ESC United - Rehearsal and Live Show discussion megathread

[Sean]

It's time for the rehearsals to finally get underway for Eurovision 2024 at Malmö Arena! 37 countries will begin their preparations for this year's contest today, with over two weeks of coverage to come from the ESC United team on the ground!

The schedule for rehearsals is below (thank you Eurovisionworld! All times in CEST);

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You can check out Matt's pre-rehearsal live stream below in case you missed it;

DAY ONE

Eurovision 2024 Rehearsals - Day 1 Round-Up Live Stream

Join Matt and his team as they discuss the rehearsals of the day and answer your questions. The first dress rehearsal is closed to the press so we'll be here...

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The team will be on hand to cover everything going on in Malmö over the coming weeks, so make sure to follow ESC United on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and YouTube and Twitch to not miss a minute!

Please also use this thread for any rehearsal coverage and discussion, including for jury shows, dress rehearsals and the live shows!​

 

[GermanBango]

Yet they participated! Ukraine did not participate in 2015 and 2019 because of war-related events and because Russia took part. They rather did not come but to force to remove another country. They also did not go and sent an artist who tried to stirr trouble and tried to lure other contestants into their own hateful club. None did any of the other contestants although some despised the Russian actions. Yet none of them ruined the contest because they were there for their dream, for the MUSIC!!


The first letter was written respectfully (to get other countries to sign it). But later it got out of haves because of people like Marina, Bambie and Joost who tried to spread hate. They were responsible for the bad mood, not Eden. Everyone was happy until Malmö.

May I ask: What Barbie dream world are you living in? I know that ignorance is bliss but somehow I can’t tell if you are trolling or being serious.

 

[Lumina]

Ok bro!!! lol

 

[Sammy]

Am I though? I said multiple times already that the protest and the criticism (at least of the artists and large parts of the fans) was not directed at Eden at all. They were not against her competing at Eurovision, they were against a nationalist government and it's broadcaster using Eurovision to weave a narrative of "oh we are the poor victims in all of this but we are not doing anything. Everyone just hates us". Did she in some sense become the face of that? Absolutely. Is that nice and fair? No it is not. But I fear that is something that KAN sadly counted on.
That's the thing that keeps making me really angry tbh. Fans, artists and delegations who dared to open their mouths are getting labels attached to them that just (as far as we know) are not correct. It’s actually a very common tactic to discredit the opponent and it’s being very commonly used by extremist politicians. If Eurovision as a whole was so "anti-Israel" then how come Israel did successfully participate for decades without the majority of the fandom and other competitors being against it all this time. In fact some Israeli entries of the past are dearly beloved by fans. Just look at last year for example: Noa came third and was well received by large parts of the fandom. As far as I know there also was nothing negative going on with other artists. My point is: (at least the sane) People had nothing against Eden as a person/artist hence why the "bullying"-argument falls flat on its face.

Sorry, you missed it again. To clarify:
My core point is: The one who turned this edition in a political theatre was Bambie who saw Eurovision as a platform for their political activism and acted accordingly. This is clearly deducible from the video I posted.

Nobody said Eurovision was generally anti-Israel, nor that all of this edition was. But in this edition we had a very strong anti-Israeli movement stirred up by Bambie and those she gathered around her. (When she referred to them as: the ones who got into the top 10, the ones who worked behind the scenes to change that shit, etc.). Not only them of course, and it didn't start with her. But she became kind of the face of the Anti-Israel-squad among the artists, especially after Joost was DQ. (in this paragraph I again use she/her not to misgender but to make clear that I talk about the person, not the group)

If you really believe this Eden was left out by them, that sounds kinda naive, tbh. Not only the behavior Joost showed at the press conference, but also the fact that Israel had to move their dressing room speaks against this. We don't know to which extent they put pressure on Eden, because we were not there, but to think that didn't go to a personal level is surely wrong.

When just looking through social media and the reaction in the venue, you can't possibly label that as "only against Israel" not against her. In this very forum she was called "Genocide-Barbie" and was personally held accountable for the war in Gaza.

Yes, I agree, sane people would think otherwise and behave but we have witnessed a large degree of insanity here, hence why the bullying argument is most likely valid. A strong indicator is also that bullies typically refer to themselves as the real victims in a quite specific manner, something I learned in over three decades of professional experience in that field. You can also watch Bambie do this in that interview ("oh there was sooo much pressure on us, it was so hard"), strategically backed up by well placed tears, that vanish as quickly as they came.

 

[GermanBango]

Sorry, you missed it again. To clarify:
My core point is: The one who turned this edition in a political theatre was Bambie who saw Eurovision as a platform for their political activism and acted accordingly. This is clearly deducible from the video I posted.

Nobody said Eurovision was generally anti-Israel, nor that all of this edition was. But in this edition we had a very strong anti-Israeli movement stirred up by Bambie and those she gathered around her. (When she referred to them as: the ones who got into the top 10, the ones who worked behind the scenes to change that shit, etc.). Not only them of course, and it didn't start with her. But she became kind of the face of the Anti-Israel-squad among the artists, especially after Joost was DQ. (in this paragraph I again use she/her not to misgender but to make clear that I talk about the person, not the group)

If you really believe this Eden was left out by them, that sounds kinda naive, tbh. Not only the behavior Joost showed at the press conference, but also the fact that Israel had to move their dressing room speaks against this. We don't know to which extent they put pressure on Eden, because we were not there, but to think that didn't go to a personal level is surely wrong.

When just looking through social media and the reaction in the venue, you can't possibly label that as "only against Israel" not against her. In this very forum she was called "Genocide-Barbie" and was personally held accountable for the war in Gaza.

Yes, I agree, sane people would think otherwise and behave but we have witnessed a large degree of insanity here, hence why the bullying argument is most likely valid. A strong indicator is also that bullies typically refer to themselves as the real victims in a quite specific manner, something I learned in over three decades of professional experience in that field. You can also watch Bambie do this in that interview ("oh there was sooo much pressure on us, it was so hard"), strategically backed up by well placed tears, that vanish as quickly as they came.

I am inclined to disagree. The ones who turned this edition into a political theater was actually KAN when they used the NF to spread the propaganda of the Netanyahu government (by inviting people in military uniform etc). They deliberately stirred the pot (knowing very well that there already was heavy criticism concerning the Israeli participation this year). The EBU watched and chose to ignore everything. So naturally the artists would find other ways to make themselves heard.
While we are talking about "bullying and harassment": The amount of hate that said artists received after releasing a levelheaded and nuanced statement in March should not be underestimated. The pressure on Eden was high without a doubt but so was the pressure on those who simply raised concerns and asked for peace. We have seen multiple occasions of artists being harassed by Israeli journalists and delegation members. At the end of the day everyone is coping differently with pressure and stress.

Overall this entire drama seems hella calculated to me. Everything was meant to serve on purpose only: To push the narrative of the poor Israeli girl that gets hate simply because she is from Israel. It's a not so subtle way of information warfare that has been put forward in this contest by Russia multiple times in the past.
Sadly everything played out exactly the way that it's conductors wanted it to. The EBU played their part, the fans played their part and some of the artists played their part as well.

 

[Sammy]

I am inclined to disagree. The ones who turned this edition into a political theater was actually KAN when they used the NF to spread the propaganda of the Netanyahu government (by inviting people in military uniform etc). They deliberately stirred the pot (knowing very well that there already was heavy criticism concerning the Israeli participation this year). The EBU watched and chose to ignore everything. So naturally the artists would find other ways to make themselves heard.
While we are talking about "bullying and harassment": The amount of hate that said artists received after releasing a levelheaded and nuanced statement in March should not be underestimated. The pressure on Eden was high without a doubt but so was the pressure on those who simply raised concerns and asked for peace. We have seen multiple occasions of artists being harassed by Israeli journalists and delegation members. At the end of the day everyone is coping differently with pressure and stress.

Overall this entire drama seems hella calculated to me. Everything was meant to serve on purpose only: To push the narrative of the poor Israeli girl that gets hate simply because she is from Israel. It's a not so subtle way of information warfare that has been put forward in this contest by Russia multiple times in the past.
Sadly everything played out exactly the way that it's conductors wanted it to. The EBU played their part, the fans played their part and some of the artists played their part as well.

I think we both have made our position clear and I appreciate that. Just a short feedback - if I may. I really want to point out your civilized and rational style of discussing such a heated topic with me even if we disagree on some points. You didn‘t get personal or aggressive so we could just exchange our views. Thanks a lot for that!
If I said anything during our exchange that was not in that style I‘d like to apologize, but I hope it wasn‘t the case.

 

[Uto]

Overall this entire drama seems hella calculated to me. Everything was meant to serve on purpose only: To push the narrative of the poor Israeli girl that gets hate simply because she is from Israel. It's a not so subtle way of information warfare that has been put forward in this contest by Russia multiple times in the past.
Sadly everything played out exactly the way that it's conductors wanted it to. The EBU played their part, the fans played their part and some of the artists played their part as well.

It didn't play out the way they wanted though, because Israel basically only antagonized a large group of people that would otherwise be on the fence. It was the same with Russia. Yes they managed to mobilize some alt-right people to rally behind Israel, but they were already largely racially motivated and for those that weren't this was their chance to bully the LGBT-community where it would hurt. They lost, Israel wasn't close to winning even with the bloated televote and now all eyes are on EBU. That's a losing play on all fronts.

 

[GermanBango]

I think we both have made our position clear and I appreciate that. Just a short feedback - if I may. I really want to point out your civilized and rational style of discussing such a heated topic with me even if we disagree on some points. You didn‘t get personal or aggressive so we could just exchange our views. Thanks a lot for that!
If I said anything during our exchange that was not in that style I‘d like to apologize, but I hope it wasn‘t the case.

Oh thanks. I try my best even though I sometimes come off as bitchy in between the lines. It's the old embittered grandpa in me that comes through every now and then.
I do agree that this discussion was respectful on both ends. And no, there is no need to apologize. I am anyhow not that thin-skinned.

 

[GermanBango]

It didn't play out the way they wanted though, because Israel basically only antagonized a large group of people that would otherwise be on the fence. It was the same with Russia. Yes they managed to mobilize some alt-right people to rally behind Israel, but they were already largely racially motivated and for those that weren't this was their chance to bully the LGBT-community where it would hurt. They lost, Israel wasn't close to winning even with the bloated televote and now all eyes are on EBU. That's a losing play on all fronts.

I am not sure tbh. Like I get what you mean but I think the only thing that did not play out the way they wanted it to was the fact that they did not win. Either way ... I just hope that the propaganda machinery gets banned next year.

 

[Uto]

I am not sure tbh. Like I get what you mean but I think the only thing that did not play out the way they wanted it to was the fact that they did not win. Either way ... I just hope that the propaganda machinery gets banned next year.

Nah just think about this man, the optics are a disaster. Contestants are like literally complaining that the contest felt like a propaganda machine for Israel. It's a failure on all fronts if that happens. You can do this with like a football tournament or whatever, because you are the host then and it's understood that it should be a propaganda tool to a degree. Eurovision in Malmo can be propaganda for Sweden and no one would care, but never Israel, it means the contest was hijacked. No one likes that. Add to that the fact that Israel is, well, doing things that are unhinged even to Israeli standards, and it's just a very bad look that you don't want any focus on, so why bring it into focus? I mean after the Hamas attacks people expected Israel to strike back. Right now you can literally just say that 1,5k dead in Israel translated to 10k dead Palestinian children with no clear end in sight and there is no lie to be detected. Like how is Israel going to gain support if people have to deal with these sorts of realities? Isreal managed to make itself look like a totalitarian state where they used to be so good at making themselves look like a viable Western democracy. I really don't see how this could be their goal. The only success is rallying right-wing extremists and trolls.

 

[GermanBango]

Nah just think about this man, the optics are a disaster. Contestants are like literally complaining that the contest felt like a propaganda machine for Israel. It's a failure on all fronts if that happens. You can do this with like a football tournament or whatever, because you are the host then and it's understood that it should be a propaganda tool to a degree. Eurovision in Malmo can be propaganda for Sweden and no one would care, but never Israel, it means the contest was hijacked. No one likes that. Add to that the fact that Israel is, well, doing things that are unhinged even to Israeli standards, and it's just a very bad look that you don't want any focus on, so why bring it into focus? I mean after the Hamas attacks people expected Israel to strike back. Right now you can literally just say that 1,5k dead in Israel translated to 10k dead Palestinian children with no clear end in sight and there is no lie to be detected. Like how is Israel going to gain support if people have to deal with these sorts of realities? Isreal managed to make itself look like a totalitarian state where they used to be so good at making themselves look like a viable Western democracy. I really don't see how this could be their goal. The only success is rallying right-wing extremists and trolls.

I guess it really depends how you look at it. At leas here in Germany (surprise, surprise) the media is fully buying the propaganda. The headlines are overwhelmingly negative towards the fans and the artists who spoke up.

 

[Uto]

I guess it really depends how you look at it. At leas here in Germany (surprise, surprise) the media is fully buying the propaganda. The headlines are overwhelmingly negative towards the fans and the artists who spoke up.

Germany is an exception though, they have been receiving a lot of criticism over their seemingly endless patience with Israel.

 

[GermanBango]

Germany is an exception though, they have been receiving a lot of criticism over their seemingly endless patience with Israel.

I wish there was more criticism tbh.

 

[ag89]

Duška Vučinić, RTS commentator, shared her impressions from this year and claimed this was the toughest Eurovision she has ever done (she has been doing it for 20 years) and shared she felt like organizers could not wait to see delegations go home.

 

[crashworld]

Israeli Channel 12 (hosted the national selection) will air satirical show episode about Eurovision.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790459437406204390

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790399601607917696

Seems like some sensitive and entitled snowflakes don't know what SATIRE is.
No wonder the comedians are saying comedy is dead because of these people who can't take a joke.

 

[empo21]

Seems like some sensitive and entitled snowflakes don't know what SATIRE is.
No wonder the comedians are saying comedy is dead because of these people who can't take a joke.

"snowflakes" yikes

The choice of people to parody is obviously intentional and purposefully targeted. I'm surprised they didn't do Iolanda as well.

 

[ItsJaden]

Hey guys, I know you all (well most?) ok, some like to relive Eurovision 2024. So here's 1 continuous Mega(video)mix with all 37 songs with delicious mashups and transitions. It was a Lot of work, but worth it so hope you guys enjoy! and let me know what your favorite parts are xJaden

 

[FilipFromSweden]

I was in Malmö for Eurovision and here is my take

Production: Great
Hosts: Great (Petra Mede mother)
Stage: Great
Songs: Fantastic
Drama: Horrible
Malmö host city: Despicable

The drama and Malmö as host city almost ruined it which is such a damn shame compared to the production and the quality of the songs this year. I cba to get into the Joost drama or the Israel drama, however I'd like to bash Malmö a bit. As a Swede, I'll admit I've always had a negative stance towards the city but seeing it in person just confirmed it to me. It's a smaller, cozy city with it's charm.

It is downright embarassing to have friends from The Netherlands, Estonia and even Australia go all the way to Malmö and then tell me that they don't feel safe to explore the city or hang around in the city center because of protesters and the horribly negative vibes. The protesters were not cool. I carried a Eurovision tote bag while me and some friends went to check out the Turning Torso and a bunch of protesters heckled us (none had any Israeli symbols, not that that would've made it ok).

Also, compared to Liverpool, Malmö as a host city was cheap and lazy. The decorations of the city I don't know how to explain. Imagine someone decorates their home for christmas, even though they secretly hate christmas and plan on taking it all down on the 26th. That's what it was. There were multiple bars (not Euroclub or Eurofansclub) who advertised having Eurovision night, we went to two of them and it was none of that. They just wanted to make money of this whole thing, no effort whatsoever, unless you count the karaoke machine they put on the top floor in which you could sing some Melfest songs from 2004.

Malmö I hope you're banned from ever hosting this again, not that I think Sweden should win in the next 20 years anyways, and if/when we do it should be Gothenburg.

 

[Lance Esgard]

I have and important question: when Is MoroccanOil contract going to expire? I hope soon! Because there is no doubt they put pressions on EBU to cancel Iolanda's performance from YouTube for 2 hrs during the Grand Finale, altering the chances of a contestant. This should NEVER happen in a Song Contest, for ANY reason, and for the principle of "fair competition" she could have even proceeded legally.

I've read elsewhere that 2024 was the last contest under the contracted period, but I haven't come across any proof of said claim.

 

[Lance Esgard]

Accidental double-post. Please ignore.

 

[ag89]

Since there is a belief that the Balkans is not really successful at ESC anymore, just to highlight:
- North Macedonia won the jury vote in 2019
- Serbia killed it with the public in 2022
- Croatia made it to top 10 with the public in 2023
- Croatia won the televote this year
- Greece did nicely in 2021, 2022 and this year.

I have hopes victory will come back to the Balkans soon.