Eurovision

Yesterday evening the City of Herzliya and the organisation of this year's Eurovision, KAN, hosted a cocktail reception in Herzliya Marina. All delegations were invited to take part in the welcome photo wall, and were treated to complimentary food and drink.

Tali Eshkoli and the Mayor of Herzliya gave welcome speeches and the audience were then given a concert by a local band who sang all the Israeli winning songs - and then the 4th placed singer from Eurovision 2005, Shiri Maimon performed

It's Malta now! Michela and her "Chameleon", one of this year's bangers, took the stage. The video art is quite amazing. The Maltese got their own LED screens, that closes Michela in half a square. She starts off in her room, she opens the virtual door, and the house is flooded. The water is, of course, part of the video art. It changes to underwaters, to a jungle and eventually to an urban jungle. With Michela are 4 dancers in sweatsuits that dance around, looking very urban and chic. It reminded me a bit of Ace Wilder last performance at the Melodifestivalen with "Wild Child". This will definitely rise up in the betting odds.

Roko is giving his first rehearsal on the stage of Expo Tel Aviv. Vocally he sounds amazing, very accurate and powerful. The performance is over the top; He's wearing a white outfit and starts the song laying on the stage as the LED floor gives him red fiery wings. He slowly gets up and then two shirtless male dancers with golden wings show up, only to rise and fly at the end (to heaven?). One of the wings almost hits Roko in the face. The video art shows heavenly skies. It is then that Roko receives golden wings himself, that I guess helped him hitting that high note at the end.

PÆNDA's performance starts off in black and white. She stands in the center of the stage, surrounded by LED pillars. In the 2nd chorus, the screen changes from black and white to color. The stage is dark throughout the entire song with a burst of light towards the end of it. The Video art is mostly in silver. PÆNDA dressed in black plain clothes. She's really giving it all, with amazing vocals from both her and the backing singers, that are actually complementing each other. I see a final in her future.

Leonora takes the stage for her first rehearsal. It looks almost the same as in the national final. She's wearing a buttoned-up white shirt with suspenders. She sits on that huge chair with two backing vocalists on each side. They sit down throughout the entire performance. In the last chorus, two men join them and on both sides. So we have 5 people sitting, moving their bodies from side to side. The video art is very bright and sunny; There are big rays of the sun and later on white clouds with clear blue skies. The atmosphere is very bubbly, light and happy.