Eurovision 2018 | Day 6: The big 5 and Portugal take to the stage for the first time!
Today we saw the big 5 and host country Portugal take to the stage for their first rehearsals!
Let's see how they did!
Portugal
Cláudia and Isaura delivered a very intimate performance of "O Jardim" on stage. The staging is very simple, yet effective, showing lots of close up shots of Cláudia as she brings the message of the song to life through her performance. She is connecting very well with the camera and the audience. Isaura is no longer sitting down for the performance, and she interacts very well with Cláudia as she moves around the stage.
Both Cláudia and Isaura delivered a very good vocal performance. Throughout all of their rehearsals, they nailed their vocals and their voices blend very well together to create a beautiful sound on stage. They both appeared to be very confident up on stage, which was reflected throughout their performances.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom are giving us tunnel vision with SuRie's performance! SuRie can be seen standing alone on stage underneath a tunnel of light panels. The lights are constantly changing and it makes for a very visually appealing performance. The colour scheme for her performance is focused on the pink and purple colours, with SuRie wearing similar colours.
Unlike her national final performance, SuRie has a hand held microphone, giving her the freedom to move around more, something which she does very well. She makes good use of the stage and of the tunnel of light panels, which she interacts with very well.
SuRie's vocals started off very strong, but appeared to weaken as the rehearsals went on, possibly as a way to save her voice. She is joined on stage by hidden backing vocalists. All of their voices blend very well together and they sound good together.
Spain
Alfred and Amaia gave a very intimate and loving performance. They have ditched the pianos they had at Operación Triunfo and it is just the two of them alone on stage. Amaia was all dressed in white whilst Alfred was looking very smart in a maroon coloured suit. The beginning of the performance sees them standing at opposite ends of the stage before slowly walking towards each other and finally embracing each other.
Alfred and Amaia delivered a very strong vocal performance and it was clear to see that they have worked really hard on their singing in the run up to Eurovision. Their voices sounded very good both in their solo parts and when they were singing together, and their harmonies sounded really good as well.
Germany
Michael Schulte stands alone on stage as we see lots of images and text coming up behind him. Despite being alone on stage, Michael has a lot of stage presence and manages to fill the stage and the arena very well with his performance.
Michael delivered a very strong vocal performance, and his vocals remained strong and solid throughout all of his rehearsals. His vocals filled the arena very well.
Italy
Ermal and Fabrizio were alone on stage, both standing next to each other in the middle of the stage. Towards the end of the song, they both went up onto the bridge walkway at both sides of the stage. Throughout their performance, we can see the lyrics of their song in various different languages appear on the screen, similar to their official video, which works very well and is very effective.
Both Ermal and Fabrizio gave very strong vocals on stage, both in their solo parts and when the sing together.
France
France were the last of the big 5 up on stage today. They have kept their outfits and staging very similar to what we saw at the national final, with both of them dressed all in black, with a touch of red. Their staging is very simple, yet effective with Madame Monseuir working the stage very well. For the majority of their performance, they are stood in the middle of the stage, before making good use of the walkway bridges and ending their performance at the front of the stage.
They both delivered a very good and very strong vocal performance and appeared very confident up on stage.
So that's a wrap for day 6 of the rehearsals! Don't forget to follow us on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and join us on our Lisbon journey!
