ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 2 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Greece, Finland, Armenia, Switzerland, Ireland and Cyprus.
We’re streaming live from the press centre
Furthermore, read our handy guide for a more detailed look at this contest’s rehearsal schedule.
In addition, for our immediate reactions to every single rehearsal, you can follow our live stream from the press centre at the Altice Arena by visiting our YouTube channel.
The final artist to rehearse is Eleni Foureira. We have just watched their first run through of Fuego live on screen for Cyprus and here is our initial reaction.
Staging
Four female backing dancers, LOTS of hair flipping and extremely energetic, sultry dancing. There were tons of “Woooooooooow!”s from the press centre. It starts with a Eleni’s silhouette against laseres which immediately grabs your attention. There’s lots of visual effects being overlayed on screen, clouds with lightning appearing at the sides, flames shooting out from Eleni…..the whole press centre is just in absolute awe at how amazing this is. This could very easily get top 5 – that was unbelievably good!
Vocals
She managed to hold her vocals exceptionally through the dancing, although she seems to struggle slightly at the start. It’s bizarre – dancing and high notes she’s great at, but standing still she seems to struggle. The backing vocals, which there were few of, worked perfectly and were in complete harmony. She just needs to work on singing whilst NOT dancing.
Costumes
Our first thoughts about the outfit were….what on Earth?!? It’s a sort of gold glittery bodysuit, with a transparent stomach area and leather sleeves. When the cameras zoomed in though, it looked great. The backing dancers are wearing a similar creation but in black, and it all works well with Eleni clearly being the star of this.
Watch the rehearsal!
That’s it for rehearsals on Day 2 here in Lisbon! If you want to know what to expect to see tomorrow, you can check out our rehearsal schedule here. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our live stream from the press centre for instant reactions to each rehearsal.
