like the Ukrainian flag. This entry is refreshing and interesting, and one of this year’s favourites by the bookmakers.

Bulgaria – The rockers from Intelligent Music Project are doing what they can to best, rocking the stage. At this time there is no surprise, exactly what to expect from a rock song at Eurovision.

The Netherlands – What a great stage show, S10 looks fabulous in her very modern version of a black suit. The whole stage setting fits 100% to the smooth and touching ballad.

Moldova – The group Zdob și Zdub & Fraţii Advahov are singing of a train between Chisinau and Bucharest, but there is no train visible. Maybe that’s a surprise for the live shows. This would have been the cherry on the pie.

Portugal – The girls around MARO are standing instead of sitting on chairs like in the national final. It’s another calm song with a dreamy melody. Unfortunately, one of the group has been detected corona positive and they had to postpone their scheduled rehearsal, due to the testing. Let’s hope that everything goes well and we can see MARO and her girls live on stage next Tuesday.

Croatia – This is the first country song (but not the last), where Mia Dimšić sings about guilty pleasures. She has been wearing a pink dress, a bit conservative though. Surprisingly she has also been singing some verses in Croatian. This has caused some irritations for ESC crew.

Denmark – This was a real good rehearsal, the four sympathetic girls from REDDI showed that they can rock the stage in Turin. A strong melody and a positive attitude is very much requested these days. Definitely a dark horse.

Austria – The rehearsal from LUM!X and Pia Maria seemed not the best. There were issues with the vocals by Pia Maria and additionally voices from tape or a backing singer. The team has not been happy with this round. There is room for improvements,

Greece – This is another calm song, with a great climax and that’s also made visible on stage. Amanda Tenfjord seemed to be really happy with her performance.

Author: Bernd LemmermannEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Public relations, Editor, Journalist

About me:
As one of the founders of eurovisionlive.com I am responsible for the interviews with the singers and the editorial content. My passion for the Eurovision Song Contest exists since my early childhood. The exotic music, different cultures and languages have given a lot of inspiration to me. Since my very first ESC in Dublin 1994 I particularly appreciate the get together and friendship of all the nationalities and Riverdance was a thrill!