Eurovision 2023 rehearsals are underway in Liverpool. Today, artists from ten more nations competing at this year’s song contest take to the M&S Bank Arena for their first rehearsals ahead of May’s live shows.
After arriving at the arena, each delegation has around 40 minutes to get settled. They then have an in-ear monitoring rehearsal (30 minutes) and a stage safety briefing (10 minutes).
Then it’s time to take the stage. Each act has 30 minutes to test out the stage. This allows artists to do a series of run-throughs to see how they sound in the space and to get used to moving in the space. Delegations monitor the performances closely, seeing if the show’s producers have managed to execute their agreed-upon vision (including graphics and camera angles). They then have 30 minutes to discuss what they want changed when they meet with producers in the viewing room.
Live in Liverpool: Eurovision 2023 rehearsals Day 2 (Monday 1 May)
Here’s the full schedule for today’s rehearsals. All times are listed in BST (CEST – 1).
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- 10:30 — 11:00 — Israel
- 11:10 — 11:40 — Azerbaijan
- 11:50 — 12:20 — Czechia
- 12:30 — 13:00 — Netherlands
- 14:10 — 14:40 — Finland
- 14:50 — 15:20 — Denmark
- 15:30 — 16:00 — Armenia
- 16:10 — 16:40 — Romania
- 16:50 — 17:20 — Belgium
- 17:30 — 18:00 — Cyprus
We’ll be working inside our LUSH Liverpool Lounge all day and plan to react to TikTok snippets released by the EBU after each rehearsal. We’ll also be live-streaming for much of the day. See y’all soon!
Until we get a topic for today’s rehearsals, Alika’s pictures are in, and everything looks stunning!
She is a safe qualifier.
Romania what a absolute disappointment. I loved the over the top staging in their ns actually and the original version of the song. We get now the bad revamp and boring staging with just one person besides him. I loved the friendly vibe of his friends, but they are gone now. I was so passionate about this and defending it and i think its my first winner ever before the show that after seeing it live is no longer my number 1. I just dont connect to the staging at all.
Agree!
Someone here said it before and I have to agree. Wave bye-bye to Romania because, sadly, we will not be returning next year.
As for the rehearsal today, Israel was MVP.
you think Romania is going to withdraw from eurovision next year if they don’t qualify this year?
I think they are going to withdraw because of several reasons: not qualifying might be among them – also important would be the score board, but my main reason is the lack of interest they have shown this year, promoting the song and the way they packaged it – like amators-, also the quality of the national final.
Last year WRS had some help for the show from his record label, but Andrei has no record label and you can see TVR’s involvement is almost 0 – a shame really.
not every country can be as perfect as Sweden, Norway and perfect plastic Cyprus
shame Cyprus cannot withdraw instead or a withdrawal from stupid Sweden
That would be very very sad. I don’t want to miss Romania!
You should have sent Perinita mea. You would have made the final.
Some of need to calm down.
Like we know Israel and Armenia are doing better than ur favs and you lot mad but we don’t wanna hear you posers complain its actually so boring omfg
Israel will probably do well because the ESC is little more than an entertainment show, if the results were mostly based on the music itself she probably wouldn’t place too well at all actually.
I can see finland reaching top 1 in the odds. I don’t know but the brown frame in the high screen of loreen it makes look cheaper and old. im sure it won’t have the same impact like in the melodifestivalen. and looks like Finland its elevating umk performance. I gonna wait til the second rehersals if im correct.
Staging wise today was much much better
Israel is amazing what are you talking about? Its at least top 3 material
Cyprus proves once again that they know what they are doing
Looks like Azerbaijan gave up ^^
of course, no point in continuing with this dumb eurovision, dominated by plastics Sweden, Norway, Cyprus
always the same top 3 of those 3 every single year, boring
I feel like everyone did their homework. Almost all improved compared to NFs and pre parties. Having said that, I do not see much hope for Ireland or Azerbaijan. I sincerely hope NL qualifies, they do not deserve all the hate. Belgium will do so well.
After Eurosong I said Gustaph will do well in the final and the amount of downvotes I got was incredible.
Gustaph has always been incredible, this staging is exactly what I was expecting. I saw we’ll also have a voguing dancing in the performance which is the cherry on top.
Cyprus and Finland are my today’s winners
Air, fire, water, for Cyprus! That looks indeed polished. And it sounds like Andrew can sing. Odds will go up. Good luck, Cyprus!
Andrew can’t sing, and that staging is so generic fastfood, wish cyprus would withdraw for good
lazy country
Just seen Cyprus on Tiktok… looks very polished
looks very amateurish but will still get millions of votes obviously because gays drool over him
Where is Cyprus?? ?
He definitely has all my respect. And he sings so well! I hope Europeans will notice it and reward him for that. He deserves to be in final.
Theodor Andrei is an absolute madman that just doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety, and that leads to a very entertaining outcome, but maybe not necessarily for the right reasons…
Gotta love Theodor! He’s a totally bonkers very young guy with a lot of expressive ideas inside of him, and he really *goes for it*. Yes, he knows no subtlety, but there’s just something refreshing in his uncalculated ”all of nothing” approach. Of course, more seasoned artists like Kaarija and Pasha Parfeny can throw everything at the kitchen sink and still make it feel polished and compact, but it’s so cool in watching Theodor now.
Well, I think there’s a strong chance he’ll be used as a sacrificial lamb by our clueless broadcaster to finally withdraw next year, which is quite rough since I won’t be able to vote anymore actually…
That’s a bummer, and I hope it doesn’t come to that. I mean, you DID qualify last year! What about my broadcaster HRT. We haven’t been to the GF since 2017, and this year it again feels like a slippery slope to achieve even that. And what about Latvia and Georgia? If everyone would throw a tantrum every time they don’t qualify, ESC wouldn’t exist. I really hope that the Romanian broadcaster isn’t *that* immature. Good luck in voicing your opinion loud and on time! Romania must stay!
I *really* hope that Let 3 qualifies! 🙂 I really do! I hope that Kaarija don’t take *all* of the ”out there” votes. Nina would have qualified, I think! Then again, I thought so for Albina too, and frankly, she should have. We had a stronger entry than Israel and Sweden, who made it.
Yeah, but everyone found out how shameless they truly are last year with the whole voting scandal and you saw what kind of “effort” they put into the NF this year, interest here is at an all-time low so it looks like we’re rapidly approaching that outcome sadly.
Even if I actually liked a few songs in your NF this year, I think it’s sadly obvious that quite a little effort went into staging and promotion from the broadcaster. Not to mention the firstly released ”videos”, some of which seemed recorded in someone’s basement. Also, while I liked a few, some of the songs are just not good. Like, at all. Good luck in this semi, though, as DGT is among those I did like.
Austria 2007 is a directionless mess. Sorry, but it’s in my bottom 5 in a stiff competition. Songs like Iceland, Andorra, and Malta stayed in a semi, yet *this* was ever supposed to qualify? Hmm…
This country does not have the talent, the know-how and the ambition to match those example at all tho, so I’m not going to delude myself.
examples*
We really need that editing option back…
Romania had a vision in 2020 by involving a record label and successful songwriters (who knew what they were doing) and releasing a handful of AMAZING songs. It also created quite the hype. Too bad they do not want to try that route anymore.
As for talent – Look at Andrei – he oozes talent – so what are you rambling about?
Unfortunately the national broadcaster no longer put in the effort. So yeah. I agree.
Let’s wave goodbye to Romania because I bet we won’t be returning next year.
hopefully eurovision in general won’t be returning next year, cancel it
hopefully Netherlands also withdrawing soon, and hopefully to corrupt regime that is AVROTROS to end soon as well, i know things way better than those idiots
Exactly how I got it. He’s young, he’s experimenting, and he’s carefree. I like that. Sure, in a long run, he’ll probably learn to take things a bit more analytically, but it’s lovely seeing someone this young and this creative doing it his own way. Even if it’s temporary. 🙂
Very well said. I totally agree.
Second semi impressions – Denmark, Armenia, and Romania all look interesting on stage, and tonally different from each other. I hope that Armenia doesn’t keep it too much in the dark all the time, and that some camera angles are more up close as well. I want her to qualify! Romania – good news and a bad news. Good news, the yellow outfit and red LEDs look striking enough to notice. Bad news, seems like the new intro is here to stay. Good luck…
who is it? also are prerecorded vocals allowed this year?
Which artist is that?
OMG, I have just noticed that the stage is a mini version of ESC-2019 stage 😀
Wtf. Are you high?
What an awful thing to do, calling someone a “hag”. Grow up.
Any clues about the staging and connection with the song? I can’t get it (OK, from those seconds of the mini clips).
It seems we will have an unpredictable and rough competition this year.
Unpredictable yes, rough I would not say. There are 10 or 12 good songs (maybe less) and a basket full of decent but not super exciting songs. It will definitely be unpredictable who is qualifying for the grand final, especially from semifinal 2. Let’s wait and see!
Geordies , scousers and Londoners all have the same sense of humour
I assume you mean true Londoners rather than everyone who moves to the capital from middle England??
So Theodor IS using the acoustic start for the actual performance… blegh. Also, I have MANY questions about Gustaph’s outfit.
I think, this is who he is, so…I’ve no problem with it…
I look at the outfit and all I see is marshmallow… or original flavour Drumstick Squashies (yum yum)
Gustaph didn’t get the memo that the Barbara Dex awards are gone
Well, rehearsals go well, to be honest. I’ve seen some major improvements like DENMARK: the concept with the doors might work well. I like the song but I was worried about staging CZECHIA: it’s no longer the mess we saw at the pre-esc parties. Now it looks more coherent. Well done! But let’s see how everything comes live on screen! FINLAND: solid staging. Let’s see what he can achieve! Televote winner? Most probably! Other than that, ISRAEL: sounds and looks solid. I worry about connection and emotion, though. AZERBAIJAN: what a lovely song. Based on the videos, I can’t tell… Read more »
BELGIUM: Gustaph continues to impress. I feel he is qualifying for the final despite the odds.Well deserved that shall be!
ROMANIA: sorry, no much for me to say here. I can’t see how that can qualify.
You have a solid grab on things, a rare skill indeed
Big respect for Belgium! Not only Gustaph sings live, also his background singers , as it should be….By the way, Finland was GREAT!
Gustaph is so authentic, lovable, cheerful, he enjoys every minute of this eurovision journey. He deserves a place in the final! And he will be awarded one, I feel pretty confident about that!
We can all be thankful that be it Cha Cha Cha or Tattoo winning, at least it won’t be Queen of Kings. We can breathe a sigh of relief.
Good for Norway, I guess. At least they’ll be able to claim that.
Spain also have a very good chance to win.
Queen of Kings is dated for the beginning seen already 2000, like poor girl Ruslana. Nothing new or surprising.
The romania staging is a literal joke.
Finland Armenia and Israel absolutely ate the show.
Theodor NQ, unfortunately.
Like the song and the way he sings but the performance, I’m afraid , is going to be cringy ((
Winners and losers of SF1 after 1st rehearsals.
Winners: Finland, Moldova, Croatia, Azerbaijan
Losers: Sweden, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Portugal
As for their rest, I don’t think their fate changed much.
Jesus, it’s just a rehearsal, the only loser i see here is Karl
Loreen slipping in the odds and Käärijä climbing! YAASS!!!
Get a life, won’t you.
This movement after the first rehearsal is actually worth taking notice of!
Loreen dropped 2% (more like 1 % since it’s been around 45% for ages and just went up to 46 a few days before rehearsals). It’s not a big deal.
Armenia has a single prop that can be brought to stage quite quickly.
I think the lamps of Sudden Lights take more time to set up than Brunette’s platform.
WHAT THE HECK is going on with Romania’s brand new staging?…
They probably would, but Liverpool is known for its distinct Scouse humour, which isn’t for the faint-hearted. Danny Beard would have made a great interview host like Nikkie from 2021.
Londoners , scousers and geordies only have the same best sense of humour in the uk
There’s a lot to suggest that regional differences, particularly in language and accent, but also social, cultural and economic contexts, have a large impact on types of humour. The areas you mention all have strong comedy identities, but the regional differences play into notions of humour 🙂
Is it just me being shocked, or this year we’re about to get a record-high number of stagings where various platforms are being used? Finland, Armenia, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Israel, Denmark, and the Netherlands, to name a few. And those are all from SF1 alone!
Armenia, Denmark are in Semi 2
My bad. I thought today is about SF1 only as well. In that case, you can add Serbia and Malta to the list for Semi-Final 1. 🙂
I totally agree. I think I love almost all the stagings so far
Armenia, one word: WOW
Finland staging is clear winner alert. If jury doesn’t intentionally ruin it, it won’t be even close.
And he’ll give us more! At least two times, could it be three?
Cheers! Kippis!
Poor Netherlands. Trying to salvage a sinking ship as best they can. Mia and Dion look so awkward when they take turns singing and the one who isn’t singing is just standing there like a deer in headlights.
Not at all… The staging is wonderful and a breath of fresh air between all the craziness.. The camera work will be epic.. they will stand out!
Finland’s winning % climbing in the odds, Sweden’s falling…. 🙂
Great news! It means there’s hope that Eurovision will keep its faith that a winning song will be something out of the box. There are plenty of radio-friendly mainstream songs besides Eurovision. This contest brings something fresh, which is one of the main reasons it got so popular across borders. 🙂
I mean, it’s been popular for decades. But arguably one could easily say it was the mainstream pop in the early 2010s that made the competition move beyond the cheap gimmicks of the 00s. I think both is needed in the competition to make it enjoyable. Without some more mainstream music it will lose its relevance for everyday listeners.
Kaarija won’t win, juries will rank him very low (as they rightfully should)
Did you forget that he won jury voting in UMK so I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
Loreen dit to
Calm down, it’s like 1% or 2% lmao
Israel throwing a lot of money at this, it shows. The multiple frame thing looks nice. Too bad the song is still atrocious.
The stage within a stage concept worked very well for Sam Ryder last year. I do like a good framing device.
ART-rocious, if anything.
Azerbaijan looks great! Good luck to them. They probably won’t qualify coming after Loreen, but it would be a nice surprise of they did.
Way to ruin your chances, Czech Republic. Bad staging and ugly outfits.
By the way, I still think they’ll likely qualify but not as high as I had expected them to now.
Omg Finland is looking amazing!! I can’t wait to see the full thing!
literally the same as in the NF lols, how uninspiring for a so called ”contender”
if he wins, i am deffo taking part next year for NL myself and that’s that
Bye bye then! 🙂
Stay mad he’s doing better than ur favs
They somehow made Finland into a bigger clown shown than it was before.
The bigger the better! It’s gonna be so freaking awesome and no one can make me think otherwise.
Mock how much You like, but he has presense and charisma many can only dream of!
I’m not too sure why Mia and Dion sing to each other. It made sense in 2014, but there doesn’t seem to be a two-character story here. Oh well, I still like it.
I agree. I wonder if they’ve figured out a story that at least makes sense to them, or if they feel the same.
I like it but it feels like there’s more of a gem that could have been found with this song and these two singers had more time and care even put into it.
*been put into it.
Idea. Two strangers waiting at a bus stop get chatting, recognize themselves in each other, bond… and then go their separate ways, their lives changed forever.
I like it. Did they not get on the bus?
Mia was waiting for a 64B, Dion for a 38G.
😉
Denmarks rehearsals pictures looks really good and promising. I cant wait to see the whole performance
Omg Finland’s staging is amazing!!! It even has it’s «The Shining» moment!!!
Fake teeth , rogue tongue and a human centipede are on point!!!!
But I turn off the sound when they start singing ?