Yesterday was a huge first day in the Eurovision arena, with the first 10 artists taking to the stage for the first rehearsals. Today we’ve got the next round of artists from the first semi-final, and it features some of the contest favourites! Here’s the action from Day 2!
Austria
Austria are one of our favourites for the year, so the expectations are high for his performance. Upon seeing the rehearsals, Austria is very much in contention for a strong qualification position, and perhaps a spot in the Top 5.
Visuals:
Wow, this is incredible. Within the first few seconds, the stage is dark and we see only Cesar’s face illuminated. We see Cesar on a raised platform that is more triangular in shape, and he is standing in the centre. On this platform all around the sides are lights in a natural yellow light, and I cannot describe how incredible it looks. The platform returns back to just above stage level, and Cesar jumps off and works the front part of the stage.
He comes across as natural and authentic, and it’s coming across very well on camera. Perhaps some of the camera angles could be adjusted, and a movement across the stage and up the stairs could be adjusted to feel more necessary to the performance. We also see a projection of Cesar on the stage as the camera is extremely zoomed out on him, and it totally suits the overall performance.
Costuming:
It’s truly 50 shades of grey for Austria this year, with different textures of grey material varying from his long sleeve top to his pants. The top half of his outfit is a faux leather, which bounces the light, and then into a t-shirt material. It looks good, it’s simple, but for the song it’s completely suitable.
Vocals:
As expected, he is a true vocal powerhouse. First run through was perhaps a bit shaky, but he works his way into the song well. By the second run through, any doubt was completely erased and it truly impressive. The backing artists back him up well, and give out that gospel feel to the song that we love. This is impressive.
