Tonight is a big night, 50% of the votes will be decided as the 2nd dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest also serves as the Jury show. So it is incredibly important for every act to do their best. A lot of delegations are actually considering today the most crucial show as they feel it is a lot harder to convince juries.
We are here to bring you all the updates and give you the scoop on how everybody is doing tonight. The show starts at 21:00 CET and the fans are already lining up outside B & W Hallerne and we feel awfully bad cause it’s a cold and rainy day in Copenhagen. But it looks like everybody is keeping themselves warm with happy thoughts.
So make sure to come back and check our updates as we’ll be here all the way to the end (Yes, even through the faux voting 🙂 )
Let’s start the show!
1. Ukraine
Matt: Once again, solid performance. At first Maria had some issues with her hair covering up hair face but other than that everything worked according to plan.
Ahmet: I liked the performance, another favorite of mine. Actually I think this looked better than her Semi performance.
2. Belarus
Matt: Horrible draw for Belarus, Ukraine was visually stimulating and while this is charming it just seems inferior and will struggle to stand out. Vocally it was flawless though. Maybe it’s just me but he looks like he’s sweating quite a bit.
Ahmet: His voice sounded a bit hoarse. The Semi Final performance was better than this one. I didn’t like the sound of his backing vocals either.
3. Azerbaijan
Matt: This is going to be a difficult race for Azerbaijan and may become their worst result to date. It was an improvement from Tuesday with a bit more passion but it’s not the kind of ballad to stand out between all these upbeat entries
Ahmet: Voice is better in Semis but the song is boring. I don’t understand why she is smiling too much, it seems odd for this kind of song.
4. Iceland
Matt: Solid performance, great energy and you can tell they’re having the time of their life onstage. I’m questioning the jury appeal for this one but they did the best they could.
Ahmet: Same as in Semi Final, not much too add.
5. Norway
Matt: To me vocally his best performance. He’s definitely more confident and I enjoyed it much. Just wow, goosebumps!!
Ahmet: His performance was very solid but he’s always good. I liked his energy onstage, the audience felt he was more confident.
6. Romania
Matt: Everything is well executed, I just feel it’s over rehearsed. A lot of this feels mechanic which may be a bit off-putting. Paula hits that big not perfectly. I’m missing the likability factor.
Ahmet: Vocally Paula was slightly better in the Semi, I don’t like her mannerism. A bit forgettable.
7. Armenia
Matt: Shaky vocals at first, he is definitely doing much better when the song picks up steam though it’s almost too aggressive. His facial expression are a lot more pleasant than before. It could go either way but I doubt it’ll be the jury’s favorite.
Ahmet: He is shouting too much today, he did better in the Semi.
8. Montenegro
Matt: Great song to follow Armenia, it changes the mood and he sounds great. He is smiling quite a bit and you can tell he’s thrilled to be there. Great change of pace and this will stand out and I’m certain the jury’s will remember that.
Ahmet: We don’t understand the language but he manages to deliver it in a way so it makes sense to me. He did a wonderful job.
9. Poland
Matt: If you like the Semi performance then you’ll like this one, too. Consistent and fun though I predict that this is a bit too gimmicky for the juries.
Ahmet: She sounded good at first but it sounded like she lost control over it closer to the end. In addition, she looked a bit bored while dancing.
10. Greece
Matt: They always give 100%, lots of energy and it sounds great. Unfortunately I felt they relied a bit too much on the backup vocals but it was so much fun, you gotta forgive them that.
Ahmet: Yesterday they were excited and today they also believed in themselves. Best performance to date!!
11. Austria
Matt: There is so much love for Conchita in the arena and press center. Great performance (first verse sounded a bit shaky) but she pulled it off in the end. All of the big notes sounded great:
Ahmet: She is amazing, I actually think it was better than yesterday. Her body language is spot on and more confident.
12. Germany
Matt: After the glamorous Conchita this seems a little less exciting. And they get all tangled up the the streamers during the last chorus. I don’t know about this one and whether or not the juries will go for it.
Ahmet: Average performance and I think she was too serious, she didn’t smile enough the way like she usually does. I didn’t feel the energy.
13. Sweden
Matt: Sanna wouldn’t hit a bad note even if she tried. Another flawless performance! There is nothing more to add, just pure consistency!
Ahmet: No technical problems (yay), her voice is wonderful and this is going to be Austria’s biggest rival.
14. France
Matt: I can’t stand the “Everybody get up” shouting trying to get the audience excited, just sing your song! They’re having fun but it seems as the lead singer is out of breath at times. I just don’t believe the juries will appreciate this!
Ahmet: He talks too much, I don’t like that at all. Don’t care about the yellow circles onstage.
15. Russia
Matt: It’s so weird how well their pronunciation is considering they don’t speak any English. It once again sounded really good and the backup singers add a richness to the chorus, the song is well packaged and they sounded great. There was more energy onstage, nicely done girls!
Ahmet: Average performance, there was too much smoke onstage I could barely see the performers.
(clear disagreement here)
16. Italy
Matt: Ouch, too many bad notes especially the chorus. It seems that she is trying to be energetic and then loses focus and misses notes left and right. It wasn’t the most pleasant performance. Oh, and that outfit is hideous.
Ahmet: She is trying to shout too much and is unable to control her voice. At some points I can only hear the backup singers.
17. Slovenia
Matt: She is much more relaxed than in previous rounds, I enjoyed this performance and I could see the juries finding this appealing.
Ahmet: The performance was better than in the Semis and I like the Slovenian parts better than her English!
18. Finland
Matt: Very difficult for me to judge this one, it’s too shouty for my taste but a lot of people may like that. It just seems sometimes too loud and he doesn’t focus on the acutal melody. But the vibe felt right.
Ahmet: Same as Semi Final, though the lead singer is still closing his eyes way too much.
19. Spain
Matt: Ruth is on fire…well actually she’s quite wet (part of the effect). Beautiful stage, the rain effect is great and she gave it her all. The juries will be very happy with that performance.
Ahmet: Her voice was fantastic and they paid attention to detail. Her her looks wet as she is Standing in the rain!
20. Switzerland
Matt: He did well again, you can’t help it but love him. Vocally it was great and while i don’t know if this will be a jury pleaser, I believe he did the best he could.
Ahmet: Best performance for Switzerland, he gets people to clap along and have fun. The fireworks are awesome!
21. Hungary
Matt: I enjoyed it more than his Semi performance. Though I did detect some vocal imperfections it was nothing too serious and fits the mood. His voice as a whole felt more rich and I felt the energy. This will score well with the juries.
Ahmet: I can feel his emotions and the story telling on his face. It was impressive and better than his Semi Final performance.
22. Malta
Matt: After a more dark and serious song, the uplifting Maltese entry is refreshing and heartwarming. It’s a great draw for them and they sound great! Warm facial expressions, this screams jury points!
Ahmet: Good performers but their voices are getting better and better, the song isn’t my cup of tea but despite of that I recognize the quality in this entry.
23. Denmark
Matt: I don’t like how he likes to skip a line here and there letting the backup singers cover for him. A few bleh notes but nothing earth shattering. I don’t know if the juries will for for this.
Ahmet: His performance similar to rehearsals, I think the curtain onstage has changed I think???? Performance was very energetic.
24. The Netherlands
Matt: Here are two pros performing beautifully. Ilse seems to be smiling a whole lot more but it’s appropriate and this may score big. Another flawless performance.
Ahmet: They look amicable; very professional and they look a whole lot more relaxed. It’s getting better and better.
25. San Marino
Matt: She did a great job delivering on an emotional level. There were a couple of notes that went sour but her energy was spot on so the juries may fall for it.
Ahmet: You can tell Valentina was very happy and it showed in her performance. I truly believe that was her best performance ever (all three years combined).
26. United Kingdom
Matt: After several rather bleh rehearsals I think she did a formidable job and a good amount of energy. Whatever the outcome may be, at least Molly can say she tried her best.
Ahmet: Her voice was way better than in the rehearsals but at the end she did some joyful squealing and I didn’t care for it too much.
But don’t just take our word, we walked around the Press Center and asked two dozen people and here and the vast majority said that The Netherlands had the best rehearsal. After that, Greece, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom received about the same amount of votes.
On the other hand, most people said Armenia had the weakest rehearsal followed by Germany.
