Eurovision Song Contest, 2024

[Chrill]

Joost Klein refused to participate in today's dress rehearsal:
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/ ... r-incident

Google Translate:
https://www-aftonbladet-se.translate.go ... r_pto=wapp
(please note, I think it turned "dress rehearsal" into "gender rope" here )

It is said to be due to an "incident" involving Joost Klein, we don't know any more. It is unclear if he is the VICTIM of an incident, or if he is the CAUSE of one.

[Redirect Left]

(please note, I think it turned "dress rehearsal" into "gender rope" here )

Still somewhat accurate for eurovision

I found an English version of the same story here. I do hope whatever the incident was, is nothing too catastrophic for anyone involved in it.
The British media are generally reporting it as Joost being 'banned' from rehearsing until events have been looked into, whatever that event is.
I get the feeling backstage at Eurovision is currently as ready to ignite as London in 1666 before the Great Fire of London...

I do not envy the police of Malmö having to moderate and keep tensions calm as soon as there's any sign of anything around the arena.

[Chrill]

At this point, we should just call Sweden as the winners again and host it in 2025 in Stockholm. For safety reasons.

[Redirect Left]

The Italian broadcaster has tried to say the published results were 'partial', and thus not a representation of the true averages of voting, and it was due to a technical glitch which somehow pushed that data to the broadcasted graphics, which is... odd to say the least.

Also the Wikipedia entry for Eurovision 2024 is now long-term protected, so that's another bonfire in this mess.

As you can imagine, the EBU seem to have shuttered the department that is responsible for communications, they've gone, at least publically, very quiet on basically everything. I can only hope behind the scenes they're running around trying to resolve everything in a sensible manner. It will be interesting to see if any problems leak through to the Grand Final in just over 24 hours...

[Chrill]

The Netherlands have been removed from tonight's jury rehearsal. They will not be participating in it. They are not (yet) banned from tomorrow's event. The juries voting will be shown the Dutch performance from the semi final.

Swedish media claim that the EBU is investigating an alleged act of violence toward a female crew member of the production team. Here is an article from SVT, the Swedish public broadcaster hosting Eurovision this year:
https://www-svt-se.translate.goog/kultu ... r_pto=wapp

(please remove Adblock to load the page)

[Chrill]

If I allow myself to talk MUSIC in this topic again, I was stunned by Armenia last night. This is Eurovision at it's stupid best. I love this performance:



And it turns out the song has a great message too. I ripped this from Wikipedia:

The song was described as Baghdasaryan's assertion of her "right to think freely and to be whoever she wants to be." She criticises society for imposing artificial limitations and norms, saying that these causes girls to lose sight of who they really are since they are often told how to act. She explains:

"They used to call me 'Jako' when I was little. Growing up I have always been told that girls should behave, be humble, dress normally, not talk too much, not do crazy things."

The song is further described as a message to herself and to "all the little Jakos in the world" to follow their true calling and stay true to their authentic selves, as she did through her art. The song is also described as an invitation to "get up and dance," no matter what people say. David Tserunyan, Armenia's head of delegation, further explains, "[the] song touches upon a very important matter, but in a cheerful and playful manner. We hope to inspire people all over the world to embrace their inner Jakos and join this empowering dance of freedom!"

[Redirect Left]

My favourite performance was Switzerland. Originally i was expecting Netherlands, and I hope whatever has happened is nothing too serious. I really think the song is a really nice typical Eurovision bop, but on the night Joost definitely seemed to struggle vocally a little, and had a lot of backing track help I feel.

But yes, Switzerland's Nemo - The Code SF2 performance. Wow, i have no idea how Nemo managed to perform on that tilting & rotating circular platform, and still sound as amazing as he did. A lot of performers tend to vocally struggle when performing on such stage gear, as if their nerves get them when they introduced an extra thing, or they're focus too much on not messing up.
Based purely SF performances? Switzerland all the way, such an active stage to manevoure and still sound top notch? Can't fault it at all.

[Chrill]

Sincerely agree. I have no clue why Switzerland is not the runaway winner. Perhaps their appearance is too much for the conservative folks, Nemo is non-binary and wears a dress on stage which is likely to provoke some of our more narrow-minded friends. I was mesmerized by the Swiss performance.

[Redirect Left]

Perhaps their appearance is too much for the conservative folks, Nemo is non-binary and wears a dress on stage which is likely to provoke some of our more narrow-minded friends. I was mesmerized by the Swiss performance.

Yes, i do feel if they manage to win, it'll be a huge win for progressive attitudes, similar to how Netta - Toy won a few years ago, and that was seen as pretty big, given her very well known connections to the LGBTQ community, and her overall appearance, also the song was... peculiar in a way too.

I really hope the general opinion of conservatives don't prevent a well earned win. But i know some countries are regressing a little, even here in the UK it is going down hill, however that is getting into politics to say any more, and Eurovision is non-political!

I was stunned by how expertly Nemo handled the stage gear. We've seen a lot more experienced people really have clear nerves or focus issues handling less on Eurovision. I would be happy with a few songs winning this year, from Croatia to Switzerland, heck i'd take a nice win for Ireland or Sweden based on performances. I feel we've got a good 4-5 songs at the top, and then it quickly blurs into a mess between "eeeh" and "meh"

[Chrill]

At this point, I'll take almost any country over Israel just to save the contest.

But I would be genuinely happy for Croatia, Switzerland, or Ireland. I could realistically see Switzerland or Croatia winning, I do not think Ireland can. The Irish number is too.... let's go with scary. It will alienate some people.

[Redirect Left]

The Irish number is too.... let's go with scary. It will alienate some people.

I'm genuinely surprised they even qualified, can't lie. I'm happy for them though, it's also the first time Ireland qualified since 2018, where they finished... uh 16th in the end. So hopefully they do better than that.

From SF2, i am surprised Dons - Hollow (Latvia) qualified too. It's the kind of song that'll either resonate with a lot of people, or basically no one at the Grand Final, will get lost in the mixture i think.

You're right though, if Israel win, I am not sure what Eurovision would be after. Will they still claim it isn't political, or let it happen without question after the fact? I think they'll either make radical changes, or sweep it under the carpet. Either one will cause its own drama for sure...

Netherlands performance from SF2 has already reached 2.2M (yes M) views on YouTube in just 23 hours. Will be chaos if they end up getting cancelled out the tournament. At the jury show earlier today, a video emerged of massive boos when it was announced Joost wouldn't be performing for that.
Whatever happens, this is one spicy year for Eurovision...

[Chrill]

I don't see Joost performing tonight. Having missed the jury rehearsal, and instead airing their semi final performance, what jury member would vote for him knowing there is a possible DSQ coming?

Swedish police have confirmed they have investigated "a man" (presumably Joost Klein himself, but it's not confirmed) for the crime Olaga hot which roughly translates to Unlawful threats. It could be saying stuff like "Watch out, I know where you live, I will get you", or physically confronting someone without causing bodily harm.

The EBU have still not said anything about this, and we're just 11 hours out from the actual show.

Also, the headquarters of Finnish broadcaster YLE has been stormed by people demanding they do not participate tonight.

This is the worst s*** of a Eurovision I can ever remember, I have lost all appetite for even watching tonight.

[Chrill]

Netherlands have officially been disqualified from the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/relea ... ng-contest

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS are calling the reaction "disproportionate", and fans seem to be very upset. I cannot possibly have an opinion, we still don't know what happened, to whom it happened (more than "female TV crew"), or how it happened. But we will only see 25 acts tonight.

[Redirect Left]

Wow, this year just gets more and more wild for Eurovision doesn't it?

The BBC reports that the case will go before prosecutors within a few week. Now obviously I have no knowledge of the Swedish laws (surprise), but to my understanding at least in the UK, that means whatever it was, was pretty dang serious of a threat. Here you'd just be told "no, don't do that again" by the police and then released either with no charge or a warning on your record, unless it can be shown your threat has real weight & intention behind it, rather than some flippant thing because you were a little upset. But again, i have no Swedish law knowledge, so maybe it's all taken more seriously in general. Also the police investigation is said to be completed, Swedish police don't mess about, from report to completion in < 24 hrs? Not bad at all, puts our investigation lengths to shame...

Europapa was a great cheesy Eurovision song, and I will miss not seeing it tonight, but if Joost has done something serious, then it is deserved it is not shown. I do feel for Joosts supporting musicians & writers though, what a disappointment it'll be for them with a song expected to do so well on the night. I will be curious to see how the narrator on the British side, Graham Norton, words it. Makes me wonder if they'll have time to change all the numbering too, or if they'll be an obvious gap, given all the countries will need their phone lines altering to -1 the number to call after Netherlands running order. If there is a big hole in the numbering sequence, will be hard to avoid people noticing, and cause even more of a stir.

The comments on several videos for the Eurovision from SFs 1 & 2 are now... a little bit of a dumpster fire, shall we say.

With Europapa expecting to come very high in terms of votes, the question is. Who will they back now, or will they just not vote and lose their voting $$$ as a show of irritance? I hope with the zanyness of Europapa, Switzerlands very energetic performance will benefit from extra votes.

[Chrill]

I have consistently claimed Netherlands and Croatia hurt each other. To me, this should benefit Baby Lasagna.

According to my brother (who is a bigger Eurovision nerd than I am), Greece and Ireland did not show up for the flag parade. Marina Satti and Bambie Thug were absent. We shall see if they appear for the rehearsal. I have no sources for this yet.

[kamnet]

So I really didn't get to see any of the acts this year beforehand, no semis for me... so all of my feedback is raw reaction from watching the finals approximately 12 hours after they started, and how I'm ranking them.

1. #23. Croatia - OK I haven't seen it until now, but I know the Internet has been buzzing for Baby Lasagna... and it doesn't disappoint! This is like the Everything Bagel of Eurovision! DOUZE POINTS for me!
2. #01. Sweden - Very catchy pop tune, great stage presence, visuals were mind-blowing.
3. #26. Austria - A decent Eurovision performance all-around. Great energy, good lyrics, fabulous dancing... a good way to close out the show!
4. #22. Slovenia - Holy cow! The vocals here were OUTSTANDING! A nice visual arts performance as well!
5. #25. France - A technically stunning vocal performance! The visuals here were simple and it was the artist treating the camera - the audience, even - as the focus of his love and his feelings. Masterful performance!
6. #20. Cyprus - A solid pop performance, if it doesn't win, I can see this being a huge hit.
7. #11. Latvia - This was a nice ballad, skillfully performed, and the subdued visuals with occasional flourishes really complemented the somberness.
8. #24. Georgia - A sexy, sensual pop ballad with good lyrics and visuals.
9. #02. Ukraine - Haunting, beautiful vocals, and OMG she climbed a mountain? Great stage visuals! I thought the rap portion was going to drag it down, but the crowd popped for it really well.
10. #10. Ireland - Okay, i was NOT expecting horrorcore out of Ireland! The stage visuals were incredible, fast switching from dark to light to dark again was absolutely stunning and well-done!
11. #19. Armenia - This was a good jam! Fans seemed really energized by it, I was digging' it!
12. #06. Israel - I heard there was a lot of jeering during the semi-finals, but you couldn't see it or here it here, so that's good for the home audience. Keeping my political views out of this, it was melodic, beautiful, and I cried just a little. It was a very strong performance.
13. #13. United Kingdom - A good pop melody, the lyrics were syrupy, shallow pop love song stuff. One of UK's better performances over the years, but I don't know if it was the best Eurovision performance. The crowd seemed to be into it quite a bit though.
14. #18. Portugal - I really enjoyed this ballad, very heartfelt and emotional. Minimal stage visuals needed.
15. #07. Lithuania - Started off a mellow performance, then kicked it up a notch! The dancing and footwork were notable.
16. #16. Serbia - A nice ballad, good stage presence.
17. #03. Germany - It was good, not overwhelming or underwhelming, just fine.
18. #04. Luxembourg - A nice, mellow performance, really good energy.
19. #15. Italy - Also a good performance, but it didn't excite me.
20. #08. Spain - It was okay... musically it was good, and the crowd seemed into it, but the stage presentation just threw me off. Not my favorite.
21. #09. Estonia - There wasn't much to the stage visuals, so the dancing and performance did all the work. It was okay.
22. #17. Finland - The song is really good, and while the stage performance was creative, it just wasn't doing it for me, too silly!
23. #21. Switzerland - A nice singing voice, but I couldn't figure out what he was singing about. The balancing act was impressive, though.
24. #14. Norway - A solid rock performance, great visuals, but the echo-y lyrics kinda ruined it for me. It was more noise than melodic.
25. #12. Greece - I just didn't care for any of it, sorry
26. #05. Netherlands - Removed from performance before the finals. Nobody knows why yet.

[Chrill]

Switzerland winning was perhaps the best possible outcome for this year's show. It has not been an enjoyable ride but I am thrilled for Nemo. And I am appalled by kamnet rating them 23rd

Croatia won the televote, EBU dodged a bullet there too. The Israeli delegation cannot make the claim they were the "righteous winner", because they were only 2nd there.

I definitely think some countries will pull out for at least one year, we will see who confirms their 2025 participation in the coming days, weeks, and months.

12. #06. Israel - I heard there was a lot of jeering during the semi-finals, but you couldn't see it or here it here, so that's good for the home audience. Keeping my political views out of this, it was melodic, beautiful, and I cried just a little. It was a very strong performance.

https://twitter.com/eurovisiontom/statu ... 7445971352

The audience made their views very clear on Israel.

The song itself was decent to me, Israel would probably be somewhere around 10-12 if I could hear all the songs without judging the contestant or the nation they represent so that's in line with your rating.

[Chrill]

Actually, I will attempt rating all 26 like you did. I will include the Netherlands having heard that song.

I did rate my top 10 back in March, let's see how these ratings compare:
viewtopic.php?p=1268603#p1268603

1. #10. Ireland - Avada Kedavra, I speak to destroy! They have been climbing my personal chart for a while now, and I find myself strongly entertained by this number.
2. #21. Switzerland - Love the message, but even more I love the performance. They are singing whilst essentially performing a balancing act. This number smelled of victory, even though the odds thought they did not. I am so happy for them. I rated Switzerland as 2nd behind Italy way back in March, and they're still riding high.
3. #23. Croatia - I think after all that has happened, this remains in my top 3. Very entertaining song, definitely a Cha Cha Cha copy to me but I don't mind because I loved Käärijä last year.
4. #19. Armenia - Definitely did not expect myself to rate Armenia this high, but all week I've been walking around Going "la la lai la la lai lai la la la la" and driving my wife insane. So catchy, so colourful, so energetic.
5. #14. Norway - ROBBED. I loved this entry, it was archaic but modern and it was visually striking. My favourite Nordic entry of the night.
6. #15. Italy - The song did not really "shine" on TV, the audio sort of got muddled up and she disappeared a bit on the large stage. But I think this will remain one of my most played songs on Spotify in the coming months.
7. #08. Spain - ZORRA ZORRA ZORRA. This is Eurovision. This is fun, this is stupid, and yes I am entertained.
8. #07. Lithuania - His vocals did not stand out like they do on the studio recording, but it's a great entry from a country that historically does not always do very well.
9. #01. Sweden - They're a bit forgettable, the Norwegian duo representing Sweden. But I've heard the song everywhere, and decent pop will just force its way into your brain. They kicked the show off brilliantly, I can't be upset at all with a P9 on home soil.
10. #05. Netherlands - Europapa was disqualified for what the Dutch broadcaster is calling "aggressive motion" toward a camera after being crowded and cornered despite requesting some space. If that turns out true, EBU robbed us of a performer who should have been on stage.
11. #26. Austria - Her vocals were absolutely horrible. Ugh, brother ugh. But it's a banger, and definitely the song I will be playing most often this summer. But no, it did not work yesterday.
12. #02. Ukraine - Did you know my mother's name is actually Teresa? Yup, this was her song! I don't like the rapping, it did not fit the song, but the rest was beautiful. They did better than I expected but I'm happy for Ukraine, their best song to me since Shum back in 2021.
13. #17. Finland - Rated here for the message, and for the clever camera angles to make it seem like he was naked. NO RULES!, except of course you can't wear the Windows logo and you must wear flame throwing jean shorts.
14. #06. Israel - As said I find it difficult to disregard my personal views about Israel being allowed to participate, but this was a clean ballad with a beautiful singing voice but a bang average staging. Definitely deserved a spot in the finals, but received votes for all the wrong reasons.
15. #25. France - Beautiful voice, but France keep sending the same song every year. This is just Voila, or Évidemment, but in a new outfit. Getting boring.
16. #09. Estonia - Are you not entertained? I am. It's stupid, silly. It does not reach the heights of other silly entries like Croatia, the Netherlands, or even Finland. But it's fun.
17. #22. Slovenia - Trust me. Witchcraft is in. Witchcraft is hot. I want some Witchcraft. Witchcraft it's gonna be.
18. #12. Greece - It hurt my ears. I can see how it is a different entry, it stood out a bit with Arabic influences but, yeah, headache from the noises. Tinnitus galore!
19. #24. Georgia - This felt very much like a mediocre Eurovision entry that only made it to the finals because, well, we need 26 entries. And that applies to everything below it too, so I suppose this is the cut-off for me.
20. #03. Germany - You said it right, kamnet. It was good, not overwhelming or underwhelming, just fine.
21. #20. Cyprus - I feel like this could have done well in Eurovision maybe 12-13 years ago. Now? It felt dated, boring, and just uninspiring.
22. #11. Latvia - I cannot see how he possibly qualified to the finals, but I'm happy all the Baltic countries were included for once.
23. #18. Portugal - Portugal has really stepped up their game since winning in 2017, but to me this felt like anything they sent before then. I've just never enjoyed fado, it's a genre that does not do it for me, it's too mournful.
24. #04. Luxembourg - Like Cyprus, but slightly less catchy. At least Luxembourg chose a safe comfortable year to return after skipping the last 30 years, no?
25. #16. Serbia - This ballad did nothing for me, it was a 3 minute toilet break. Sorry Serbia.
26. #13. United Kingdom - I was excited to see Ollie performing, and don't get me wrong with this rating because the staging was excellent. But the song was so bland, and perhaps the UK gave us the worst singing of the night. Deserved 0 points from the audience, sorry.

We did pick the Norwegian duo to represent Sweden in Sweden. It'll be a decent top half finish which is fine for a host nation, I'd say 8-12 most likely finishing position. But so far there are no clear winners this year from any country. There is no standout.

Nailed it. We finished 9th!

[kamnet]

Switzerland winning was perhaps the best possible outcome for this year's show. It has not been an enjoyable ride but I am thrilled for Nemo. And I am appalled by kamnet rating them 23rd

After seeing the vote, I was shocked, SHOCKED... that I was so out of tune. So I went back to watch the official video, and I could understand the lyrics much more clearly there, and the music video overall is great! I then re-watched the live performance and I'm still not moved. The lyrics sounded very mumbled, and the overall stage performance was not all that impressive to me. The balancing act was impressive but it just felt so out of place. I don't think this was judged accurately. If what we got live had matched what we got in the video, I might have rated them somewhere between 2-7.

In fact I think it would have been quite impressive if they had re-created the scene of running through the train, it could have appeared that he was running towards you constantly while the scenery of each train car disappeared towards the back. That could have been the most immersive view and done quite well.

But, I guess I'm 100% wrong on this, because clearly it impressed the jury even more than it did the fans.

[Redirect Left]

Well disaster averted, and we had a non-political catastrophe causing winner. Well deserved Switzerland, and of course Croatia came 2nd, also very well deserved.

I was sad that Ireland finished outside of the top 5, but at 6th, i don't think Bambi Thug will be too disappointed, its by far the best Ireland have done for a long time. I am a little sad Germany didn't come higher, but ISAAK didn't quite put the emotion into it he does on the prerecorded music video.

The fallout of it all is already appearing though.

• Bambi Thug making a complaint about the Israeli commentators behaviour, which the EBU confirmed wasn't permitted, but then also... changed their mind apparently.
• The winner Nemo has made a few statements since winning that is critical of the EBU, also making a reference to the intense surroundings caused by a few different factors.
• The Lithuanian performer also criticised the event, saying it was 'traumatic' performing in their position immediately after Israel.
• Of course there is also the drama around Netherlands performer Joost. It appears he made a threatening gesture (which is vague at best as to what precisely the gesture was) at a camera, after specifically saying he wanted space, there was no physical contact. The EBU is remaining silent, and most of the information is now via AVROTROS, which is the Dutch broadcaster who is signed up with the EBU. Naturally the police are also remaining silent on specifics, which they're likely meant to do regarding official business anyway. So what is the actual truth? Joost & AVROTROS maintain nothing too untoward happened, but... well we know the penalty. AVROTROS also pulled out of doing the live bit for their jury votes too during the scoring, which I'm sure didn't go down unnoticed.

But overall, I think we had a winner who deserved it. 2025 is calling, but will the fallout continue, and will there be any long lasting changes into the next Eurovision in Switzerland?