There were sixteen countries competing in the second semi-final of theEurovision 2024, aired on Rai Due Thursday 9 May and who fought to win the ten places still available for the final scheduled for Saturday 11 May. Malta opens, the Netherlands closes, and in the second part of the evening, to upset the Malmo Arena he arrives Angelina Mango which confirms us, with one magnificent performance, who even if he is still a rising star can really aim to conquer the world. But during the evening, some worthy rival of our Angelina, we have identified it. Among the many things that happened in this second evening of music and entertainment, a note cannot be avoided regarding the performance of the Israeli singer, Eden Golan. The complaintsthe whistles, the doubts, everything contributes to breaking the spell of the party and abruptly brings us back to reality, while this singer on stage goes on interpreting her song.
At the end of the evening, the televoting reserves some surprises and the 10 countries to qualify for Saturday’s final are: Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Israel (among applause and boos), Greece, Estonia, Switzerland, Georgia, Armenia.
But let’s see what were the best and least convincing things about this first evening Eurovision 2024 with our report cards.
Eurovision Song Contest 2024, the top moments of the semi-final on Thursday 9 May
Angelina Mango, rating: 9 As Gabriele Corsi comments, we hope to be able to change her name on Saturday, and that Angelina Mango will transform into Angelina Malmo. This very young girl, who only a year ago was the winner of the talent TV show Friendssimply it eats up the stage: she has an impressive stage presence and a capital personality, and when the stage flames arrive at the end of the performance it is already late: she he has already burned everything. It ends with the ovation from the Arena audience who sang his song from start to finish and certainly felt many emotions, but certainly not Boredom! And today was just a taste…
Gabriele Corsi, vote:8 The presenter who is in Sweden to comment on the event, sincerely, took on all the burden of commentary even in this second semi-final. Even though he tries more than once to involve Mara Maionchi, he fails in his attempt and he still has to carry on in solitude. But he does it with enthusiasm, and brings home the evening more than well with her colleague who lights up solely to comment on Angelina’s performance. The distance certainly doesn’t help, we hope to have a real tandem of hosts for the grand finale on Saturday.
Nemo, rating: 8 From Switzerland with fury to sing his The Code, Nemo descends on the Malmo Arena bringing colour, light, talent and ideas. And now that we’ve seen it, it’s no surprise that it’s among the favourites. He sings about his non-binary identity with a fantastic staging that talks about the struggle to recognize himself: irreverent, theatrical, enchanting. Applause.
Marina Satti, vote: 7 with Dice for Greece, we finally see a performance that values more Mediterranean sounds, but reinterpreted in a contemporary way and in their own, beautiful, language. A bit of what we would like to see more of at Eurovision: different roots, reworked and re-proposed in a new way. Good.
Ladaniva, rating:7 The group that comes from Armenia brings a perfect song for Eurovision, sung in their language, with a melody that straddles tradition and kitsch. They have fun and add their flavor to the party, also entertaining the audience who appreciate being involved in the chorus of the chorus. Their Jacob it won’t be the unforgettable song of this edition, but they put on a show and livened up the party.
5MIINUST x Puuluup, rating:7 they are the trashy champions of the evening of Thursday 9 May of the Eurovision Song Contest. The representatives of Estonia, singing (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi they carry a text that speaks, according to what flows on the snake while the performers bustle on stage, of “a police check on the house of suspicious individuals”. But above all they put on a rich and crazy staging. And we will never stop thanking the artists who come on stage to have fun and entertain.
Nebula, rating: 6.5 Corsi presents them as “a sort of Jalisse of Spain”, and with their own Zorra they make the audience sing, who seem to really appreciate a song which however seems to date back to the time of Jalisse’s victory in Sanremo (1997): catchy, lively, but a bit “past-of-the-moment”, even if the irony and stage presence there is. But the Arena audience sings along with Nebulossa at the top of their lungs, so they’re right.
The flops of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Megara, rating: 4 And here it is, the bluff Megara which is revealed. But how strange it is to hear singing San Marino in Spanish, in a performance all noise and dissonance? A chaos without rhyme or reason spiced up with even more chaotic costumes, make-up and choreography. Out now. Honestly, we deserved it Loredana Bertè.
Joost Klein, rating: 5.5 With the song Europewhich Mara Maionchi technically defines as “cute“, the representative of the Netherlands really makes the whole Arena sing. And this confirms to us that the world is beautiful because it is varied. Can we say more than the centered “nice”? At first listening, honestly, no.
Slimane, rating: 5.5 The representative of France sings my love and we breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, we give the vote to the song, not to the singer. If Germany and the UK seen in the first semi-final have fearsome songs and performers, in this other one Big Five we can sleep peacefully. A very soft ballad, a lament without peaks, which honestly seems out of time. Without taking anything away from the singer’s beautiful voice which would perhaps have been more appreciated with a different song.
