Kiev 2017: Live-blog Day 10

We are counting down to the first semi final! Tonight at 21:00 CET, Robin Bengtsson from Sweden kicks off the first Eurovision 2017 liveshow. Follow the day here with us.

The show will be live broadcast in all participating countries and on www.eurovision.tv. Team ESCDaily will not liveblog the tv-show however we will provide news articles about the results & running order draw for the Grand Final straight afterwards. Enjoy the contest!

23:20 – That concludes our live-blog

Thank you for reading with us. We have released an article on tonight’s qualifiers HERE along with an article on the qualifiers press conference and draw HERE. Join us again tomorrow for the dress and jury final for semi-final two.

23:04 – Time for the finalists!

Moldova
Azerbaijan
Greece
Sweden
Portugal
Poland
Armenia
Australia
Cyprus
Belgium

23:01 – UK, Italy and Spain are shown clips

Almost results time!

22:47 – Jamala performs twice

We now see last year’s winning singer Jamala who performs an orchestral 1944 with seven backing dancers in pinkish white robes like geishas. Followed by her new single which gets the audience going but it seems it’s perhaps too much Jamala for one show.

22:29 – First recap of the night shown

Hosts return and have another ‘joke’ amongst themselves over who’s the prettiest. We now see the first recap of the night.

22:24 – Latvia remains a mystery for qualification

Triana Park are the most uncertain of tonight’s participants, Europe will either get behind this or not get it at all. The performance is good, albeit slightly theatrical. This could even prove to be “too much even for Eurovision”. But also Europe could really decide to get behind this. Who knows?

22:21 – Slovenia impresses vocally

Omar Naber has been a consistent vocalist and the staging of this is also very impressive, but the only problem seems to be that the song is dated. If people voting go for this, it will be due to his charisma and impressive vocal abilities.

22:16 – Armenia slays the competition

All technical issues have been ironed out and Artsvik has absolutely stolen the show. The performance was captivating and so on point; every camera angle, every note, every firework, every flame. It’s all come together to produce a flawless performance.

22:13 – Hovig awakens audience and proves qualifier material

Cyprus is next and the performance wakes up the audience after the previous too. Performance isn’t perfect in terms of choreography but delivers all it is needed to steal the limelight currently. We’d be shocked if this doesn’t qualify.

22:09 – Czech Republic putting audience to sleep

Martina is next and even though her entry is well produced and fixes a specific niche it’s not suitable for Eurovision. Due to it’s mid-tempo pace it’s doesn’t excite nor captivate the audience despite her good vocals albiet hard European accent.

22:01 – Iceland fails to set the crowd alight

Svala has been from start to finish a professional but unfortunately I feel that this is where the journey ends for Iceland. There’s been some entries tonight that have really got the crowd going and unfortunately after so many of those, despite a stellar vocal, Iceland falls flat.

21:58 – Sunstroke Project get the party going.

Epic sax guy is lighting up the stage and the audience are bringing this one to live. The vocals are holding their own, the dancers are looking good, technically everything has run very smoothly. A great performance.

21:55 – Kasia delivers haunting entry effectively

Poland is up next and Kasia looks great however her postcard shows her better than the performance camera angles. Overall delivers what it provides but whether that is enough for qualification will depend on both support from televoters and juries. She extenders her final note.

21:51 – Greece sorts out their technical issues

Demy is next up and after her jury rehearsal issues all vocal issues have been resolved and we can hear the backing singers alongside her. Overall solid yet not exhilarating performance that will depend on televoters to qualify.

21:46 Portugal stuns in emotional performance

Salvador is absolutely adorable and he nails the vocal. The audience both in the arena and on TV are mesmerised by this. It’s simple yet very effective. A certain qualifier.

21:40 Azerbaijan steal the limelight

The man with the horse head is everything that people will be talking about tomorrow, whether they remember the song or not. Dihaj nails it vocally and it’s also visually stunning.

21:35 Norma John remain consistent

Throughout the entire national final season, Norma John have never faultered vocally the performance and tonight is no exception. As a fan who has seen this performance many times, it’s potentially lost impact, but for voters seeing it for the first time tonight, it’s got that power.

21:31 Montenegro are also improving

Slavko’s performance is another one which is far stronger than it has been in rehearsals. The crowd goes absolutely wild, both in the arena and in the press centre. Absolutely nothing is certain now.

21:26 – Belgium could now qualify

Blanche looks visibly more confident than in previous rehearsals, the fans are really enjoying this, there’s cheers and she’s even cracking a smile. Is this enough to save her?

21:21 – Albania makes Australia look good

Opening shot of Lindita looks quite awkward during multiple shots however the stage doesn’t look great and she does sound good until the large belting notes in which it does lose it’s magic. Australia not looking so bad right about now.

21:18 – Thankfully, no major issues with Isaiah

Isaiah is on-stage and he’s commands the stage with grace and dignity. He seems uncomfortable on-stage and had few vocal slip-ups however he finishes the performance and gains a solid positive reaction in the arena. Overall proving Australia’s right to compete in Eurovision.

21:14 – Georgia hits all the right diva notes

Tamara is up next and all remains as previously mentioned. Vocal issues she previously experienced seem to not be an issue this time. Overall effortless performance and proves she is a diva worth the title. Whether she qualifies will depend on how it fares with televoters.

21:11 – Sweden opens the show in style

Robin Bengtsson shows his professional character as he performs his track. Overall one of his better performances here in Kiev and should qualify no doubt.

21:00 – The show has begun!

We open to Ukrainian Justin Timberlake who performs his single “Spinning”. We are now joined by tonight’s three male hosts. They show better chemistry on-stage than in rehearsals and no hiccups yet. Smooth transition onto Sweden.

20:30 – Thirty minutes to go…

ESCDaily are live in the press centre with thirty minutes to go until semi-final one starts. We’ll be updating it once the show begins.

19:40 – Press center filled with people

Everyone is getting nervous for tonight’s show. More people in here than we’ve seen all week of course. It’s all really going to start now!

19:05 – LESS THAN TWO HOURS!

Thunder and lightning, it’s getting exciting.

18:48 – How are you gonna dress up tonight?

18:20 – Demy is ready

18:02 – Less than three hours!

Are you ready yet?

17:54 – Check out the jury rehearsal coverage

Yesterday, the professional juries voted on the second dress rehearsal. 50% of the votes are already in! Check out our review of the show yesterday night here!

17:23 – DiHaj explains the meaning of her act

Many people tonight will still be wondering what the Azeri act is really all about. A chalk board? A man with a horse mask? Check out DiHaj’s explanation!

16:44 – Jean Baptiste speaks about her four acts

Three of the four participants that she staged, take part in tonight’s semi final. Read more in our article.

16:00 – In five hours from now…

15:49 – Isaiah & Anja have finally met each other

The two Australian artists spoke to the press at a meet & greet organized by Danish broadcaster DR. Check out our article about their meeting.

15:24 – Norma John asks for votes

15:00 – Six hours to go!

And that means that it is now time for the third dress rehearsal in Kiev. ESCDaily will not be blogging those shows, but feel free to read back our liveblogs from yesterday’s dress rehearsals:

Dress Rehearsal 1

Dress Rehearsal 2 (Jury Show)

14:39 – Belgium plans for 2018

A few hours before Blanche takes part for Belgium in the first semi final of Eurovision 2017, the Flemish broadcaster already reveals its plans for next year. Commentator Peter Van de Veire confirms to Songfestival.be that broadcaster VRT will select internally.

Read more HERE.

14:18 – Julia Zemiro wishes Isaiah best of luck

14:02 – “Hard to say if we will get another shock exit”

Last year, the first semi final gave a shocking result with two countries breaking their 100% qualification record. In Daily Coffee, Dennis van Eersel discusses with Neil MacInnes and Steef van Gorkum whether this could happen again.

13:37 – Norway replaces one of their jurors

News from last night: Norway has to replace a juror because of negative comments he made about the Irish Eurovision entry. Read more about these comments in our article.

13:28 – Start of the blog

We’re gonna count down to the liveshows here on ESC Daily, bringing you all the news of today in the process!