With day three of Eurovision 2021 rehearsals done and dusted, it’s time to review the competition.
Today, nine acts took to the Rotterdam Ahoy stage for their first rehearsals. We got our first glimpse at how the acts from San Marino, Estonia, Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Poland, Moldova, Iceland and Serbia decided to stage their songs.
Senhit took us to church, Stefania delivered the magic tricks and Daði og Gagnamagnið went full on intergalactic disco. But who gave the best first rehearsal? Take a look at all of our reactions then vote for your favourite in our poll!
Scroll down to vote in our poll.
Eurovision 2021 rehearsals: Day Three (May 10)
Click on each entry to read our reviews, watch our reactions and see the rehearsal snippets.
- 🇸🇲 San Marino: Senhit — “Adrenalina”
- 🇪🇪 Estonia: Uku Suviste — “The Lucky One”
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic: Benny Cristo — “omaga”
- 🇬🇷 Greece: Stefania — “Last Dance”
- 🇦🇹 Austria: Vincent Bueno — “Amen”
- 🇵🇱 Poland: Rafal — “The Ride”
- 🇲🇩 Moldova: Natalia Gordienko — “Sugar”
- 🇮🇸 Iceland: Daði og Gagnamagnið — “10 Years”
- 🇷🇸 Serbia: Hurricane — “Loco Loco”
Poll: Who had the best first rehearsal on May 10?
As always, you can vote for as many songs as you like. But you can only vote once, so make it count! This poll will close on May 11, with results publishing shortly after.
[polldaddy poll=10828335]Who did you vote for? Did your favourites live up to expectations? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
2021 and some countries still think that a song boils down to girls in see-through bodysuits showing off their breasts and thighs. And that no one tells me that’s their way of claiming their femininity. Strangely enough, no delegation ask to their male singers to come and sing in their underwear to claim their manhood.
Poland and Austria the Best
I´m not a huge fan of Greece, so I voted for Austria and Iceland.
I think Estonia did well, although nobody’s favourite, but then it was Iceland and San Marino. Greece’s clothes made me negative.
It’s funny peculiar (as other wiwifans said) how the 1980s are a trend in the edition that opens the decade of the 2020s. Back in the day, in the early 1980s there was a trend that mirrored the 1920s (low waistline in dresses, very long necklaces… you can even see it in Jam Lemming’s headband in Harrogate 1982!) It’s the circle of life…
I dont care if Estonia didn’t meet anyone’s expectations. Uku can destroy my hymen any day.
And I dont even have a hymen….bobs or vagne. LOL
Actually I like San Marino and Moldova, I can’t waait just one week
I feel some kind of moved seeing Da?i og gagnamagni? finally has their stage in eurovision after last year cancelation
I agree with some of you here. This is the year of neon ligths (following the neo 80s trend) and divas accompanied by four dance. This way, I think they will overshadow each other and only the best will stand out. That is also good for those who bring a different performance.
I must say, though, almost every performance look sleek, cool and modern. Great year in terms of staging.
I think Serbia has the best staging, judging from the snippets. Most of them look fine, but San Marino got it all wrong, and Poland is just there.
My ranking
Iceland – really goofy, looking forward to it
Greece – really intriguing
San Marino – looks really cool, the rapper wasn’t great though
Serbia – excellent chemistry
Austria – a real stripped back performance, it will help him stand out a bit
Poland- looks like a really interesting stage show
Estonia – looks a little boring
Czech Republic- looks quite messy
Moldova- very disappointing
I delayed with my ranking, but because I was at job here it is: 1) Iceland (the song is called “10 Years” and with a performance like that, the song will not be forgotten 10 Years after the final performance. Everything was EPIC!! Nice vocals, nice presentation, everything was GREAT! ) 2) Greece (Stefania gets a 1000/10 for her vocals. SHE is the one who made every aspect of the song look great! She was sexy and cute with that dress, she had a nice choreography, everything was wow from her. There are still technical issues that have to be… Read more »
Completely agree with some and completely disagree with others.
Stefanias vocals were on point in general…but she needs improvement.
Chez vocals weren’t on point and Benny was empty from energy.
San Marinos vocals weren’t the worst or from the worst of the day. Actually, was a honest try.
We haven’t see yet….almost nothing from the countries, except Lithuania and Iceland.
All the others hide things.
Both semis are widely open…although our estimations of the moment.
Not Greece first again!! Surprised they didn’t try and vote for her yesterday too!
Learn how to write Germany first dear..
You trolling again? It’s my surname and it’s spelt correctly.
dear
I actually start to think that the entries that are darker and less colourful stand out. So many acts include messy kind of dancing and neon that my eyes hurt. No wonder France is on top of the odds, even if it’s not a favourite of mine.. Italy will probobly stand out. Even Sweden stand out as something much more.. calm.. haha.
I liked Belgium and I am sure I will like France and Switzerland. Eurovision is a song contest after all, not circus.
It’s good you Swedes know how to compare two early favourites and somehow include yourself in the mix.
Isn’t it amazing how non -swedes just know how to bring some nice sarcasm as soon as Sweden is mentioned and also doesn’t get what’s between the lines at the same time? Perhaps you didn’t read the “haha” in the end? Just give me a break from your stupidity!
So the “haha” meant that Sweden is a laughable act? Huh.
First of all, I wanna congratulate all the producers , volunteers, artists and workers at Eurovision, 3 days and NO incidents! It really shows the effort and work ethic of the hundreds of people, thank you guys! And now, let’s talk about the acts, and wow, semifinal 1 may be a bloody bath but this one is really strong too! I honestly don’t know who will go through and that keeps it very exciting SAN MARINO: iconic, Senhit is campy, extravagant, charismatic and engaging, she has the whole package to give San Marino it’s highest score ever. ESTONIA: glad they… Read more »
I’m hearing a lot of good words for the whole organization from many sources….altough the frozen mood (covid).
This has been arguably the best rehearsal group so far but I find it easier to rate. 1- Iceland was so charming and I’ve fallen in love with Daði once again. They’ve amped it up enough to be captivating but also intimate. Maybe Iceland could still win?? 2- Austria, while the song still isn’t my favourite, Vincent gave it his all today and I felt the emotion just from the 20 seconds of stage footage, my biggest grower of the whole contest 3- San Marino. Not much here to say, very good vocals from Senhit but hoping Flo Rida turns… Read more »
Voted for Estonia and really surprised to see Poland on the first place.
Iceland, Greece, Serbia my top 3 from rehearsals.
I honestly can’t understand the hype for Iceland. It’s musically extremely poor, and visually cheap and… just bad. The good surprises today for me are Austria and Czech Republic.
Serbia !!! Omg what a mess . Moldova brilliant and San Marino
Wha- Where did Rafal even come from!?
He was third-to-last a while ago and then all the Polish grannies rushed in and now he’s winning the poll! What the heck!?
Serbia and Greece!
I really enjoyed two snippets today: Iceland and Austria! Quality!
You didn’t see anything of the Greek performance, you only saw the outfits.
Exactly.
I guess the biggest winners today were Iceland (because many people were reminded about how endearing their first impression can be) and Serbia (I believe some people were afraid the staging wouldn’t be as sophisticated as the ones from the other bops, but they proved them wrong). Greece will keep us in the dark until we see their visual effects, but I’m intrigued to watch the whole thing and the aesthetics pleased me. The rest was more or less as expected. The exception was Moldova, because this staging is too “behaved” when compared with their music video and usual level… Read more »
I agree with you on both Serbia and Iceland, plus Greece (we didnt actually see anything).
many poles here haha? Poland was the worst and the poles know that 1000%
The Queen of San Marino
My thoughts on some of the rehearsals of today: GREECE: Right now it is difficult to judge the staging of my country. The rehearsal clip we were shown does not feature any of the technical elements that are included in the performance. I heard something about invisible dancers which sounds like a great idea, but I will wait till the second rehearsal to form an opinion. I am optimistic though. AUSTRIA: This is a song I am very keen on. And the staging though simplistic was very impactful. I really like the lighting of the whole performance, exchanging between white… Read more »
On another note, I can’t wait for what Victoria has in store for us tomorrow.
Hopefully epic fail
Why does everybody think Moldova is a sure qualifier? I mean, the semi is weak ok, but the song, vocals are really bad! I think Austria and Czech Republic have more chances to qualify than Moldova or about the same in the best case.
Agree, Moldova might do quite bad with the juries, but might get just enough to get through, so I would also put them in the same tier as Austria and Czech Republic. I think Austria and Czech Republic will do better in jury vote, meanwhile Moldova will get more televote support. Will be interesting to see who gets through.
I believe in music, so I can’t help but hoping there’s a big chance Sugar will NQ.
Austria will surprise everyone. Mark my words 😉
I don’t like the song, but if the final product is as ellegant as it seems to be, Austria will be to the 2nd semi what Belgium will be to the 1st. The contrast with the surrounding neon lights may help both a lot.
I agree with you, although Belgium has a much stronger song and quality wise, probably the best one this year, but the comparison is so on point, as SF1 is much stronger than SF2 and both of them full of glitter, dances and flashy performances. Anyway I read that people who watched Vincent’s full rehearsal on TV were really impressed and we all know vocally, he was the only great one today, so I see him qualify from the terribile Semi Final 2. In the final he may get 0 points from the publich though (even if it won’t have… Read more »
I can totally see this happening, Austria sneaking in with the help of the juries and getting zero points from the televote in the final. I’m part of the minority of the fandom that would prefer Portugal getting this “pushed by juries” spot, though I can totally see the juries thinking Switzerland and Bulgaria are enough on the serious ballads side and allowing themselves to cast the rest of their votes for fun entries.
You assumed right, they have ellegant and intimate staging while almost all the others around them are going for a big spectacle. Musically, Belgium was my 12nd during WiwiJury and Austria my 36th. It’s quite a gap.
Pure quality!
My quick thoughts on each of them San marino: i love this song and i think the stage looks great, i hope flo rida comes but if he doesnt im cool Estonia: honestly not bad and song is good but still wont qualify Chezh republic: loooove this and think it will fly into the final, im not worried at all Greece: song is ok and i think it will qualify but dont think the song or staging is anything special Austria: its whatever, not bad but still wont qualify Poland: honestly i still cant remember this song, and i dont… Read more »
I was going to give my own review, but your review is practically what I had/wanted to say haha
Iceland just jumped up on odds to 4th place 🙂
Ukraine keeps rising and now is 9th
France is still first!
Had it ? Now Iceland is at 5th but right on the heels of Italy !!
Iceland’s huge leap brought all countries
above it back.
Greece, Iceland and Serbia
I voted for Serbia. Not one of my favourite songs but the ladies really worked the stage and looked like they were putting on a fun show.
I’ll just mention that on all three of these polls so far, I never voted for the acts that were my ‘favourites’ going into the semi, but rather those that seemed the most impressive to me live. I get the sense that a lot of people are also voting that way, so I am happy we seem to have embraced the purpose of these polls 🙂
That’s the first time I’m seeing Poland of top of a poll. I personally liked the staging of Austria, Moldova, Greece and Serbia.
We don’t know about Greece…but it seems to have been impressive or different if you want.
We can say Serbia and Iceland for sure.
Dear, Polish people.
Pleaseeee stop! This is not best of the day
Iceland and Greece are pretty safe, I think. 🙂 The situation just got more difficult for Moldova and San Marino. I doubt they knew they’d pitch such a similar staging idea. Now, is the situation better for San Marino, for coming first, or for Moldova, for coming later? Suddenly, I’m not 100% sure they’ll both make it. Out of sexy diva bangers, Serbia has the upper hand. They have the most distinct staging. Now, I know that I said that the song isn’t my cup of tea and all that, but the trio owned it on stage! They have to… Read more »
Wow the 2nd semi is so weaker than the 1st.. many countries that will not go through from the 1st sf could qualify easily if they would be in the 2nd sf..
From what i watched i liked Greece (sounds really promising and its so fresh.. i love it), Iceland (cute-fun show and really catchy) and Serbia (amazing energy).
The biggest disappointment for me is Moldova (i expected something more) and San Marino (that was too much… and the outfits are so bad.. i feel saaad)
This might be a reach, but I think there is a reason Stefania got cut in half during the rehearsal and that it wasn’t a technical issue. Maybe she’ll ride the pegasus after all? Anyways, maybe it’s just me…
I loved Iceland the most today. This song is in my top 3 from the 1st moment and i don’t see it leaving any time soon. As for the competition overall i am so glad we have so many polished entries. It’s gonna be a great 3 day show. I can feel it.
I wonder how many poles have voted for Poland???
You know that Polish entry is hated in Poland and people don’t like Rafa?.?
That can’t be Poles tbh because they hate this chose of artist and song
Poland? This must be a joke.
April fools was last month.
this is a very interesting turn of events. poland now has a chance to qualify. as someone who really really likes the song, im so glad the staging is on point
Same here!
I think Poland might qualify as Belarus qualified in 2019 (both were one of the JESC hosts in different years). I’ve expected ice cream dancers for Moldova, but yeah, I believe that Moldova will qualify! Iceland have sent another interesting participants, they’re sure will qualify! I hope Serbia and Greece will qualify as well! San Marino will qualify I believe, alongside Lithuania as both of them are semi-final openers, just like Armenia and Malta opened semi-finals in 2014 and both qualified. Czech Republic was underrated, I believe they will qualify! Estonia and Austria were okay, but sadly, they won’t qualify… Read more »
You think 6/7 will qualify from this half and only 3/4 from the second half ?
Most of them, I think yes. It’s hard to choose.
Not the same
Who the hell vote for Poland? Kurski, is it you?
Also Iceland gave the exact performance I expected of them , slick and dorky , true to them.
Bookies were ignoring it or something? Cause their overwhelming reaction to something that was expected is surprising to me . Best of luck to Iceland .
?oko moko.
My reaction:
What impressed me most: Serbia
What intrigued me most: Greece
What gave me hope: San Marino , Czech Republic
What gave me no hope: Estonia , Poland
What gave me qualifier vibes:
San Marino , Greece , Iceland , Serbia
What didn’t meet my expectations: San Marino , Moldova
Hard to tell which rehearsal was the best when we can’t see what Greece is delivering. I will just vote for the song I prefer the most here: 10 yers from Iceland.
I would also add that Austria is a good surprise. I don’t like the song but Vincent Bueno had the best vocals today.