The Live-on-Tapes recording from the finalists were aired this evening. For some countries, these were pretty similar to their Eurovision performances while others were a lot more different.

Yesterday, we had a look at the Live-On-Tape recordings from the 12 non qualifiers. The number of non qualifiers is 13 this year, but Ireland’s Lesley Roy had decided not to give permission for hers to be shown. She wants people to remember her for her live performance in the first semi-final. Tonight, UK’s James Newman had made the same decision. As such, we can only go through the Live-on-Tapes from 25 out of the 26 countries in the 2021 Eurovision final.

Back in March, all 39 participating countries recorded – and submitted – their Live-on-Tape. These were to be used in case of countries not being able to travel to the Eurovision Song Contest. Or should they be affected by Covid-19 when being in Rotterdam. The latter in case they were not able to perform on stage at the Jury shows and the following Live shows. All Live-on-Tape recordings contain live performances of the country’s Eurovision entry, and all recording sessions have been overseen by EBU officials.

Each country recorded three takes, and decided themselves which one to submit to the European Broadcasting Union, EBU. Only Australia’s Montaigne ended up using her Live-on-Tape. When affected by Covid-19, the Icelandic band Daði og Gagnamagnið were offered to choose between their Live-on-Tape or a recording from their rehearsal in Rotterdam. They band went for the rehearsal clip, and as such that was shown for both the second semi-final and the final.

Live-on-Tapes finalists

Krista Siegfrids (Finland 2013, 24th place) also hosted tonight’s Eurovision Song Celebration show, in which these recordings were shown. Let’s take a look at the Live-on-Tapes from the 2021 finalists – in order of appearance.

🇨🇾 Cyprus: Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo

In the Live-on-Tape, Elena’s costume resembles her costume in Rotterdam, but it’s different. Her hairdo is also different, shorter and darker. The costumes of the dancers are the same. There are some changes done in the stage too. The stage is smaller in the Live-on-Tape.

🇦🇱 Albania: Anxhela Peristeri – Karma

Anxhela appears with a different costume in the Live-on-Tape. The choreography is almost the same as in Rotterdam. On stage, smoke effects were also used in the Live-on-Tape, but we also see different light plays. Her dress is long on the back and on the right side, while in Rotterdam it was short all the way through.

🇮🇱 Israel: Eden Alene – Set Me Free

Eden appears in a different costume and a less complicated hairdo, her hair long hair shows in a ponytail. Her costume is white but this time she is wearing trousers. The dancers are also in different costumes. The stage in the Live-on-Tape has basically the same idea, but it’s more minimal than that in Rotterdam.

🇧🇪 Belgium: Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place

Geike is wearing the same dress. The stage design is almost the same as well. However, we see a different back vocalist in the Live-on Tape. The main difference in this performance is the backdrop. While at Eurovision we constantly saw images of Geike, the Live-on-Tape version shows the band. The band is also closer ot each other, and the performance is recorded on a stage with netting around it placed in a large hangar.

🇷🇺 Russia: Manizha – Russian Woman

Manizha has a different style matroshka outfit in the beginning of the performance. While her Eurovision dress was large and wide, and featured a door for her to step out, her Live-on-Tape dress was tall, raised, loose and fell to the floor when she left it. But her basic outfit (the red overall) is the same. The staging idea is basically the same, but we see many changes. The stage from the Russian national final was used.

🇲🇹 Malta: Destiny – Je Me Casse

Seems like Malta changed everything but the song in Rotterdam. We don’t see the dancers with Destiny in the Live-on-Tape, Destiny is alone on stage with a totally different outfit. The stage is also completely different. We don’t see the all-pink stage in the Live-on-Tape. She wears a long black dress, with a large cleavage.

🇵🇹 Portugal: The Black Mamba – Love Is On My Side

Costumes and the intro of the performance is exactly the same as in Rotterdam. We see some differences in staging through the midst and end of the performance. The group seem to have taken advantage of the opportunities of the big stage in Rotterdam. The stage from the national final was used.

🇷🇸 Serbia: Hurricane – Loco Loco

Completely different staging and costumes and hairstyles from the Hurricane girls in the Live-on-Tape. The performance we saw tonight featured boxes in the backgrounds, which the girls were in at the beginning, and danced on towards the end.

🇬🇷 Greece: Stefania – Last Dance

Stefania’s costume is completely different, she’s wearing a mini dress and long high heel boots. The choreography and staging are also very different, much more minimal, we see the dancers more clearly in the Live-on-Tape. The green-screen effect from the Rotterdam performance is noticeably absent.

🇨🇭 Switzerland: Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’Univers

Gjon appears in a very different costume: a white coat on blue jeans. He’s not on a square platform like he was in Rotterdam, the staging, the lightning, the camera angles are completely different. What we saw on their Live-on-Tape matched up with what we saw from his first rehearsals in Rotterdam. They have made slight changes in the choreography, but basically it’s the same.

🇮🇸 Iceland: Daði og Gagnamagnið – 10 Years

The costumes, the camera angles and the choreography are very similar the same, though not entirely. The stage they used is much deeper, which they use by moving more backwards and forwards. We see the half round keyboards in the Live-on-Tape as well. The only different thing is at the end. We see confetti instead of fires.

🇪🇸 Spain: Blas Cantó – Voy A Quedarme

The idea of the whole performance is almost the same, but there are a few changes. Most importantly, there are changes with the song arrangement. The floor uses different light effects, but the biggest visual difference is the absence of the largest prop ever seen at Eurovision – the huge moon. It is, however, visible on the screens. Halfway into the song, we see the moon replaced by the sun which is later eclipsed.

🇲🇩 Moldova: Natalia Gordienko – SUGAR

Natalia is wearing a different golden costume while the dancers are in the same outfits in the Live-on-Tape. The staging and choreography is slight differences as well. The backdrop looks very different, but the visual expression is similar.

🇩🇪 Germany: Jendrik – I Don’t Feel Hate

Jendrik’s costume is the same. The group members wear different costumes. The finger girl is the same, but her costume is shorter. The staging is different, we see colour explosions, white and black ball images and many more different stage details. They used the recording hub in Vilnius, Lithuania, which looked very similar to the actual Eurovision stage in Ahoy.

🇫🇮 Finland: Blind Channel – Dark Side

The Blind Channel guys haven’t made many changes in their performance, staging, costumes, choreography, etc. Even the camera angles are the same in the Live-on-Tape as in their performance in Rotterdam. Noticeably however they were allowed to show their middle finger, and thus didn’t have to paint this finger red for the performance.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: VICTORIA – Growing Up Is Getting Old

Victoria’s costume is different but looks very similar while her hair is the same. Staging idea is basically the same, only with slight changes. We don’t see Victoria and his father’s picture that we saw in Rotterdam on the Live-on-Tape.

🇱🇹 Lithuania: The Roop – Discoteque

The stage, costumes, choreography, gimmicks, everything is the same, they haven’t changed a thing. As they used the same recording facility as Germany, their stage also looked near identical to the Ahoy stage. This really could have given them a competitive advantage over other Live-on-Tape recordings if they had been forced to use it.

🇺🇦 Ukraine: Go_A – Shum

Kateryna is wearing a shorter skirt but wearing the same green fur. The other members of the band are wearing the same costumes. The staging is conceptually the same except some slight changes. They brought their own mini-stage to Rotterdam, which we also saw in this recording. For their Live-on-Tape performance however they managed to create a much better floating effect, as the main stage blended better in with the backdrop.

🇫🇷 France: Barbara Pravi – Voilà

Barbara is wearing the same outfit. The staging and the camera angles haven’t changed either. The ending of her performance in Rotterdam was a lot calmer than the Live-on-Tape. We’ve seen the French delegation go back and forth on this particular aspect between their rehearsals.

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: Efendi – Mata Hari

The girls appear on different costumes in the Live-on-Tape. We come up with some changes in the choreography and the stage decoration as well.

🇳🇴 Norway: TIX – Fallen Angel

Tix is with us with his same white angel costume and chains. We, however, saw his golden-coloured outfit which he also used in Melodi Grand Prix, which got replaced with a silver coloured one in Ahoy. We see some very slight changes in staging though. The Live-on-Tape seems to have been recorded at the MGP stage.

🇳🇱 The Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy – Birth Of A New Age

Jeangu and his friends are in totally different costumes. Jeangu’s hair is up and longer in the Live-on-Tape. The choreography hasn’t changed. The stage decoration is also different. The backdrop is slightly different, but still included the lyrics “Yu no man broko mi” and their translation “You can’t break me”. This stage was very different to the one in Ahoy, and didn’t work nearly as well.

🇮🇹 Italy: Måneskin – Zitti E Buoni

Måneskin has changed their costumes. Damiano is wearing a jacket in the beginning and takes it off during the performance. His hair is different too. The choreography is very different. Almost nothing is simlar here. Aside from the same deaddrop in the end,

🇸🇪 Sweden: Tusse – Voices

His costume, hair, choreography, everything is the same except for some slight changes in the staging. The stage itself is much deeper than the one at Ahoy though.

🇸🇲 San Marino: Senhit feat. Flo Rida – Adrenalina

Senhit made many changes in Rotterdam as far as we can see in her Live-on-Tape. She didn’t use the giant mask in the beginning. She is wearing a completely different costume. We don’t see Flo Rida in the Live-on-Tape at all, but only hear his voice. We currently don’t know if his rap-part was allowed as pre-recorded backing vocal, if they were somehow recorded live without including him visually or if they used another method. The choreography, the costumes of the dancers, the staging is completely different.