Israel ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv - GRAND FINAL DISCUSSION

[mauve]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Couldn't see the full length, but to tell from the snippets, I mostly loved Poland and Serbia. I was a little disappointed about Czech Republic, but, hey that could change seeing the whole song live. I rather didn't like Cyprus, Belarus, Finland and Hungary. Can't wait for tomorrow since, Iceland, Portugal, San Marino and Georgia are coming up. Something to look forward to!

 

[NikolaiMoller]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

I have watched 20 YouTube tops from the 1day of rehearsals

I ranked them like this:

1st place got 10 points.
then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1 points.

The results:

1. Cyprus (168 points)
2. Serbia (149 points)
3. Slovenia (127 points)
4. Hungary (117 points)
5. Belarus (109 points)
6. Czech (94 points)
7. Poland (75 points)
8. Finland (52 points)
9. Montenegro (29 points)

 

[lavieenrose]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Overall one of the less eventful first rehearsals days in terms of how much I think they changed things. I don't really think there's a song which announced itself as a serious potential finalist/contender or completely let itself be screwed out of the final. Just subtle changes. But, as far as those subtle changes go:

MORE EXCITED FOR POST-FIRST REHEARSAL
Czech Republic: Staging seems fun. Vocal modification (which I wasn't privy to but is apparently nothing new) is a slight improvement. Gasps in the press center during the show, so I'm...intrigued.
Finland: Pretty chanceless but seems like they'll give us a pretty show on their way out.
Poland: Ooo, cool hats (I'm having to stretch my definitions of more and less excited a bit, as you can see).
ROUGHLY AS EXCITED FOR POST-FIRST REHEARSAL
Serbia: Doesn't seem substantially different from the NF. Nevena's got a killer voice.
Montenegro: Performing like they know their lot in life. If they wanted to rise in the odds, they needed to pull something out of a hat. I'm not *less excited* per se but didn't have my current non-interest really sparked.
Slovenia: Seems like a lot is going to depend on camera angles. Reserving judgment.
Cyprus: Actually a fairly newsworthy rehearsal but also a mixed bag, so it goes here. I gasped at the costume change in the clip, and apparently there's some cool camerawork going on, but the vocal is bad enough to seep into the song. That's sort out-able but needs to be sorted out.
Hungary: I went to print without Hungary and didn't notice.
LESS EXCITED FOR POST-FIRST REHEARSAL
Belarus: I think their best shot is for Zena's personality to make its way through the cameras into homes a la Laura Tesoro or Knez, a development which I think the blocking and set design have made a little bit more difficult.

 

[Realest]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

01 Hungary
02 Slovenia
03 Belarus
04 Czech Republic
05 Serbia
06 Cyprus
07 Poland
08 Montenegro
09 Finland

 

[Citelis]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

1. Cyrpus
2. Poland
3. Serbia
4. Slovenia
5. Finland
6. Hungary
7. Czech Rupublic
8. Belarus
9. Montenegro

 

[crashworld]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

I think there are some details/effects that will only be visible on TV screen. So until they release the proper clips of the rehearsals as to how the performances look like on TV, I will refrain from posting my ranking and comments whether who will qualify.

But just based on the vocals and general staging of the rehearsal clips:

- Cyprus: Vocals did not sound that great, staging and backdrop look decent for what it is. The colour scheme just doesn't match the song. I expected something brighter.

- Montenegro: Vocals definitely improved in terms of how they harmonized. There was nothing happening on stage, just them doing the weird movements again which looked pretty incoherent. There doesn't appear to have any elaborated LED backdrop. The outfits are fine, but reminded me of Iceland 2018 and we know how it ended up for Iceland.

- Finland: Vocals improved too. LED backdrop looks good. But I am not happy with the placement of Darude and Sebastian especially the former. He is the attraction/star of the entry. He should be more prominent in terms of where he is placed on stage.

- Poland: Vocals were not on point. LED backdrop looks decent. Outfits look interesting and with a rotated stage, the performance looks pretty sleak.

- Slovenia: The LED backdrop looks amazing with the galaxy theme, vocals were fine. But other than that, nothing much was happening.

- Czech Republic: Vocals were good. Seems like there is a effect that you will only see on TV. Staging looks simple.

- Hungary: Vocals were good as expected. Backdrop looks like a cheaper version of Ukraine 2016. The floating heads look rather morbid. Nothing much on stage.

- Belarus: I am pretty surprised with this one, I think it's the only staging for today's rehearsals that remotely looked elaborated but the backdrop is fugly. Vocals and energy were good too.

- Serbia: Backdrop looks great. Outfit is fine. Vocals were great too. Other than that, nothing much was happening. Think we should be seeing some special effects on TV.

 

[HayashiM]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

THE LITTLE LESS GOOD ONES
9. Montenegro: The live vocals seem to have improved. I love the music video and with the gusle instrument, Montenegro is in my top 10. But pretty much nothing seems to be preserved in the staging - which is probably related to cost issues? Unless there's some more projections I haven't seen yet, I think all hope is definitely lost.
8. Finland: The cube and the dancer were literally the only good parts about this for me. And now there's only the dancer left. Nope, not gonna happen.
7. Poland: There are many good things - decent LED projections, the traditional element, good vocals (that don't annoy me anymore). Still it's somehow odd when put all together, I can't name the reason why.

THE GOOD ONES
6. Czechia: I sniff some instagramy-Moldova2018-gimmick-like potential, though it really doesn't show yet, so I am a bit worried. The odds are shortening though, I keep my fingers crossed.
5. Belarus: Man she's hot. Those boots! And those vocals! Her young age doesn't show at all, she's confident and comfortable on that stage as if it was her second home. The only problem I have is the song itself. No one expects the lyrics to be its selling point, but somehow I just don't find it boppy enough, it doesn't make me want to sing and dance with her.
4. Cyprus: I loooove the dress and the costume change, it's difficult to judge anything else. The whole thing is quite promising for now.

THE GREAT ONES
3. Serbia: Great vocals. The superb black dress and Serbian itself somehow perfectly match the fatefulness vibes. Also the rotating galaxy seems to be really promising. I just hope she won't get lost on that stage. Love it.
2. Hungary: My n°1 man slays it with a superb golden genealogic tree and a brilliant atmosphere. You've got this Joci!
1. Slovenia: That night sky is pure magic. On its own, the song is something like my 25th place, but with THAT - there's no way this doesn't qualify. They have a small universe of their own and I desperately want to be a part of it.

 

[Agui]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

1. Cyprus
2. Slovenia
3. Czech Republic
4. Serbia
5. Finland
6. Hungary
7. Belarus
8. Poland
9. Montenegro

 

[Lazy Baba]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

1. Czech Republic
2. Slovenia
3. Serbia
4. Cyprus (that dress looks pretty tacky yuck)
5. Hungary
6. Belarus
7. Finland
8. Poland
9. Montenegro

 

[crashworld]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Compilation of today's rehearsals with some new angles for some of the performances.

 

[Preuss]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Slovenia's backdrop is absolutely gorgeous
but my winner of the day is Tamta, great opener
can't wait to see the rest of her performance, i think it will be very Sacha Jean-Baptiste

 

[ESCREGION]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Here s my ranking and ( my prediction )

1) Cyprus (Sure Qualifier)
2) Hungary (Qualifier)
3) Belarus (No Qualifier)
4) Czech Republic (Sure Qualifier)
5) Serbia (Qualifier)
6) Finland (Sure Non Qualifier)
7) Poland (No Qualifier)
8) Slovenia (Qualifier)
9) Montenegro (Sure No Qualifier)

 

[hijirio]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

1) Cyprus (70% to qualify)
2) Serbia (60% to qualify)
3) Czech Republic (50% to qualify)
4) Slovenia (40% to qualify)
5) Hungary (25% to qualify)
6) Belarus (25% to qualify)
7) Poland (20% to qualify)
8) Finland (5% to qualify)
9) Montenegro (0% to qualify)

I believe the second half will slay this semi

 

[Milos-BC]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

First of all, I can say that I really like how the stage looks like. Much better than I expected. I believe that it will look even better on TV.


Some short impressions about each entry that we've seen today:


Cyprus - The colors are off for this type of performance and while it looks great, I feel like it needs more energy. I didn't like the part where they are undressing her, that is kinda deja vu. Still, a great show opener and it should easily sail into the final.

Montenegro - Sadly, that was really bad. The song was hopeless before as well, but right now, I think it has no chance to surprise at all. Bottom 2 is guaranteed.

Finland - I like the effects on the screen and the dancer. The vocals were good. Might be a borderline qualifier, chances are 50/50.

Poland - I really liked it. One of the best rehearsals today. The staging is interesting and I love the LED backdrop. I have a feeling that they will be ranked quite well in the televoting but the juries might wreck them. Based on this, they deserve to qualify.

Slovenia - The song doesn't do much for me but this looked really good. Perfect backdrop for a song like this + a great performance. Now I am sure that Slovenia will qualify.

Czech Republic - It was ok. I feel that we haven't seen the main stuff yet though. Unlike last year, this song is not my cup of tea but I won't be surprised if it qualifies.

Hungary - Awesome vocals and outstanding staging. The song is still bland for me, but I loved it here. Hungary is a sure qualifier.

Belarus - Good performance overall and great vocals, but there is too much of everything on stage. The juries will probably "kill" her chances for the final.

Serbia - I am really delighted with Nevena's performance. Vocals were superb and the backdrop is ideal for a song like this. The effects are nice too. I am hopeful that we can qualify with this performance.



Looking forward to tomorrow....all my main favorites are performing tomorrow

 

[Mainshow]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Judging the short performances/clips of the rehearsals, I am quite shocked how people can't think of Poland being a sure qualifier. Of course, juries will probably try to kill it off but it looked so good on stage and the song itself is very unique.. it will stand out.

Also, I'm quite confident that Montenegro and Finland and Belarus won't make it. I think that the Czech Republic is in danger as well (even though it looks great on stage and the song itself is a dark horse) due to the very shaky vocals.

Hungary did surprise me. I don't really like the song (it's just going nowhere, I loved "Origo" and voted for it) but it looked amazing on stage.

Serbia just increased its chances to qualify. Nevena was STUNNING on so many levels.

Cyprus will obviously qualify but oh well, it was the epitome of trash

 

[Sean]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

It's going to be a hell of a day today!

 

[mauve]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv

Judging the short performances/clips of the rehearsals, I am quite shocked how people can't think of Poland being a sure qualifier. Of course, juries will probably try to kill it off but it looked so good on stage and the song itself is very unique.. it will stand out.

Also, I'm quite confident that Montenegro and Finland and Belarus won't make it. I think that the Czech Republic is in danger as well (even though it looks great on stage and the song itself is a dark horse) due to the very shaky vocals.

Hungary did surprise me. I don't really like the song (it's just going nowhere, I loved "Origo" and voted for it) but it looked amazing on stage.

Serbia just increased its chances to qualify. Nevena was STUNNING on so many levels.

Cyprus will obviously qualify but oh well, it was the epitome of trash

Agree actually on ALL points with you. Especially about Poland and Cyprus.

 

[BorisBubbles]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv - Day 2 rehearsal discussion

Spat out my juice at this, posting it here because I doubt Matt/Sean spotted it:

Add that to the long list of "things with more personality than Victor Crone". (O)

 

[Sean]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv - Day 2 rehearsal discussion

Vote for the most impressive rehearsal from day one here!

https://escunited.com/which-rehearsal-impressed-you-the-most-from-tel-aviv-day-one/

 

[NikolaiMoller]

Re: ESC United - LIVE from Tel Aviv - Day 2 rehearsal discussion

The best today was for me Australia, Island and Greece