With still over a week to go before the Eurovision final, today was the sixth day of rehearsals in the Belgrade Arena. One of the favourites for the prize, Armenia, was on stage first.
Sirusho gave the impression of being satisfied with her rehearsal and it was the first time the pyrotechnics are on display. At her press conference afterwards, she revealed that there have been security issues with some pieces of the performance. It remains to be seen if these can be resolved in time. The Netherlands were the next delegation took the stage. Hind is a very confident singer and her performances so far have been very good. She wore the outfit she will wear in the semi –final and the whole thing comes across well on television.
The volume was about to increase as the next delegation to rehearse were Finland. In their first rehearsal, Teräsbetoni were very competent and they were just as accomplished today. They were asked in their press conference if they had received any advice from Lordi. The answer was no, they haven’t even met Lordi. The Romanians are keeping their outfits under wraps at the moment but they are proving to be decent performers in the rehearsals so far. A question remains over how much the song will stay in the minds of the audience, even considering the favourable draw of 17th out of 19.
Not so fresh from what proved to be a very popular party hosted by the Russian delegation, Dima Bilan returned for his second rehearsal. This time there was no ladder and he ends the performance between the violinist and the ice-skater. Kalomira wore the dress she will wear at the semi-final. It’s pink and just short of knee length. The whole thing is coming across very well and Kalomira looks like being able to deliver a good performance. Tonight, the Greeks and the Cypriots are hosting a joint party which is usually a very enjoyable affair.
Iceland next and Regína and Friðrik again gave solid performances. In their conference, they entertained all and sundry by singing various Eurovision songs ending with a Serbian version of ‘This Is My Life’ which naturally went down a treat. Every year, the international fan club have a prediction poll for the fans and the current leader is Sweden. It was not hard to understand why when she rehearsed.
Turkey tried out their pyrotechnics at today’s rehearsals, during which they demonstrated their experience. They felt that this rehearsal was better than the last one. One of the fans favourites, Ani Lorak from Ukraine, gave an all round excellent performance and had a surprise for those attending her press conference afterwards. There was a video message from Vera Serduchka.
Lithuania is one of very few countries to only have one singer on the stage. Jeronimas doesn’t really need any help and the head of delegation thinks it will help the song to stand out moré. At an hour not quite past her bedtime, Albania’s Olta Boka was next. She was happier with her performance today as she was less tired than when she had her first rehearsal. Last but certainly not least it was Switzerlands turn. At his conference, he sung one of his most successful songs, Musica, in three languages. Typical Swiss!
Among others, tomorrow sees the first rehearsals for the countries already in the final; Germany, France, UK, Spain and of course, Serbia.
