Editorial: Why Standing Space Makes for a Better Eurovision

Replacing rows and rows of chairs with screaming fans makes a huge difference at Eurovision. In Malmö producers insisted on standing space for the audience on the floor, stretching from the edge of the stage to about 100 meters back. This made for a much better Eurovision—for the artists, for the TV audience, and for the cheering fans.

“The fans make the party,” Martin Österdahl, the executive producer of Eurovision 2013, said ahead of the contest last May. “They are a large part of the show and will own the floor. In order to maximize the experience and in order for them to get closer to the stage, we are removing the seating on the floor….The goal has always been for the artists and public to get closer to each other, and they will be able to do that now thanks to the standing places and the catwalk which goes quite a way out into the audience.”

Getting the Best Performance from the Acts

After countless practices, each act needs to deliver the greatest performance of their life. Walking on to that stage, and being greeted by thousands of standing fans going ape-shit insane, gives each act an immense charge.

A seated audience, no matter how excited, can never match the urgency or the intimacy, of people standing right there, just meters away. A seated audience is more removed. The seated audience is observing while the standing audience is joining in on the act—literally in the case of Gianluca Bezzina when he slapped hands with audience members.

Making for a Better TV Show

How much better does the standing audience make the TV show? The acts pick the camera shots. They can easily shoot it where the standing audience is never seen. But what do they do? They have that standing audience in over half the shots. In the case of Russia and Ukraine, they had the wrist lights of the audience turn on so that we became part of the presentation.

This is because the acts understand the power of the shots that include the audience. That helps bring the TV viewers there. If all the TV viewers see are people sitting in chairs, it doesn’t do much to pump up the volume at home.

But with the standing members, the TV viewers get a better sense of the energy and aura in the arena. The standing fans are their proxy that helps them go from watching to participating. When they see that audience going nuts, waving, applauding, crying, etc., it brings the TV viewers out of their chairs, where they too are cheering and jumping.

Fans Exploding with Happiness

I was on the floor for the first semi-final and the final. I was in the stands—so seated—for the second semi-final. Giant difference. Seated it’s a very enjoyable show. But standing in front of the stage, I’m surprised no one died of happiness. Truly physically died.

The experience is so close, so intimate, so directly plugged in to the show as to be beyond description. And to experience that with a bunch of others who are every bit as excited to be there, every bit as overcome with the experience, makes it an intensely joyous experience.

It’s also a very unusual experience. While everyone in the audience has their favorites, they all truly want each act to be extraordinary. There is cheering, yelling, flag waving for every group from everyone in the audience. You would never see this in almost any other competition where fans cheer for their favorite, but not the opponents.

Copenhagen?

Will we get an equally amazing experience in Copenhagen? Stay tuned! We’ll be publishing a three-part interview with Jan Lagermand Lundme, DR’s head of show, this week!

Update: DR listened! There will be standing space right in front of the stage for fans with general admission standing space right behind that. I’ll be the person right next to the stage waving a Colorado flag.

David T is a Colorado-based correspondent for wiwibloggs.com. You can keep up-to-date on the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.