From 21:00 CEST onwards this evening, the semi-final 2 dress rehearsal for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest will take place. The 17 participants will perform on stage where the jury members will once again rank each of the entries from the night, having a 50% say in the final results.
Here at ESCToday, we will be bringing you all of the latest news from the dress rehearsal, live from the Wiener Stadthalle.
The show opens with a recap of Tuesday night’s first semi-final, before the 3 hosts go on to enter the arena. The 17 participating acts then walk across the bridge to go from the greenroom to the stage.
01 Lithuania
Conchita Wurst opens the night of performances by introducing this year’s first act from Lithuania. The Lithuanian duo, Monika and Vaidas, bring lotd of energy to the Eurovision stage and have good connection. Lots of colour fills the stage, with the duo going in for a kiss halfway through the performance.
02 Ireland
Molly Sterling is next to take to the Eurovision stage today with her entry Playing with numbers. The performance brings a calm atmosphere to the arena. A golden forest appears in the background behind Molly and her 5 backing performers, with a light shining through the trees.
03 San Marino
Next on the stage are the youngest participants from this year’s competition, Anita and Michele. The vocals grew stronger towards the end of the performance following a shaky start. The duo perform in front of the globe which turns throughout the performance.
04 Montenegro
Knez is next to take to the Eurovision stage with 5 backing vocalists. The performance was strong vocally throughout, with excellent use of the LED backing screens, as well as the animation of the ground. Knex received a positive response from the crowd.
05 Malta
Next is Malta’s representative is Amber with her entry Warrior. Amber’s vocals have improved since the initial rehearsals and a good use of pyrotechnics is used. The background that appears is similar to that of Conchita’s Rise like a phoenix performance from last year’s show, with flames bursting into what looks like wings.
A break follows Amber’s performance, with a first chat to the semi-final participants with Conchita. Conchita firstly talks to San Marino’s representatives, followed by Ireland’s Molly Sterling.
06 Norway
The Norwegian duo is next on stage with their entry A monster like me. Mørland begins the performance with very simplistic staging. The camera then turns to the crowd, all of whom are waving lights and swaying from side to side. Debrah then joins Mørland, with lights shining brightly during the big note of the Norwegian entry. The song receives the best crowd reaction of the night so far.
07 Portugal
Leonor, Portugal’s representative, is next on stage. Plenty of lights are used on stage throughout the performance. Leonor has steady vocals throughout, with use of the wind machine towards the end of the performance.
08 Czech Republic
The Czech duo take to the stage following Portugal’s performance. Strong and powerful vocals are performed throughout the show, with Marta taking off and throwing her shoes during the key change, much to the crowds delight. The duo have a strong connection on stage together and is clearly visible throughout.
09 Israel
Nadav Guedj is next on the stage with a highly-energetic performance. Nadav performs alongside 3 backing dancers and 2 backing vocalists, all of whom come together at the end of the performance to dance to the song. The stages lights up in a mixture of red and golden colours, and towards the end of the performance and selfie of all of the stage performers is presented. The crowds erupts with applause at the end of the performance.
10 Latvia
Aminata is next onstage with her entry Love injected. Aminata’s is different and stands out with all of the beams being used in the background. Aminata brings across an essence of Björk throughout her performance, with an alternative edge. Aminata hits the high notes throughout the performance.
11 Azerbaijan
Elnur takes the Eurovision stage with the Hour of the wolf. A twilight set with smoking machines and a backdrop features a solar eclipse and two dancers perform acrobatic show around Elnur who stands in th emiddle of the stage throughout the whole performance. Vocally, no mistakes where noticed.
12 Iceland
Maria is next onstage tonight with her entry Unbroken. Maria walks to the front of the stage with gold of her feet, with golden footprints appearing across the floor of the stage. The Northern Lights appear on the backing screen adding colour to the performance. The big note at the end of the song wasn’t hit as well as in rehearsals, but Maria ended the show well.
Another break follows Iceland’s performance, with Conchita going ahead and talking to the Norwegian and Portuguese representatives.
13 Sweden
Måns is next on the Eurovision stage this evening with his entry Heroes. The whole performance itself is pretty much the same to that of his Melodifestivalen performance, the only different being the newly created animated person. During the second part of the performance, Måns was not directly in the correct position with the animations, but it was quickly changed and he ended on a high.
14 Switzerland
Switzerland’s representative Melanie is next onstage this evening. Four drummers appear onstage with Melanie who begin the Swiss performance. Melanie begins by wearing what seems like a long black dress onstage, before she throws it off behind her revealing a white sparkling dress. The performance with the LED background is somewhat haunting, but changes towards the end of the performance.
15 Cyprus
Taking to the stage next is John Karagiannis along with his entry One thing I should have done. The performance begins in black and white, with John performing underneath a single spotlight in the center of the stage. Halfway through, the cameras changes and a burst of colours appears behind the Cypriot singer. The performance throughout is strong vocally.
16 Slovenia
Maraaya take to the stage next alongside their backing air-violinist. The violinist has numerous lights on her arms, making her stand out at the start of the performance during the dimmed lights. The performance itself is not too dissimilar to that of their national selection performance at EMA. Lights flash in the background to the beat of the music, with flashing white lights appearing during the last air-violinist solo at the end.
17 Poland
Monika is the last artists of the night to take to the stage with her entry In the name of love. Monika wears a long white down which flows down to the ground. Blossom trees feature on the LED background with pink silk ribbons. Flashbacks of Monika performing before her accident appear on screens around the arena in black and white. Monika’s vocals grow stronger throughout the performance.
The performances of the night come to a conclusion, and the 3 hosts opening the voting where a recap is played.
The voting closes following a second recap of tonight’s performances, and the dummy qualifiers are revealed shortly afterwards. The dummy qualifiers do not reflect on tomorrow’s results in any way.
The dummy qualifiers were as follows:
- Czech Republic
- Azerbaijan
- Montenegro
- Malta
- Ireland
- Cyprus
- Norway
- Poland
- San Marino
- Israel
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Due to sound problems during Portugal’s initial performance, Leonor was given the opportunity to perform her song again at the end of the show.
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