Special Event: Live Stream: Semifinal 2 (2022 Eurovision Song Contest)

May 12, 2022 6:47 AM

Good evening, Europe! Good morning, Australia! Semifinal 2 begins Thursday May 12th (today!), at 2100 CEST / 3:00pm EDT. Come on in to chat about the second round of performances and to express all your Eurovision-related feelings.

Viewers outside of the United States can watch via the official livestream for Semifinal 2 from the Eurovision YouTube Channel.

For those of us unlucky enough to be geoblocked, and without an official national broadcaster, you can watch it with minimal commentary via the Swedish National Broadcaster (SVT)’s official stream. American viewers can watch it live via Peacock, NPC’s online streaming channel, but unlike last year, it requires a paid subscription (and will include commentary).

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RUNNING ORDER:
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01. Finland - The Rasmus - "Jezebel"
02. Israel - Michael Ben David - "I.M"
03. Serbia - Konstrakta - "In corpore sano"
04. Azerbaijan - Nadir Rustamli - "Fade to Black"
05. Georgia - Circus Mircus - "Lock Me In"
06. Malta - Emma Muscat - "I Am What I Am"
07. San Marino - Achille Lauro - "Stripper"
08. Australia - Sheldon Riley - "Not the Same"
09. Cyprus - Andromache - "Ela" (Έλα)
10. Ireland - Brooke - "That's Rich"
11. N. Macedonia - Andrea - "Circles"
12. Estonia - Stefan - "Hope"
13. Romania - WRS - "Llámame"
14. Poland - Ochman - "River"
15. Montenegro - Vladana - "Breathe"
16. Belgium - Jérémie Makiese - "Miss You"
17. Sweden - Cornelia Jakobs - "Hold Me Closer"
18. Czechia - We Are Domi - "Lights Off"

Official Semi-Final 2 Playlist
Semi-Final 1 Fanfare Post

BONUS CONTENT: Eurovision Backstage, hosted by Samya Hafsaoui, who is just as charming and witty as she was last year.

posted by PearlRose (125 comments total)

I have to watch late again, alas, but just throwing my support in for Serbia in this semi-final - this article from Town and Country, of all the weird places gets into what the song's about if you haven't read the English lyrics and includes a link to the video.

In general, I thought the group for the first semi was stronger, but I also like the Swedish and Czech entries, and, of course, reserve the right to totally upend my favorites based on the live performances.
posted by the primroses were over at 6:57 AM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

As a resident of Finland, I’m honorbound to root for The Rasmus to advance, though to be honest I can’t remember a single thing about the song, even though I’ve already heard it five or six times. Say what you will about Blind Channel, at least they were memorable.

I haven’t heard a single other song from tonight’s list, so I’ll just let the spirit guide me. It seems, at least from memory, that there are fewer non-English language songs this time around, and I always enjoy hearing other languages. I have no idea who I’ll be voting for.
posted by Kattullus at 7:20 AM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have to watch late again, alas, but just throwing my support in for Serbia in this semi-final - this article from Town and Country, of all the weird places gets into what the song's about if you haven't read the English lyrics and includes a link to the video.

How lucky the existence of the autonomic nervous system!

As ESPN writer AJ Mass tweeted, "A woman sings about Meghan Markle’s hair and her own lack of health insurance while washing her hands in a basin surrounded by Gregorian monks. How could this not be a LOCK TO ADVANCE?"
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:41 AM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

"A woman sings about Meghan Markle’s hair and her own lack of health insurance while washing her hands in a basin surrounded by Gregorian monks. How could this not be a LOCK TO ADVANCE?"

Whoa. I'm not going to spoil myself before the Semi, but this sounds amazing.

Our older cat is currently off getting an ultrasound. We're hoping he's back home soon to chill on the couch with us when today's show gets underway.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:48 AM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

This year is such a weird year for me. Three of my favorites are in the Big Five, so they're already making it into the final. The other one I really wanted to qualify was in the first semi. However! Most of the songs this year that I really didn't care for were also in the first semi.

I'm less personally invested in the songs in this semi. But I like a lot of them, and would be pleased to see them make it to Saturday's final. There's just not enough room for all of them, though.
posted by PearlRose at 7:52 AM on May 12, 2022

A woman sings about Meghan Markle’s hair and her own lack of health insurance while washing her hands in a basin surrounded by Gregorian monks.

Ugh, again?!?
posted by Etrigan at 7:59 AM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I tried watching Semifinal 1 on Peacock and was annoyed that they preempted the cheesy fun stuff that plays during the voting for a bunch of ads and more Johnny Weir talking. So today I'm happily back to SVT. The commentator doesn't talk over the performers, and I can understand an occasional word, like when he said "Teletubbies" in reference to Latvia's salad boys and it was hilarious.

Cheering hard for Georgia, Estonia, Sweden and Czechia.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:46 AM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Been using a VPN for the official stream here. I don't think I could deal with Peacock, given what I've heard about their coverage thus far.

Cat's back from his ultrasound with a shaved belly and seemingly feeling a bit worn out. Happy to have him home.
posted by May Kasahara at 11:50 AM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Glad the cat won't miss out!

I am watching the SVT stream while I finish up at work - may have to rewatch if things get busy, and will definitely have to leave at some point to get a bus home and catch up.

Cross your fingers for quiet work phones for me. :)
posted by the primroses were over at 12:08 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Just waiting for the hosts to get through the obligatory cringe so we can get to the tunes.
posted by PearlRose at 12:08 PM on May 12, 2022

If, like me, you were surprised by Mika’s perfect French, having looked it up, I found that he grew up in Paris.
posted by Kattullus at 12:10 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

"A killer shark in heels" - Oh, Finland, I love you already. Don't ever stop sending things like this.
posted by PearlRose at 12:10 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

If, like me, you were surprised by Mika’s perfect French, having looked it up, I found that he grew up in Paris.

It literally just clicked that they obviously hired Mika has a host to handle the obligatory French-language requirements.
posted by PearlRose at 12:11 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ok, I like Finland better as a performance than the video. Great energy and loved the audience call and response near the end there. Jezebel!
posted by the primroses were over at 12:13 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

As a New Jersey resident, I wish Finnish Bon Jovi all the best in the rankings.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:13 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Glad your cat's home, May Kasahara!

I got here in time for Finland. I love the yellow and black color scheme.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:13 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I will cheer when The Rasmus reach the final, but don’t ask me to hum the song. They do have good stage presence, mind you.
posted by Kattullus at 12:14 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Oh no I hate how catchy I'm finding Israel's song.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:16 PM on May 12, 2022

Daaaaamn, Israel! That was fun!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:17 PM on May 12, 2022

Excellent staging from Isarel, but his singing sounded kind of flat to me. Like, hard to explain, but there wasn't a lot of emotion and it feels very by the book. Competent, but not terribly wow.
posted by PearlRose at 12:18 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I am just not answering the phone if someone calls during Serbia's performance, sorrynotsorry.
posted by the primroses were over at 12:18 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Serbia’s performance is like if first year students at a high school drama club had to come up with an act in five minutes, but with a huge budget, and I’m absolutely here for it.
posted by Kattullus at 12:21 PM on May 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

Serbia: what did I just watch o_O;
posted by May Kasahara at 12:21 PM on May 12, 2022

I don't know, but I liked it!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:22 PM on May 12, 2022

Serbia was fantastic. She poured her heart and soul into that performance.
posted by PearlRose at 12:22 PM on May 12, 2022

Wow, Serbia. I loved that. Good pandemic art. (And my very literal, rhythm-deficient self appreciated the very giant hand-clapping guidance.)
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:23 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I'm definitely not in the right demographic for Azerbaijan's sad boy ballad, but that staging was magnificent.
posted by PearlRose at 12:25 PM on May 12, 2022

Finland would absolutely rip ass at a club. It just doesn't land in an arena.
posted by Etrigan at 12:26 PM on May 12, 2022

I was half-watching Serbia while getting beer and snacks. No idea what was going on, but I liked it. I also enjoyed Azerbaijan.
posted by rjs at 12:26 PM on May 12, 2022

I'm liking Georgia as well. If this continues, I'm going to want everyone to go on to the final.
posted by rjs at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Georgia is a brilliant fever dream.
posted by PearlRose at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I’m pretty sure I saw the Georgian band open for Yeah Yeah Yeahs at a concert in a barn in Western Massachusetts back in 2002.

I always wondered what happened to them.
posted by Kattullus at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Not personally a fan of disembodied mouths on the background screen, but if I focus just on the band, Georgia is great!
posted by the primroses were over at 12:28 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Yeah Georgia!!!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:29 PM on May 12, 2022

Azerbaijan's song was nice!

I love Georgia's costumes, it's like they each decided on a different -punk suffix style: steampunk, cyberpunk, floralpunk... That was fun!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:29 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Georgia is totally my jam. Some of the funkiest stuff I've ever heard in a Eurovision.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:29 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I don't hate Malta, but it just feels rather bland after the insanity of the last few acts. It's perfectly fine.
posted by PearlRose at 12:32 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Not-so-populous island solidarity has me rooting for Malta every year, and this one’s… okay? I mean, for a song written for the finale of a high-school semi-musical from the nineties that’s been updated for the late aughts.
posted by Kattullus at 12:32 PM on May 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

I like an uplifting pop anthem, so that was nice, Malta, but it's not my favorite Eurovision subgenre.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:33 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Malta performed well. Though the song is unoriginal, it's fine, like PearlRose said. Would not be surprised if it gets into the Grand Final.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:34 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Fun fact about the San Remo music festival: A whole host of Icelandic Christmas pop songs are San Remo-contestants with rewritten, seasonally appropriate lyrics.
posted by Kattullus at 12:35 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

San Marino: Doing a Thing.

It's definitely going for the spectacle. His vocals are a mess, but it's edgy and ...of course there's an electric bull. Of course there is.

I love Eurovision so damn much.
posted by PearlRose at 12:40 PM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

I wasn’t there for San Marino, to be honest, until the singer mounted a mechanical bull.

Though was it too much of an ask to make the mechanical bull toss the singer?
posted by Kattullus at 12:40 PM on May 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

Electric bull > human hamster wheel
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:40 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Okay, San Marino! No idea what was going on, but I'd watch it again!!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:41 PM on May 12, 2022

Hm. Totally in favor of what San Marino was doing but not really into it.
posted by rjs at 12:41 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

"Of course there is" was basically my reaction to the mechanical bull.

I wish I liked Johnny Weir hosting this a bit more. I agree he needs someone there with him to play off of.
posted by edencosmic at 12:43 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

(I posted that before reading everyone else's responses, I wasn't trying to yuck anyone's yum.) I'm not sure why Australia is participating in something that's still called Eurovision, but I like it.
posted by rjs at 12:45 PM on May 12, 2022

Australia sent a by-the-numbers Eurovision ballad, but I’m must be going soft because I kinda like it.

Also, the sheer earnestness of the singer’s thank you at the end was adorkable.
posted by Kattullus at 12:46 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Sad boy ballad number two!

The costuming is exquisite. There's a lot of emotion in this one. Those vocals are great, and it absolutely elevated a rather okay-ish song.

Australia, I like it. I really like it.
posted by PearlRose at 12:46 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Ohhh, I really enjoyed Australia's song and performance! It was a nice mix of dramatic and understated (understated by Eurovision standards).
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:46 PM on May 12, 2022

I liked Australia's costuming and staging. The song isn't to my taste, but it's decent.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:47 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

The staging for Cyprus is dramatic and plays nicely with the waterfall. But her vocals are so much rougher than I think the song requires. She sounds way too breathy and not nearly confident enough. A song like this needs some serious projection.
posted by PearlRose at 12:49 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Does Cyprus send the same song and performer every year, or are we all living in an eternal recursion of the same blandness so that no things are distinguishable from other things?
posted by Kattullus at 12:50 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like the song, but it would surprise me if it made it to the final.
posted by rjs at 12:50 PM on May 12, 2022

Just a bit of trivia for the record: Achille Lauro, the singer representing San Marino, actually participated in the San Remo song contest (with a different song) in Italy but didn't win so he thought he'd try his luck in the equivalent contest for San Marino which is open to any nationality and he won that and here we are
posted by bitteschoen at 12:50 PM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

Pitchy, but glad Cyprus finally handed off the Fuego baton to someone else (Spain).
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:51 PM on May 12, 2022

I know Ireland is usually a contender, but I'm not loving this song.
posted by rjs at 12:54 PM on May 12, 2022

That killer synth-line is wasted on the Irish song. Still, if this came on at a disco, I’d keep dancing.
posted by Kattullus at 12:54 PM on May 12, 2022

Ireland is another one that's absolutely fine. She's having the time of her life, and I do like a good fun song. I could see this one qualifying just because it's a bit different from everything else we've seen so far tonight.
posted by PearlRose at 12:55 PM on May 12, 2022

Ireland is not my thing, but I love how thrilled she clearly is to be there.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:55 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Okay, I was not expecting this sort of entry from Ireland, though it's cool that it still sounds distinctively Irish in spots. Quite good.
posted by May Kasahara at 12:55 PM on May 12, 2022

Ireland's entry seems like the song the protagonist's rival would sing in some '00s teen movie about teen pop stars. That's not exactly a complaint. She's cute and she's having fun.
posted by edencosmic at 12:55 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

North Macedonia has flown under my radar for way too long. I actually really like this.

She's singing well, and there's some genuine sincerity behind her vocals. The staging is simple, but works with such a heartfelt delivery. She did a really good job!
posted by PearlRose at 12:59 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

North Macedonia: like the singer, not really into the song.
posted by rjs at 12:59 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

North Macedonia's song is right to my taste, so I'm super glad to have been introduced to it! (I'll put it right next to Portugal's song on my playlist...)
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:59 PM on May 12, 2022

I'm not sure about the song, but I like Estonia's voice (and smile!).
posted by mixedmetaphors at 1:02 PM on May 12, 2022

I was kinda digging Estonia’s countryish song until it morphed into a song that probably came third in Sweden’s preliminary competition.
posted by Kattullus at 1:02 PM on May 12, 2022

Estonia was a nice surprise. I was wary of this song going in, but it just kept getting better. I kind of want it to win the whole thing now.
posted by May Kasahara at 1:03 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also, the lovely singer from N. Macedonia has been absolutely dragged through her home country's press this week over a very stupid thing. I kind of hope she qualifies now just to spite those idiots.
posted by PearlRose at 1:03 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Estonia was one of the first countries to threaten to withdraw if Russia participated. I'd like to think that song was a giant middle finger at Putin.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 1:04 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I wasn't sure about Estonia, but that was a very good performance. It's a bit different, with very nice vocals and some excellent delivery. I could definitely see it qualifying.
posted by PearlRose at 1:04 PM on May 12, 2022

Romania! You are delightful. I loved every second of this. It's got a lot of charm.
posted by PearlRose at 1:09 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I can’t tell if it’s the song itself, or the unnaturally colored water flowing everywhere, but Poland’s entry has me thinking of sanitary pad commercials from my youth.
posted by Kattullus at 1:14 PM on May 12, 2022

Oh boy! It's another sad boy ballad.

Poland is not bad, but as the third one of these in the semi, I think this one may get left behind.
posted by PearlRose at 1:14 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Poland's song is good, but could be great with a less nasal singer.
posted by May Kasahara at 1:15 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I liked Poland. It had a dark, moody theatricality that reminded me of something I would've liked as a teenager.
posted by edencosmic at 1:15 PM on May 12, 2022

I kind of liked this one. After lots of pensive young women in the first semi, we are getting quite a lot of sad boys in this one.
posted by rjs at 1:16 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Montenegro's dress is stunning. I love how the lights flickered in time with her voice. It's very mesmerizing.

The song itself is another one that is very fine. It feels like the field for qualifiers is still wide open!
posted by PearlRose at 1:19 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Solid ballad from Montenegro. The camera work was pretty odd at times, though, what with the extreme closeups and shots that were mostly of the audience.
posted by May Kasahara at 1:20 PM on May 12, 2022

I liked Montenegro's circle and her dress (those light-up lungs at the beginning!!), and I enjoyed the song, too.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 1:21 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I think Belgium is in a pretty crowded field of well-written songs that are being performed competently, but I like it.
posted by rjs at 1:22 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Just turned on now and Belgium is... pitchy.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:22 PM on May 12, 2022

Belgium was wonderful. Great singer with a lot of range, great song, great performance.
posted by May Kasahara at 1:23 PM on May 12, 2022

Another competent song from Belgium. It doesn't feel terribly innovative when compared to some of the other ballads I've heard tonight though.
posted by PearlRose at 1:23 PM on May 12, 2022

I kept waiting for Belgium to kick into something else. It was fine but I feel like it was missing the drama Eurovision needs.
posted by edencosmic at 1:25 PM on May 12, 2022

Well, that was a competently made industrial pop product by the Swedish hit factory. I mean that not as a criticism.
posted by Kattullus at 1:26 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I might check Belgium out from the top on your recommendation, then. I only caught the end and things were... getting away from that singer.

Sweden knows from good pop songs. Not my bag, personally, but I can appreciate the craft and talent here.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:26 PM on May 12, 2022

I enjoy that Sweden has decided to send something other than a male vocalist with a catchy dance-pop tune this year!

Unfortunately, this does seem to be the year of the ballad. But hers is a masterwork in doing it well. Excellent vocals, genuine sincerity, and understated charisma.
posted by PearlRose at 1:27 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Czechia's keyboard player seems to have brought a switchboard from Doc Brown's lab.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:29 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Czechia had me grooving along by the end of it. It's a nice breath of fresh air after all the ballads, and it was a really fun way to close the semi.
posted by PearlRose at 1:30 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I’m loving the Czech song. I was dancing on the sofa. I may just have to vote for them (and Georgia, obviously).
posted by Kattullus at 1:31 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Aw, I adored the Czech Republic singer's stage presence! The song's not my thing, but I enjoyed that performance!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 1:32 PM on May 12, 2022

I'd definitely listen to more of We Are Domi.
posted by edencosmic at 1:32 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I liked a lot in this semi! My favorites were Georgia, Estonia, and Belgium, but I also really liked Finland, Israel, Serbia, Australia, Montenegro, and Czech Republic. Excited to see how the vote goes.
posted by May Kasahara at 1:33 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Same here. I pretty much want everyone to make it to the final.
posted by rjs at 1:37 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I liked a lot of the entries (I think my favorites are Serbia, Georgia, and North Macedonia), and I hope there's a mix of styles advancing!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 1:46 PM on May 12, 2022

My two favorites were Serbia and Australia, but there were a lot of entries that I really liked.
posted by rjs at 1:48 PM on May 12, 2022

Catching up...

I wish Finland's song was as cool as their guitar player.

Israel is doing the operatic disco thing that was big maybe two years ago but without the matching stage flourish.

SERBIA, FUCK YEAH.

Georgia has a good song and broke into Tim Burton's costume closet for their stage clothes.

San Marino's stylist gets some marks for dressing their hair metal/glam up fabulously. Not a great band or song, though.

I still have trouble understanding why Australia is part of Eurovision. I mean, I bought this globe on clearance, but I doubt it's that wrong. I wish Israel had staging this cool.

@Kattullus: Does Cyprus send the same song and performer every year, or are we all living in an eternal recursion of the same blandness so that no things are distinguishable from other things? Well, that is just perfect and I have nothing to add.

Ireland has game performers and a killer riff, but I agree that it doesn't quite come together. If the lyrics were a little more shit-stirringly weird or provocative, they might have had something.

I have Romanian family and would like to have an opinion on this song, but it feels bog standard to me.

I was skipping every ballad until Montenegro. I kinda like that one.

Yeah, Belgium was better in the beginning than in the bit I caught from the end.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:49 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Good to see Il Volo again!
posted by May Kasahara at 1:54 PM on May 12, 2022

Okay, these Eurovision Confidential segments are cheesy as hell, but I still kind of like them.
posted by PearlRose at 1:56 PM on May 12, 2022

Spain's preview was high-energy and crazy good.

The UK's is giving me legit chills. He is incredible and such a precious cinnamon roll.

Germany is very respectable, too.

The Big Five seems to have really stepped up their game this year. Thanks, Italy!
posted by PearlRose at 2:03 PM on May 12, 2022

It just isn’t the same without stats guy Jon Ola Sand’s flamboyant blandness.
posted by Kattullus at 2:06 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Yay We Are Domi!
posted by Kattullus at 2:07 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

JEEEEE SUOMI!
posted by Kattullus at 2:08 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Estonia!!!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 2:09 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Australia!
posted by rjs at 2:09 PM on May 12, 2022

QUALIFIED FOR THE GRAND FINAL:
Belgium
Czech Republic
Azerbaijan
Poland
Finland
Estonia
Australia
Sweden
Romania
Serbia
posted by PearlRose at 2:12 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Serbia! Yess!!
posted by rjs at 2:12 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Two out of three isn't bad.
posted by May Kasahara at 2:12 PM on May 12, 2022

I was biting my nails on Serbia's behalf!!
posted by mixedmetaphors at 2:12 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

So many good acts left behind. I'm actually very surprised all four of the sad boy ballads made it through, but yay, Serbia!
posted by PearlRose at 2:13 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Ah, well, I would've loved to see Georgia in there but this is a surprising and interesting lineup. I do feel like so much of this year was strong that while I liked some artists more than others, I can't really argue with the people who made it through.
posted by edencosmic at 2:15 PM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

Bummed about Georgia, and after seeing Israel's performance I think he deserved a spot too. But Saturday is going to be a fantastic show!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 2:19 PM on May 12, 2022

I would have liked to see Georgia go through rather than Romania, but mainly there were just a lot of pretty cool songs and I wish more of them could have made it to the finals.
posted by rjs at 2:19 PM on May 12, 2022 [6 favorites]

Georgia was robbed.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:25 PM on May 12, 2022 [7 favorites]

Georgia was robbed.

This is exactly what I was just coming in to say. EuroVision needs more weirdness and much fewer sad boy ballads.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:37 PM on May 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

Finally saw the back 3/4 of this, and agreed that Georgia should have made it through over one of the ballads or maybe Romania, but generally pleased with the group that's going to the final.

Leaving the Serbia announcement til last was cruel, all the hand washings of my life flashed before my eyes.

See y'all Saturday!
posted by the primroses were over at 3:55 PM on May 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I really wish they could cap the sad ballads at like 20%.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:17 AM on May 13, 2022 [4 favorites]

The oddsmakers predict the most likely winners to be Ukraine, followed by the UK, Sweden, Italy and Spain.

I am pulling for a surprise victory for Serbia (who does squeak into the top ten by some bookies!) or Moldova, but I'd be good with any of those top 3.

Doesn't seem likely Ukraine would be able to host next year if they win. This article suggests that the most likely outcome would be that one of the big 5 would host 2023.
posted by the primroses were over at 7:42 AM on May 13, 2022

Was is just me, or did anyone find some of the production values a bit off yesterday? Eurovision is usually known for having every camera move and cut rehearsed down to the millimeter, such that you never see things happening. But yesterday camera men and stage crew kept showing up in the shots, or they'd cut to a wide view camera only to have an audience person step into the shot so they had to cut back away really fast... Just felt like the crew was unusually off their game, to me.

Serbia feels like a Saturday Night Live parody sketch of 1980s-era performance art, to me. But they've been put next to last in the grand final running order, which feels to me like someone on the producer team is trying to tip the scales for them.

(i'm still all in for Norway.)
posted by dnash at 7:51 AM on May 13, 2022

Also, I was poking around on the Eurovision website trying to determine if I could purchase individual songs for download (looks like not - any idea how easy it is to turn a qobuz download album into something I can listen to on my phone - possible future askme...), and I realized they sell an official Eurovision cassette tape.

Are people still into cassette tapes? Is this an audiophile thing or a nostalgia thing or a "Eurovision's merchandising team is insane" thing?
posted by the primroses were over at 7:54 AM on May 13, 2022

primroses: It's a nostalgia thing that's been going on for a couple of years now.
posted by May Kasahara at 8:28 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

It's gonna be Ukraine, right? Good song, also a weird song, also a rap song, also a trad folk from the homeland song, will also extend a middle finger to the war... It hits on too many cylinders to lose.

I love Serbia's song because foreign-to-me idiosyncrasy is why I come to Eurovision.

I get the complaint on the tech/staging. I wonder if there are limitations this year. Feels like we are bereft of anyone rising from the stage in a 5 meter high dress or gymnasts hanging from ribbons.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:29 AM on May 13, 2022

So, I think some of the weird camerawork and more sedate staging can be attributed to the kinetic sun in the middle of the stage.

It was supposed to be able to rotate between an LED-screen side and a stage-lights side. But for whatever reason, the sun can't rotate fast enough to switch sides all the way during the length of one of the postcards. So, at the last minute, it was decided that it would stay on the stage-lights side for every act.

Several acts were relying heavily on the LED-screen side and forced to redo a good bit of their camerawork and lighting decisions at the last minute.
posted by PearlRose at 11:37 AM on May 13, 2022 [4 favorites]