Eurovision 2023. Wow. Excitement has been building for the song contest since it was announced that the UK is hosting for Ukraine and with just hours to go, anticipation in Liverpool has now reached fever pitch.
On Friday, May 12 - the eve of the massive event - I was lucky enough to be invited to the dress rehearsal of the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final and get a sneak peek of what TV viewers at home, and those lucky enough to get a ticket, have to look forward to this weekend and I can confirm it's an amazing show - you're all in for a treat.
The first thing that hit me as I entered the arena was quite simply the insane amount of lights. I've never seen that many lights in my life, not at any concert previously and not even in the lighting section of IKEA.
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There are lights everywhere: strobe lights hitting the audience, lights popping out of the floor, lights circling the stage, lights zooming across the ceiling, lights even decorating the sofas where some audience members will sit. Closely following the amount of lights was the amount of cameras - it is impossible to forget that this show is being broadcast worldwide.
As we waited for it all to begin, a stage manager came to tell us they were running slightly behind schedule, which is understandable for a show of this size. It was amusing to watch the acts blatantly ignoring the stage manager as they mingled on the arena floor, taking selfies with each other.
After finally herding them to where they needed to be the show kicked off. Once they had welcomed the acts it was time for the flag parade which was a bit mismatched and so had to be practised again - it was much better the second time and I think it will be even better with a full excited audience.
Then came the hosts and it was an "Omg that's Graham Norton!" moment for me. The face of Eurovision was standing there in front of us! It was very interesting seeing the hosts reading off the autocue that has a huge font size.
Now, onto the main event, the incredible acts themselves. Israel put on a very energetic performance with Noa Kirel and her song Unicorn. I love the song with its fun lyrics and she clearly put her heart into the performance.
Although there is some competition for this, the most bizarre performance came from Croatia's Let 3 and their song Mama SC! Reminding me a lot of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band in their outfits, their song was very catchy and I think everyone in the arena tomorrow will be singing along to it at the tops of their voices.
Their amazing outfits did not stay on for long, however, as they soon stripped to their underwear - a shock or a delight for the audience, I couldn’t quite decide. Rivalling Croatia for the most wacky, or possibly most Eurovision, performance was Spain who started their song circled by a red curtain and Finland.
Finland’s Kaarija burst out of a crate performing Cha Cha Cha, and then climbed up the crate wearing neon green sleeves and black leather trousers and he appeared to control his neon pink dancers with a string. Bizarre and totally Eurovision.
Performing a totally different style of music was Germany’s Lord Of The Lost who performed their screamo rock song Blood & Glitter and really, really screamed the song. It was loud, it was powerful, it was shocking and it was very different to every other song. Could they be the winners?
I also enjoyed Slovenia as they hit my guilty pleasure of a boyband with Joker Out performing Carpe Diem. It was also great to see the act playing their own instruments and they seemed to be loving their time on stage.
France with La Zarra has possibly one of the best costumes as she did her performance from a high platform with her long glittery skirt flowing all the way back down to the stage. You could not miss that woman, she was literally covered in glitter.
Serbia also had a unique way of starting that performance as Luke Black began his song Samo Mi Se Spava lying in what I can only describe as a shell/plant kind of thing. I understand that is not the best explanation but you will simply have to watch for yourself.
Ukraine’s performance was bathed in the colours of their flag, yellow and blue, and was a great performance. Of course, I cannot miss out the UK’s act Mae Muller with I Wrote A Song. Her voice was stunning and she hit every note perfectly, as she moved from different levels on the stage with a very colourful background that flashed images of her face.
Sweden's Loreen must also be praised for her incredible song Tattoo. Powerful and catchy, I have my sneaky suspicions that it could be a winner or at least score well.
Something that hit me about all the artists was simply how powerful their voices are. Everyone managed to get their song heard in every crevice and corner of the arena and commanded the stage with a presence like it was theirs and theirs alone.
There is also a very special performance towards the end, which I won’t spoil by giving anything away, however if Liverpool holds a place in your heart, you will love this and it will give you goosebumps. Ticket holders and those watching on TV have a great night ahead of them tomorrow with a Eurovision show that is truly spectacular.
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