As promised by the EBU yesterday, Eurovision fans will be getting a special treat to cure their Post Eurovision Depression – the live-on-tapes from Eurovision 2022. This was also done last year following the contest in Rotterdam, although that year they edited them together as a YouTube livestream for the semi-final non-qualifiers and the grand final acts.
This year, due to a number of broadcasters opting to not show their tape, we will be getting approximately three tapes per day until June 23rd. It is currently unknown which broadcasters will not be showing their tape, but the EBU is releasing them in semi-final/grand-final order, so we’ll be able to notice them quickly. Today’s releases came from Albania, Latvia, and Lithuania – and we’ll give you the breakdown of the differences!
Ronela Hajati – Sekret
Ronela’s live on tape truthfully has a number of differences from what we saw in Turin – mainly in the performance concept. The main reason for these differences comes down to RTSH having to scrap (or add for Turin) elements due to Ronela using a handheld microphone. In Turin, she used a headset mic which allowed for more choreography and motion on stage.
Some subtle differences in the choreography are the female dancer lift being removed, Ronela hair-flipping without a lift element, and the opening choreography focusing on the female dancer only. In Turin RTSH staged the dancer in front of Ronela and the other dancers for a dramatic opening shot.
Additional changes from the taping is the more subtle presence of the color pink in Ronela’s outfit, and entirely blue staging, and the male dancers wearing flow pants with a print design rather than black skirts. One element did remain throughout both versions of the performance, the sensual moments that caused mild controversy with the EBU and the line dancing in the final chorus.
Citi Zēni – Eat Your Salad
Citi Zēni fans will be happy to know that the live on tape performance maintains the same energy as we saw in Turin, but there were certainly some bumbles along the way with this recording. Namely, Janis nearly falls off the moving treadmill at the end of verse one, and the final splits moment happened a few seconds late.
Otherwise, most of the performance features subtle differences due to the band recording on the Supernova stage. The opening shot shows what LTV might have originally planned for Turin with Janis walking in front of a moving LED image (plans that would have been cancelled by the LED sun), through most of the staging otherwise stays intact for Turin. The delegation still features the epic sax solo, places the drummer and keyboard player on either side of the stage, and the band is sporting their colorful suits as well. The kick lift into the final chorus also stayed for the taping performance.
For Turin the main changes came from changing some choreography to allow for shots of the LED floor, even brighter suits for the band members to make them pop on stage, and a much more impactful and energetic LED design. In fact, the biggest difference between the taped and live performance is the presence of energy and light. The live on tape version presents a much tamer version of the band than we’ll remember from Turin.
Monika Liu – Sentimentai
Monika and LRT were among the first broadcasters to reveal that their entire staging concept needed to change for Turin after they learned the LED sun could not operate as intended. With their live on tape released, we now know that Lithuania’s Eurovision plan was never going to stray too far from the Pabandom is Naujo version.
Many of the elements from the national final and live on tape did make it to the final product in Turin, such as the mirrored shot moment and Monika’s hand wiggle, the iconic Eurovision 360 camera work, and of course the silver dress and the bowl cut. One noticeable difference is that the delegation paired back Monika’s make-up, removing the deep purple eyeshadow she wore for the national final for a more subtle lavender color.
A big change came from how Monika and LRT re-invented the illumination segments in the opening verse, opting to use the arch lights to twinkle behind her like stars. This change creates numerous shots where Monika looks ethereal, and the lights reflect off her dress as well. The lighting concept would also shift from warm colors red, orange, and yellow to a hues of blue, purple, and gold. The delegation also substituted out most of the LED images of Monika dancing for white lines and squiggles across the stage and LED wall.
What do #YOU think about these live on tape performances? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
