DR, the national broadcaster of Denmark, has revealed photos and videos of the Eurovision 2014 stage in B&W Hallerne. As promised, this year’s competition will have a Moscow-scale stage. The photos below confirm the magic.
Beating the Swedish stage last year, DR has built a dreamscape with LED screens, an LED floor, and thousands of lights. Our high expectations have been fullfilled.
You can read what the “Diamond Stage” features here. In addition to that, you can clearly see that there is another line of cubes right above the front edge of the stage, while the two satelites are actually floating!
Danish designers spent the whole day creating the designs for each one of the 37 participating countries. Telling from the videos, we can assure you that not a single one will be treated unfairly!
Photos: Eurovision 2014 stage and B&W Hallerne
Billy Xifaras contributed this report from Greece. Follow him on Twitter at @bill_xifaras. You can also keep up-to-date on the latest Eurovision news and liking our Facebook page.
Photo: DR/EBU
Can anybody tell me, where is the standing positions ? also it certainly doesnt seem as if there is going to be room for 10,000 spectators perhaps the are including the car park. Lets hop it keeps dry.
For as long as the cameras focus on who really matters that night: the performers I’m more than fine with this stunning stage … but please no more focus on annoying audiences jumping and screaming with all the flags waving … I’ve had enough of that, and for me that remains the biggest mistake from last year.
thiefo, i agree about ukraine +albania, hersi is so original. im 1 of the majority though – aram is my fave. which country are you from?
OMG, YOU’RE SO RIGHT!!!!! it really does sound like paradise!!! woz, its the same in theuk, most take the piss out of esc sadly.
@ Reality – OMG!! I am rushing out to school, so I just got to hear the first part… WHAT?! “Para-para-paradise” like “Uni-uni-universe”??? Need to listen more attentively and slay it.
More later 😉
@Marcelo N,
Found it! UK ‘s song sounds like Coldplay–Paradise. Especially the chorus. Very similar. I think it’s kind of a shame because they are both from UK. 🙁
@Marcelo N. Oh I know, thy are always spending so much money on unnecessary stuff. I know last year everything was bought, for sure. They hired the Russian singer, Phillip Kirkurov, who is half Armenian, to do the production and he even used his own Russian dancers. I know the unnecessary red dress was out of nowhere too. Whatever… But your previous comment with “Thiefo” was too funny. My favorite this year is “running” too, but the video is horrifying. Not a good subject matter for ESC. UK’s song is ok but it sounds too familiar to me. I’ve yet… Read more »
Liking the stage. It’s almost as if it would fit in a wrestling arena like WWE’s “Hell In A Cell”.
@ Woz: you are crazy???
@ Reality – Bad, me? Realistic, rather 😉 Remember only last year, when there was a supposed love song and there was a guy inside a “crystal box” (OK, that was kind of cool as he shadowed the singer) and then Predator’s Bride (in that exoskeleton dress that never ended –OMFG what for)? If they pulled that off for “Hold Me” they can ask for lava coming out of the LED screens this year. And get away with it. Now about the songs I like the most, I should say –not that I think will do well– “One Night’s Anger”… Read more »
@Reality it’s the stage between 2:50 and 4:23. Someone showed the sync in a video but they took it off the web.
@Thiefo @Ryanireland – As a spaniard I appreciate your support, but I don’t think this is our year either. And still, in case we win, chances are we’d have to renounce to host it next year. It’s not that RTVE (Spanish National Broadcast) doesn’t have the money, but it probably would cause outrage in the spanish society to see all those millions going to such lavish show. We’ve suffered so many cuts in education, welfare and health system in the past years and unfortunately it’s far from over. Besides, believe or not ESC doesn’t have a good reputation in Spain… Read more »
Molly smitten Downes UK OFFICIAL VIDEO OUT NOW
http://1eurovisionblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/uk-molly-children-of-the-universe-official-video/
Last photo with black-red stage belongs probably to Sanna with ‘ Undo ‘. Stage with different colours of squares looks like Romanian performance 😉
@Reality Oh I know Ukraine most probably won’t win (and Albania might not even qualify to the final!) and I’m not expecting that, but they’re still my favourites, based purely on my personal taste, not if I think they’ll win (:
And I sure hope to have a more close contest this year! it was a little boring in 2012 and 2013 to see Loreen and Emmelie take the lead almost from the start during the voting, takes away some of the fun, hopefully we’ll have a more exciting voting this year, similar to 2003 or 2005.
@Nitzan,
How do you know which stage is Armenia’s?
@Thiefo, I like Ukraine’s song too, but it’s not enough. I didn’t like her live performance in London. I like The “U-u-undo.” The song has good melody but Sanna’s live performance is still not clean and strong. UK song sounds so familiar. I’m still looking to find the song they “copied.” But it’s not bad at all. It’s going to be a close one this year and if last years’ contestants won with 260+ points! this year it might be 160+. It will be interesting. I think there will be a lot of 12s for Sweden, Armenia, UK, Hungary. But… Read more »
Armenia’s red stage is simply STUNNING and totally says “winner”.
This stage looks great, but I wonder if it’s going to be too overwhelming with those lights during the performances. It’s almost too much. And what happened to the water around the stage? It doesn’t show at all. What’s the purpose .
@Reality haha well obviously that was a joke… Dilara would use dragons to start her fire, OBVIOUSLY!
My personal favourite is Ukraine. I know is not nearly a favourite but I don’t care, I personally love the song. Albania comes in a close second. But from those that actually have a chance to win, I’m rooting for either Sweden or UK.
@all that are concerned about organising ESC in Central and Eastern Europe. If small cities like Riga, Tallinn or Malmo could do it be 100% certain that virtually all the other cities (Yerevan included) can top that. They might even top Copenhagen for that matter. My favourites are Yerevan 2015 or Budapest 2015.
@Thiefo and Marcelo N.
Lol…you guys are very bad! Ninjas, robotes and what else to start that damn fire? A campground!! LMFAO.
I wonder which songs you two like this year?
@davve
I totally agree. I like Armenia don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t see him getting it across at the live performance…. Whereas sanna I feel the whole audience will be amazed by it, and remember she’s kind of in her own back yard like emilie last year.
I wouldn’t mind Armenia wining but I don’t think Europe is ready to head that direction yet again after the ” OTT” Baku fiasco
@ryanireland, yes Sanna has the momentum going for her. While armenia is losing its momentum. Sweden has a stronger stage performer as well… sweden will probably win.
@ Marcelo Don’t underestimate Spain yet. She will do well, would be great to see Madrid or Barcelona or even Bilbao host the contest. I have feeling that we are staying in either the Nordic region or Western Europe. Maybe even my nearest neighbour would be great to see the like of London or Manchester etc host the contest. But my gut instinct says Sweden, the only contest I haven’t predicted in recent years was in 2011 but then again many many people were surprised. I just can’t see Armenia doing it, it’s a good song, but there are many… Read more »
Its nice. But Malmös stage was better. it was not too small and not too big. it wasnt too flashy but not too boring either with the perfect amount of lightings etc.
DR has a hard job ahead of them.. Malmö 2013 was a splendid year
@Marcelo no robots? ninjas? wizards? I would be disappointed!
I messed up in my previous comment 😛 What I intended to say is that I seriously doubt the real performances will have all these effects displayed at the same time and that I hope they will be more modest…
@ Thiefo – “Start a Fire” will have people dressed for a wedding coming out of other people body-painted coming out of light bulbs exploding coming out of lava eruptions coming out of the LED screens and ice mountains coming out of tsunami waves coming out of the water slivers, trust me 😉 (not that I particularly like that)
@Marcelo, I also doubt Ruth will win (though I wish her the best!) but the year ESC goes to Spain I also want to go! 😀 I’ll start saving now!
Now that I properly checked the videos, I must say it looks stunning, I thought we would have to wait a few more years to see another stage as impressive, visually speaking, as Moscow’s but it seems that the wait is over! I agree though, that it might be a little too much, too many lights, that enormous screen in the back and if that wasn’t enough, the big cube structure. When everything is on, the cubes are flashing, the lights are swirling everywhere, the back screen, the floor, all together is at the edge of causing me a seizure!… Read more »
@ Ryanireland – I won’t cease to amaze me how much support the Spanish entry gets from eurofans. I’ve already said a zillion times I don’t particularly like the song, and I am especially afraid she will yell like a dying hog, but I have to give it to her that she’s (well, the whole Spanish bunch have) been working their very best magic to make things happen. Let’s see what happens in a few days. Though I very much doubt so, ESC in Spain would be such a treat!! (and I would consider spending the exorbitant amounts of transatlantic… Read more »
@ Reality – Thank you very much for the tip. I was not thinking of Armenia in particular, though it does qualify as a less rich and technologically advanced country. If they indeed win, I trust they will do their very best!
It’s not the stage that’s important but the songs and the performers. Too be honest I saw nothing wrong with malmo last year great show great professional presenter compared to the year before!! Statues I would call them, here’s to a great show and a Swedish, UK, Spanish, or Norwegian win 🙂
the lightshow is amazing but I’m not reall crazy about the stage design. that cube reminds me of scaffolding and it makes the whole stage look like one big construction site.
@Marcelo N.
@Woz
@everyone who’s concerned 🙂
By the way Armenia has an outrageous, extraordinary, beautiful concert hall, and it’s just the lights they need to work on. Everything else was remodeled a few years ago. The hall looks marvelous from both inside and outside. Check it out yourself. It’s called Hamalir in Yerevan.
flickrhivemind.net/Tags/hamalir/Interesting
Oh this is so much better than Malmo
This will certainly be brilliant for the TV broadcast!! I hope all participating acts get their fair share!
(I agree also that it is a bit OTT for the live audience, but we should bear in mind that there will be a few thousands vs. the enormous 100m+ watching on TV 🙂 ).
And when ESC is to be hosted by a less rich, less grand country, we will hope they do their best and hire the best technicians and artists 😉
Congrats and let’s have the best of times.
@Jasmine
Couldn’t have said it better myself. So true! I’m sick of people complaining of Malmo 2013. The stage wasn’t huge like Moscow 2009 but it looked fantastic in the arena. And as you said, the main purpose of the show was to make a great TV-production.
a lot of people keep comparing this to the Swedish stage in 2013. Please don’t. It’s obvious that Sweden and Denmark has chosen a different approach. The point of Malmö arena was to make a good TV-production. Small and cozy. They focused on the acts, giving Europe a great laugh, chose a host that could speak english/french fluently so that the audience wouldn’t have to watch 3 seperate hosts fight over the spotlight, they put all their energy in bringin’ the people together (we are one), that homosexuality should be accepted (gay kiss during the interval act), they also threw… Read more »
A little bit kitsch….
I can imagine the romanian Miracle with all these lights and colors
Very nice stage, they’ve done very good work, can’t wait for the rehearsals to start, but I already I have my top 6, thats right top 6, here it is:
1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Denmark
4. Ireland
5. Ukraine
6. Azerbaijan
This is my final list, best of luck to all contestant
OMFG <3.<3 This is better than moscow, i think that the moscow arena was too much "in-your-face/ let's see how big we can make the stage" I think that the stage in denmark is a simple case of where less is more, the elements they brought to the table are all very unique and they each comprise to the overall effect which is AMAZING. Although this hall won't hold as many spectators as previous contests have, i think that keeping the stage low as in Malmo will compliment for it and i think this will be the best show, TV-wise.… Read more »
I can’t agree with Eugene. Eurovision is only once a year and it’s main reason to give all spectators amazing impression. I am so glad that Danish made stage like this which we see above. I love (and others people I think too) pictures in the background of the stage and on the floor. People vote for song, not pictures and I can say nothing wrong about ‘ extra colourful things ‘. It’s so important that we can admire after Moscow wonderful views behind and under singers. I wait for rehearsals…left 13 days, it is not to believing that Eurovision… Read more »
Impressive! And, please, Düssledorf and Moscow looked amazing too. But this is becoming a problem. What will happen if a small country with a small budget wins? They’ll have to renounce to host it. I know it happend before but… it would be a pitty. Take note, Armenia. The more people hate your song, the more it grows on me.
It looks modern. In a shipyard. What a combination. My enthusiasm for the ESC as a whole lies in its non-music part – the production, the event itself, the stage, the technology… Last year’s stage was minimal and not too complicated. They made a show last year meaning that the technical part was somewhere on the margins. But, they did it OK. This year, as DR makes it every year at their own Grand Prix, producers went “visually impressive”. This stage can look stunning when Finland will perform (as in the video uploaded on the Instagram account of the DR… Read more »
That is far better than Malmo’s stage and Dusseldorf’s stage put together. The Danes really have made the 2001 contest (also in Copenhagen) look like a death in a car crash with this stage/set. Tusen Takk Danmark. Jag alskar dig. 😀
That is really quite something. When I heard that the stage was going to be huge I was worried it was just going to be another bland LED-fest à la Dusseldorf or Moscow, but thankfully they seem to avoided that fate. I do still worry that stages this large result in the performers getting lost in the scenery, something that both Malmo and Helsinki seemed to avoid quite nicely, but that Moscow and Dusseldorf suffered from quite badly, but it’s difficult to judge this without seeing it on the TV. In any case, it’s nothing short of spectacular and it… Read more »
is it true that the stage designer was influenced by russia??
i mean its big
Thank you Eugene! I totally agree! It’s just to much and to messy! They’ve tried to put everything in just for the sake of it but kind of forgetting that it’s a song contest and not a stage contest! Sure it’s a nice stage, but sometimes less is more…