Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Wow...just...wow...

I mean...where do I start? I had the honor of sitting in the very first row, within spitting distance of the catwalk and the stage, and right in front of a group from the Icelandic delegation. I was proudly waving the Icelandic flag for a few reasons:
1) They have no OGAE Club of their own, so they fall under the auspices of the Rest of the World division.
2) Iceland is geographically closest to my home country, the United States.
3) They have a great song, simply put!
I was sitting close enough to the action that I could make eye contact with some of the artists and feel the heat of the exploding pyrotechnics. The venue felt vast and intimate at the same time, and I doubt I'll ever have another concert experience quite like it!

Ok, now on to the results:
Some of these winners are not a surprise. We all expected Finland, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Greece to make it through. Opinions were divided on Serbia, Iceland, Georgia, and Hungary. But Lithuania and Switzerland were complete blindsides, with most people expecting Norway and Turkey to possibly pass through to the Final. All bets seem to be off for the Second Semi...expect the unexpected, my friends!

10 comments:

  1. Still grieving over Norway's loss - such a great performance and song. Kati wasn't in great voice tonight, but at least she's through, so I'm happy!

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  2. Hedgie, I agree with you. I really wanted Norway to go through. I was surprised they didn't.

    I surprisingly liked Lithuania in this semi! She sang amazingly well and the song just seemed really good. I think it is strange but it seems like the first 7 songs had technical difficulties, at least it sounded that way. To me, it just sounded like the voices were louder than the actual music and I think that played a great part in the shock surprises. (The first 5 did not make it, which included Turkey, Poland, Armenia, and Norway - all expected to win.) So, I think that was a major player in the winners. I was so happy when Finland was announced. I was so shocked when Serbia was announced! When I watch Eurovision, I keep a tally of all the songs that I think is going to win and not going to win. Serbia was under my "Absolutely no chance to win". Lol I was like "WHAT?"

    I was happy for Lithuania because she really changed my vote for her tonight. If I hadn't watched her then I would have been shocked.

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  3. When I was watching Portugal and I kept saying "Do they really actually believe they are going to make it?" I feel bad for them.

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  4. Sadly, I didn't get to see the show live, as I was about nine hours behind Düsseldorf, here in the United States. So, the first thing I did when I got home, I checked the results, and let out a huge scream when I saw that Iceland, Lithuania and Switzerland got through! Still, I was sad that San Marino, Malta, Norway and Croatia hadn't made it, but still, my numbers one and three made it. Let's hope that the quality of music can be matched by the second semi final. :^)

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  5. Quality is such a subjective concept: what some judge bad sound very good to some others: I felt the happiest when the name "Switzerland" appered on my screen !!! What a delight ! The same feeling for Iceland because their enthusiastic song is contagious. Nevertheless, I did not count them among my favorites before watching them last night. And I just love the Serbian entry, that has a very beautiful, cheerful and joyful retro touch.

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  6. I cast 4 votes for Poland, 3 votes for Lithuania, and 3 votes for Iceland. I was even on the verge of voting for Greece, until I realized that they did not need my vote to get through! Greece, though, can rely on the vote of one of my Finnish friends with whom I spoke today!

    How did you all use your votes?

    -Finland

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  7. I was actually unable to vote, as nobody told me what the numbers to dial here in Germany are! If I could, though, I would have voted for Iceland, Albania, Georgia, and Finland. Switzerland was a shock here, but a deserved one. "In Love for a While" really flew under the radar, but it's a nice, sweet performance that just makes you feel good!

    As for Portugal, they knew going into this that the Finals were a distant dream. They really just wanted to get their message across and have some fun while they were here.

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  8. No worries! Germany could not vote in this semi-final, anyway. Next semi-final is where Germany votes. Last tonight, Spain and United Kingdom voted.

    To vote (at least in Finland), we either text XX to 17163, or call 0700717XX, XX being the slot number of your favourite.

    @ Jack Buck: How was it on your end? Were the numbers the same on your screen? How did you vote?

    -Finland

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  9. I do somewhat agree with the Anonymous poster from 5:24. Quality is more subjective in music than in, for example, fashion. It is easier to point out what works and what does not work on something you can see than on something to which you listen. You cannot throw the term "taste issue", or say "the seam is a little of on that" as freely in music as you can in fashion. I try my best to articulate what works and what does not, and I wish others could do the same without being pedantic and literal about it.

    -Finland

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  10. Stefanos, I voted for Azerbaijan, Finland, and Norway. I really wanted Norway to go through, but, like I said, it was the technical difficulties. I can't believe I was right after sam just posted it now.

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