The first nine countries have had their first rehearsals on this year’s Eurovision stage in Kiev. Among the first countries were Sweden, Georgia, Australia, Albania, Belgium, Montenegro, Finland, Azerbaijan and Portugal. There were some highlights and some disappointments, but it’s too early to make a final judgement yet.

Sweden

The singer Robin Bengtsson has done the same choreography like in the Swedish Melodifestivalen, there are the treadmills and there are new dancers, who can also sing and dance. The background is moving and the LED screen is coloured in blue. A good performance though.

Georgia

The singer Tamara has shown her good singing qualities. The horrible war images from the national final in Georgia have disappeared. Everything is coloured in red and this is a good contrast to the Swedish entry.

Australia

Isaiah has proven that he has got talent. He appeared self-confident and mature. The LED wall showed various images of himself, so that the performance gets a personal touch. There is a turning plate where Isaiah will be rotated – a very interesting gimmick.

Albania

The entire stage arrangement looks like Alice in Wonderland, with big watches, a bit out of time. There is no movement or choreography this time and it appears quite static. Lindita’s voice seems to be overextended.

Belgium

The high expectation people had from the Belgian entry have been destroyed in the first rehearsal. Maybe the background dancers have not arrived yet, or something else was missing. The first impression of one of this year’s favourite was disappointing and need to be reviewed. Otherwise this will be the biggest fall in the betting’s.

Montenegro

This is a good example how different a video clip can be compared to the live performance. Not everything is possible to transfer on stage. Slavko is swinging his braid almost desperately to enthuse the audience, but it does not convince really. The outfit is also very strange.

Finland

A beautiful stage with an inspiring background illumination make the Finnish entry very special. The performance is almost similar to the one in the Finnish national final, a solid performance.

Azerbaijan

The most experimental stage today had the entry from Azerbaijan. Dihaj is singing in front of a blackboard and a person or figure with a horse head is sitting on a ladder. Later on this board disappears and the background choir appears. This is one of the stage highlights today.

Portugal

A very plain stage is set for the Portuguese entry. Unfortunately, the singer Salvador can’t rehearse himself due to health problems, therefore his sister, who is also the composer of the song is doing this. Salvador will be in Kiev for the dress rehearsals next week. The setting is minimalistic to catch all the attention of the audience for the singer and the beautiful melody.

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!