ESC United - Rehearsal and Live Show discussion megathread

[Sean]

It's time for the rehearsals to finally get underway for Eurovision 2024 at Malmö Arena! 37 countries will begin their preparations for this year's contest today, with over two weeks of coverage to come from the ESC United team on the ground!

The schedule for rehearsals is below (thank you Eurovisionworld! All times in CEST);

You can check out Matt's pre-rehearsal live stream below in case you missed it;

DAY ONE

Eurovision 2024 Rehearsals - Day 1 Round-Up Live Stream

Join Matt and his team as they discuss the rehearsals of the day and answer your questions. The first dress rehearsal is closed to the press so we'll be here...

www.youtube.com

The team will be on hand to cover everything going on in Malmö over the coming weeks, so make sure to follow ESC United on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and YouTube and Twitch to not miss a minute!

Please also use this thread for any rehearsal coverage and discussion, including for jury shows, dress rehearsals and the live shows!​

 

[Sammy]

On a completely different topic.
How did you find Loreens performance in the GF?

I have to say, that I've never seen something as boring and artificial / soulless as this "visit at a galactic gynecologist" (© Austrian commentator Andy Knoll on ORF). It felt like 20 minutes watching Loreen making the same three movements over and over again, the most captivating things (for the first 10 seconds or so) being her finger nails. Even the songs felt like and endless repetition of the same melody fragments. It was my personal disappointment of the whole week and if you want to roast me for that - I can take it.

 

[jatojo]

On a completely different topic.
How did you find Loreens performance in the GF?

I have to say, that I've never seen something as boring and artificial / soulless as this "visit at a galactic gynecologist" (© Austrian commentator Andy Knoll on ORF). It felt like 20 minutes watching Loreen making the same three movements over and over again, the most captivating things (for the first 10 seconds or so) being her finger nails. Even the songs felt like and endless repetition of the same melody fragments. It was my personal disappointment of the whole week and if you want to roast me for that - I can take it.

It was pro Palestine activists who had put glue on the seat. She should have left it after ten seconds.

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

On a completely different topic.
How did you find Loreens performance in the GF?

I have to say, that I've never seen something as boring and artificial / soulless as this "visit at a galactic gynecologist" (© Austrian commentator Andy Knoll on ORF). It felt like 20 minutes watching Loreen making the same three movements over and over again, the most captivating things (for the first 10 seconds or so) being her finger nails. Even the songs felt like and endless repetition of the same melody fragments. It was my personal disappointment of the whole week and if you want to roast me for that - I can take it.

I thought it was dreadful. She is capable of delivering so much better.

 

[GermanBango]

"All the artists were so toxic mimimi." The whining of a certain delegation always reminds me of this saying: "If you meet more than three assholes a day then the chances are high that you are actually the problem and not the others"

 

[AlekS]

Israeli Channel 12 (hosted the national selection) will air satirical show episode about Eurovision.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790459437406204390

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790399601607917696

 

[GermanBango]

Not the two forum clowns who always cry about Eden being allegedly bullied by the other artists thinking this segment is "fire".
This totally unfunny bit is perfectly showing the approach KAN went for this year: Harassing, mocking and attacking the other artists for criticizing the lunatics of the Israeli government. Yet I still haven't seen any of the other artists coming for Miss Eden as a person. So who is the bully here? Hmmm.

 

[Lumina]

Well, after all she had to endure, she should do whatever she feels like! She‘s „good to go“ Apart from that, it’s not her, unlike Martina or Joost or Bambie themselves, but a broadcaster.

 

[GermanBango]

Well, after all she had to endure, she should do whatever she feels like! She‘s „good to go“ Apart from that, it’s not her, unlike Martina or Joost or Bambie themselves, but a broadcaster.

Double standards it is then. That's what I thought. Again none of the artists came for her as a person. None of the other broadcasters came for her either. Nobody was against her participation - they were against the participation of a country whose government is committing human rights violations as we speak and who gets full propaganda support by the respective broadcaster while doing so.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the thought of such a segment being produced by any other broadcaster mocking Eden in it. Israel would go nuts.

 

[lacrymea]

"All the artists were so toxic mimimi." The whining of a certain delegation always reminds me of this saying: "If you meet more than three assholes a day then the chances are high that you are actually the problem and not the others"

Watched the whole thing. Such a treat, thank you for posting

(Didn't know the saying, makes so much sense)

 

[Sammy]

"All the artists were so toxic mimimi." The whining of a certain delegation always reminds me of this saying: "If you meet more than three assholes a day then the chances are high that you are actually the problem and not the others"

Well, the members of the squad would be nice to each other, woudn't they?

On the other hand:

"the amount of pressure and the amount of work that we have been doing behind the scenes to change things"

what does she mean by that? - her activism against Israel in all forms

and a little bit later:

"I'm so proud that all of us (=the ones she agitated with) are in the top 10, that have been fighting for this shit behind the scenes"

Of course they hug each other.

But that video also shows: She wasn't here for the music, she was here to make her whole time there a political action. Who's now turning the contest into a polit-show? Hmmmm.

And it's not that one had to act in this way like it was some sort of natural law that the presence of Israel launched. Others handled the situation without twisting themselves but still maintaining decency and good manners.

Final remark: I always mistrust people who claim for themselves to be the "true" ones, "the real" ones and exclude others from a community. What are her last words in the video? "I just wanna say: We (=her and her squad) are, what die Eurovision is, the EBU is not what the Eurovision is."

The amount of arrogance is mindblowing.

No, my dear - Eurovision is faaaaaaaaaaaaar bigger than you.

(The reason why I use she/her for Bambie here is to make the difference between the person and the group, she's talking about)

 

[GermanBango]

Well, the members of the squad would be nice to each other, woudn't they?

On the other hand:

"the amount of pressure and the amount of work that we have been doing behind the scenes to change things"

what does she mean by that? - her activism against Israel in all forms

and a little bit later:

"I'm so proud that all of us (=the ones she agitated with) are in the top 10, that have been fighting for this shit behind the scenes"

Of course they hug each other.

But that video also shows: She wasn't here for the music, she was here to make her whole time there a political action. Who's now turning the contest into a polit-show? Hmmmm.

And it's not that one had to act in this way like it was some sort of natural law that the presence of Israel launched. Look at how Slimane handled the situation without twisting himself but still maintaining decency and good manners.

Final remark: I always mistrust people who claim for themselves to be the "true" ones, "the real" ones and exclude others from a community. What are her last words in the video: "I just wanna say: We (=her and her squad) are, what die Eurovision is, the EBU is not what the Eurovision is."

The amount of arrogance is mindblowing.

No, my dear - Eurovision is faaaaaaaaaaaaar bigger than you.

I always mistrust people who misgender others. So here we are, I guess.

They actually said in the video that was first published after the final what/who exactly they meant by "we are what Eurovision really is" - the fans and the artists. Which is completely correct.

Edit: Also the video I posted pretty much showed most of this year's artists interacting with each other in a positive way. Not just the so called "squad".

 

[Sammy]

I always mistrust people who misgender others. So here we are, I guess.

They actually said in the video that was first published after the final what/who exactly they meant by "we are what Eurovision really is" - the fans and the artists. Which is completely correct.

you didn't read my little comment on the pronouns, but yeah - I know misgendering is unforgivable. Bullying on the other hand... not so much.
And no - the context of this video makes it clear that THEY mean: We (all the anti-israeli-squad who fought so hard and who are the ones in the right) are Eurovision. Because THEY mean a specific group of artists and a specific group of fans.

Funnily enough - no comments on the core meaning of my post? THEY being the ones who proudly present THEMselves as political activist misusing the context?

Edit: on your video: yes you're right - when I watched it, it froze for some reason after the first section so I oversaw the rest. You have a point here.

 

[GermanBango]

you didn't read my little comment on the pronouns, but yeah - I know misgendering is unforgivable. Bullying on the other hand... not so much.
And no - the context of this video makes it clear that THEY mean: We (all the anti-israeli-squad who fought so hard and who are the ones in the right) are Eurovision. Because THEY mean a specific group of artists and a specific group of fans.

They pretty much clarified who they meant and it's clearly not who you think it is.

Edit: No worries.

 

[Sammy]

They pretty much clarified who they meant and it's clearly not who you think it is.

Sorry, I haven't seen a clarification and what I saw in this video and also in one on irish TV before the contest is very clear to me.
Also - saying it's the fans and the artists doesn't contradiction. The distinction between the artists who should be and those who shouldn't be there is in that very spirit of exclusion.

Again - you're avoiding my core point.

 

[GermanBango]

Sorry, I haven't seen a clarification and what I saw in this video and also in one on irish TV before the contest is very clear to me.
Also - saying it's the fans and the artists doesn't contradiction. The distinction between the artists who should be and those who shouldn't be there is in that very spirit of exclusion.

Again - you're avoiding my core point.

Am I though? I said multiple times already that the protest and the criticism (at least of the artists and large parts of the fans) was not directed at Eden at all. They were not against her competing at Eurovision, they were against a nationalist government and it's broadcaster using Eurovision to weave a narrative of "oh we are the poor victims in all of this but we are not doing anything. Everyone just hates us". Did she in some sense become the face of that? Absolutely. Is that nice and fair? No it is not. But I fear that is something that KAN sadly counted on.
That's the thing that keeps making me really angry tbh. Fans, artists and delegations who dared to open their mouths are getting labels attached to them that just (as far as we know) are not correct. It’s actually a very common tactic to discredit the opponent and it’s being very commonly used by extremist politicians. If Eurovision as a whole was so "anti-Israel" then how come Israel did successfully participate for decades without the majority of the fandom and other competitors being against it all this time. In fact some Israeli entries of the past are dearly beloved by fans. Just look at last year for example: Noa came third and was well received by large parts of the fandom. As far as I know there also was nothing negative going on with other artists. My point is: (at least the sane) People had nothing against Eden as a person/artist hence why the "bullying"-argument falls flat on its face.

 

[Looren]

"All the artists were so toxic mimimi." The whining of a certain delegation always reminds me of this saying: "If you meet more than three assholes a day then the chances are high that you are actually the problem and not the others"

Thanks for posting this, truly heartwarming video

 

[Lumina]

Stop pretending some artists weren’t bullying Eden. Actions on the press conference were directly towards Eden.

And I have said from the beginning that Bambie is a troublemaker. I can’t believe people stan them for their „lovely“ behavior. If they like their artsy performance - ok. Not my cup but I can get behind it. But her agenda to spread pro-Palestine propaganda and making other artists follow her like her own little cult, that’s disgusting.

Sammy is right. From the beginning it wasn’t about their music, it was all about them desperately trying to have their 15 mins of fame and make it all about their special non-binary club. Full of arrogance.
Not that it isn’t for a good cause, I support that. But the way they did that. Ruining Nemo‘s winning performance by taking a spot in the picture, having him wearing a black crown of thorns… not everyone wanted to see that.

All the complaining artists could have said: I condemn the actions of the Israeli government but that has nothing to do with Eden.

Fortunately there were other bubbles too but they didn’t took the spotlight for themselves. Eden was included in those. Tali - Silia - Slimane - Nutsa and Eden had a connection. I don’t know if someone else was in this bubble.
Kaleen and Nutsa were the ones clapping FOR Eden in that atrocious press conference when she answered that everyone could feel save there.
Tali and Eden had pictures together, so did Silia and Eden.
Nutsa and Silia were hanging out together. Slimane and Tali (and Israelian in favor of the IDF) hung out together and collaborated, made a song together.
Slimane had a speech about peace, that EVERY country wants to be at Eurovision to sing about love. Eden was included in this, he worded his speech on purpose.
Isaak just said in a livestream (half an hour ago) Eden was held back far away from the others most of the time but he had some contact to her once in a while. Not much but he did. He said nice things about Eden and sent love to Israel. So yes, Eden WAS loved by other contestants there who didn’t felt uncomfortable or unsafe AT ALL!
On the other side, Tali said in an interview, that „it was for the best that Joost was removed“. Maybe she knows more or has seen more of the not so lovely side of Joost that all of you don’t know!!

All these accusations of the delegations (funnily of those who didn’t do well at Eurovision) are just ONE part, only THEIR side. There are other contestants who could enjoy the contest „despite“ Eden.

Sorry but that Thug-bubble is full of whiny ppl who can’t cope with their unsuccessful results at Eurovision!
Nemo excluded! He‘s a genuinely good person and you can see he tries to stay neutral as much as he can without giving up his opinion on the Gaza war.

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

Stop pretending some artists weren’t bullying Eden. Actions on the press conference were directly towards Eden.

And I have said from the beginning that Bambie is a troublemaker. I can’t believe people stan them for their „lovely“ behavior. If they like their artsy performance - ok. Not my cup but I can get behind it. But her agenda to spread pro-Palestine propaganda and making other artists follow her like her own little cult, that’s disgusting.

Sammy is right. From the beginning it wasn’t about their music, it was all about them desperately trying to have their 15 mins of fame and make it all about their special non-binary club. Full of arrogance.
Not that it isn’t for a good cause, I support that. But the way they did that. Ruining Nemo‘s winning performance by taking a spot in the picture, having him wearing a black crown of thorns… not everyone wanted to see that.

All the complaining artists could have said: I condemn the actions of the Israeli government but that has nothing to do with Eden.

Fortunately there were other bubbles too but they didn’t took the spotlight for themselves. Eden was included in those. Tali - Silia - Slimane - Nutsa and Eden had a connection. I don’t know if someone else was in this bubble.
Kaleen and Nutsa were the ones clapping FOR Eden in that atrocious press conference when she answered that everyone could feel save there.
Tali and Eden had pictures together, so did Silia and Eden.
Nutsa and Silia were hanging out together. Slimane and Tali (and Israelian in favor of the IDF) hung out together and collaborated, made a song together.
Slimane had a speech about peace, that EVERY country wants to be at Eurovision to sing about love. Eden was included in this, he worded his speech on purpose.
Isaak just said in a livestream (half an hour ago) Eden was held back far away from the others most of the time but he had some contact to her once in a while. Not much but he did. He said nice things about Eden and sent love to Israel. So yes, Eden WAS loved by other contestants there who didn’t felt uncomfortable or unsafe AT ALL!
On the other side, Tali said in an interview, that „it was for the best that Joost was removed“. Maybe she knows more or has seen more of the not so lovely side of Joost that all of you don’t know!!

All these accusations of the delegations (funnily of those who didn’t do well at Eurovision) are just ONE part, only THEIR side. There are other contestants who could enjoy the contest „despite“ Eden.

Sorry but that Thug-bubble is full of whiny ppl who can’t cope with their unsuccessful results at Eurovision!
Nemo excluded! He‘s a genuinely good person and you can see he tries to stay neutral as much as he can without giving up his opinion on the Gaza war.

Re that bubble. I thought Marina Satti was beyond immature. I've gone off Bambie a bit, being honest. I think she went too far on the political stuff (like the interview saying she cried when Israel qualified, and carrying a plushie watermelon around the press room). I think Nemo is lovely.

I want to hear more from delegations who HAVEN'T spoken up yet. Did they feel safe?

 

[GermanBango]

Well the artists in question made it very clear in their initial statement (which was released in March already btw) what their intentions are and why they feel like Israel should not participate this year. It was very respectfully written and considered both sides of the conflict. Yet they got shitloads of hate for it (talking about bullying and harassment). Why do y’all keep ignoring that?

 

[GermanBango]

Re that bubble. I thought Marina Satti was beyond immature. I've gone off Bambie a bit, being honest. I think she went too far on the political stuff (like the interview saying she cried when Israel qualified, and carrying a plushie watermelon around the press room). I think Nemo is lovely.

I want to hear more from delegations who HAVEN'T spoken up yet. Did they feel safe?

Yea that would indeed be interesting though I doubt that we will hear anything soon. I suppose they all need some well deserved holidays now. Just like all of us fans as well, I suppose.