2020 was the only year in the 65 years of Eurovision that the festival did not happen - everything was ready, contestants and songs were selected but it was not time for celebration, entertainment and definitely not for the large crowds. Apparently they did something online instead but it wasn't the real thing and I did not follow. This time, the spectacle returned live as it should be, in front of the extremely enthusiastic crowd in Rotterdam (since the last winner was from the Netherlands) and I almost felt a trace of sadness for not being there because it was probably one-in-a-lifetime chance to be so close to the real Eurovision - in the normal circumstances I would have gone there, but that was int he pre-Corona days. I wouldn't mind taking a train and travelling to Rotterdam with friends. Right now I am not even able to go to ordinary cinema, not to mention something so crowded as Eurovision.
True, I had some difficulties in switching from Claude Debussy as performed by Daniel Barenboim ("La Mer") to this newest pop fluff and initially I was slightly annoyed with myself for not being prepared and checking out all the contestants previously - they are all available online - but as usual, I dived in it wholeheartedly and watched everything to the very end. This was just the first part - there are zillion contestants so the only way to arrange Eurovision these days is to divide it in two semi finals and than grand finale, so whoever survived this first evening has the right to compete in finale.
Here I must say that watching Eurovision is not just watching anymore - it has ceased to be many years ago, when families would sit comfortably in front of TV and hear songs for the first time. Ever since the music became available online, we are able to check it out first and get familiar with songs, not to mention that if you are in a company (or in a bar) it became a communal fun with voting for the best choreography, costumes, hair, etc. So the way it works for me is to listen the contestants a bit before the competition itself and than on the big evening I know what I am hearing - the live spectacle can only enhance the music.
Last night, while I was watching Eurovision (with Debussy still in my ears) I didn't care for any of this at all - but today, while I arranged a Spotify playlist with all of them - I am listening it all over again and its a genuinely fun, uplifting and mostly cheerful music, something quite perfect for the car drive or a walk.
Obviously it was made with radio play in mind - it works in itself even without all the fuss, choreography or lasers - it is a perfect radio fodder and this is exactly what it is. Naturally, some contestants have lost and fallen sideways - it created usual stir online and avalanche of complains that its all about politics, but hey, sometimes this is just the way the dice rolls. Its like people take this entertainment TV show too seriously and complain about it not being high art - no, it never was. It was always a spectacle and now more than ever resembles a gladiators arena.
Most of what I have seen last night in the first semi finale was a lot of ass-wiggling, carefully arranged choreography and computer animation bursting during the (supposedly) big refrain. In other words, all of this might appear very exciting to the young audience who thinks that adding a big gospel chorus means something special, but some of us heard it before, just not as bombastic as today. There was a lot of focus on messages, love-yourself and everyone-is-beautiful kind of lyrics which I find tiresome for a pop songs. So I was looking for something different, something that was standing out from the crowd - that was not any of the ass-wiggling beauties (including Croatia whom I thought will be a winner and she did not even pass the first semi finale, so much about my understanding of what might work) but haunting combination of folk and rave by curiously left-field, artsy Ukraine or dark, elegant and haunting Belgian entry that was a welcome change from so much ass wiggling - this was probably the best song of the evening but so far, the lot of attention is focused on Malta who just happened to push all the right buttons of the moment - interestingly I think this has nothing to do with the music but with the atmosphere of the times. Its kind of "It's Raining Men" all over again but the kids think its something new.
(To be continued)
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