#ESC24: Live Blog the Grand Final, Dress Rehearsal 1 – from 12:30 BST/13:30 CEST

The Friday afternoon technical rehearsal is the first time we get to see how the Grand Final hangs together. It’s bound to involve a few hiccups here and there, but it’s also bound to be all right for the Friday and Saturday evening shows.

We’re blogging the action to give you an idea of what to expect. It’s sure to be interesting. We’re unable to post images, as it’s forbidden from here in the press centre. All times below are CEST.

16:30 – The voting is in progress and we shall leave the live blog here for this afternoon. John & Staggy will be back at 20:00 BST/21:00 CEST for our live blog this evening. See you then, when we will be good to go!

16:27 – STOP VOTING NOW!

16:20 – Another voting recap – but in reverse order, to mix things up as Malin says.

16:16 – Loreen takes to the stage with “Tattoo” and her new single “Forever”.

16:11 – Petra stars in her own postcard.

16:10 – A quick look back at the 2023 Junior Eurovision Song Contest – Petra describes it as a “mixture of music and child labour”.

16:05 – Another voting recap.

16:03 – Carola, Charlotte Perelli & Conchita take to the stage to perform ABBA!

16:00 – We have some ABBA Voyage (we think) footage.

15:55 – Alcazar take to the stage!

15:48 – First voting recap.

15:46 – We will rave indeed. Kaleen certainly knew how to close the competitive part of the evening. Is the performance clean and tidy? No. Is it entertaining? Yes. While the televoters liked it last night, what will the juries make of it?

15:41 – Slimane’s eyes draw you in for sure with this performance. A very basic staging, but a high emotional one at that. Everything Slimane sings in believable. Another contender for the crown me thinks.

15:38 – Nutsa returns Georgia to the Grand Final for the first time since 2016 – very much deserved it is. Not only do Nutsa and her backing dancers bring power and attitude to the performance, but the use of pyrotechnics elevate this to another level. Connectivity with the cameras and the audience is right in the relevant points of the performance.

15:33 – Now for the favourite – Croatia! Simply another performance of the last one in Semi Final One. Baby Lasagna has potentially got victory in his sights. Just as a big as a reaction as Switzerland got with the crowd.

15:28 – Raiven brings what feels a classical performance. Elegant movements, mixed in with visible emotions. The backing dancers – contemporary – add another vibe to the performance.

15:21 – Malin reminiscing about past Eurovision personnel – although this feels like a last minute inclusion to the show.

15:20 – Nemo has issues with their microphone to begin with, however carries on like a true professional. How they keep their vocals so good while been so energetic is anyone’s guess. Not only energetic, but balancing as well. Definitely the biggest crowd pleaser so far.

15:16 – Silia brings us back to the start of Semi Final One. Another powerful performance – these artists really want to win this afternoon. Silia is in sync with her backing dancers, giving a really polished show.

15:13: Jadaniva utilises every space of the unique ‘cross’ shaped stage. This is an lively and fun number, incorporating ethnic sounds we’ve all grown to love from various countries over the last few years. The crowd certainly enjoyed this Armenian party vibe.

15:09 – Portugal are displaying strong emotion, not only by Iolanda, but by her backing dancers as well.

15:03 – A Finnish man appearing from a denim egg – bonkers. Sorry, distracted by another issue. Will move on.

15:00 – Teya Dora is providing a dark, mysterious performance. It is rather slow to get going and I never really understood how it qualified. I’m, sure I’m in a minority who is missing something here.

14:55 – Angelina starts laying down on the floor – giving strong vibes of the Official Video. The performance is polished to an inch of it’s life. The backing dancers are all in sync – however all slightly facing in separate directions. At times it can sound repetitive, but it certainly is a crowd pleaser and maybe a jury pleaser too.

14:52 – The strong nordic sound of Gåte has now taken to the stage. Imagine the Northen Lights on a dark, stormy night. There is a vive of mystery & intrigue. We could in fact be watching a nordic noir thriller.

14:46 – Lynda Woodruff!

14:42 – It’s time for Olly Alexander and “Dizzy”. The staging is a clever concept and the camera work is on point. Some critics will say the performance is over sexual, while others will just say it is cultural. Olly knows how to put on a show and the United Kingdom should be proud.

14:39 – Marina’s opening vocals are not really that legible. She is in sync with her backing dancers, but it is all a bit busy on the stage. When the song slows down, the performance seems a little less chaotic. This feels like more than one song in the space of three minutes.

14:36 – Dons vocals are strong and is probably the reason we are seeing him here in a Grand Final dress rehearsal. Not only does he connect with the camera, but ensures he focuses on the audience too. Emotions are there and Dons doesn’t over do these – keeping it contained.

14:30 – Bambie Thug has brought Ireland back to the Grand Final for the first time since 2018. Another great performance after Tuesday. Watch how Bambie utilises just a fragment of stage space – incredible.

14:26 – The bonkers Estonians have made it to the Grand Final! Good luck Graham Norton and Marty Whelan explaining this group to your audiences. While comedic, they can truly hold a tune. The crowd love them too. Sometimes a little light relief is needed in a show like this.

14:22 – Nebulossa is trying hard and while it doesn’t feel polished, she manages to pull this off. The vocals aren’t particularly 100% and the crowds focus turns on the stripping backing dancers rather the singer herself.

14:16 – We join Karin Falck to look back at Stockholm 1975.

14:13 – The connectivity that Silvester has with those eyes and the audience draws you in. We have a rather polished performance and another artist who is having the time of their life – hopefully one of their best results too to date.

14:10 – Waterloo segment in Brighton.

14:09 – We are out of sync. Israel have taken to stage instead of the Dutch. Eden has brought a strong performance to this rehearsal – full of emotion and connection to both the cameras/audience.

14:03 – Advert Break

14:02 – Tali have taken Luxembourg back to the Grand Final after their 31 year break. The performance starts with great vocals and connectivity. The backing dancers are in sync – with Tali joining in at intervals. Tali has performed this with everything she has – I hope she doesn’t burn out before the main show tomorrow night.

13:59 – Isaak performs with visual emotion. His presence on stage is helped with not over moving in his movements. Isaak has a good vocal range and his connectivity with the camera is there. This will do better for Germany than most people think.

13:54 – Ukraine carry on with their 100% qualification from the semi finals. Alyona Alyona walks on to the stage with power and immediate connectivity with the camera. The emotion is this performance has been brought up a notch. Jerry brings on the power in her emotion too.

13:50 – Marcus & Martinus open the proceedings on home soil. A nice upbeat number to open the Contest. This performance is slick and very much what we witnessed at Melodifestivalen. Marcus & Martinus smile throughout and are having the time of their lives on that stage.

13:46 – The lines are now open – even if the graphics didn’t work. Don’t forget this is a technical rehearsal.

13:43 – We have a very BRIEF recap of Eurovision history.

13:40 – Malin & Petra walks on to “A Winner Takes It All”. Malin is dressed in white, while Petra is in black.

13:34 – It’s the Flag Parade – in order of participating appearance.

13:32 – We open to a homage to ABBA and Swedish music. Bjorn Skifs takes to the stage with “Hooked on a Reading”.

13:30 – Te Deum plays and we are off with the opening sequence to the Grand Final. It’s exciting!

Let us know what you think about the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: Eurovision Ireland