{"id":1257,"date":"2015-05-20T18:23:09","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T17:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/?p=1257"},"modified":"2015-05-21T00:38:50","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T23:38:50","slug":"i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2015\/05\/20\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\/","title":{"rendered":"I have confidence in the &#8216;Big 7&#8217;&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Well we were up and at \u2018em first thing today, arriving at the arena for the second rehearsal of the \u2018big seven\u2019 \u2013 expanded this year to include guest country Australia. I haven\u2019t seen any of the previous rehearsals, so it was good to finally be in the arena in the standing area at the front, to see the artists do their thing.<\/p>\n<p>Like I mentioned yesterday, the press centre is much busier this year (this was 10.00am!)&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/wedpresss-e1432139792380.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1266\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/wedpresss-1024x617.png\" alt=\"wedpresss\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" \/><\/a>The stage looks great in its various settings&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/areana7-e1432139481468.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1262\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/areana7-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"areana7\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a>Entering the arena towards the end of <strong>Italy\u2019s <\/strong>rehearsal, it sounded very good, the backdrop looks stunning, and Il Volo are suitably suited and booted. It\u2019s currently second favourite with the bookies. I like the \u201cpopera\u201d sound, and if you like a pop-opera crossover, like the similarly named (but ever so slightly older) Il Divo, then you will like this. I do, very much. The only issue I have with it is that full track (at 3 mins 40 seconds) has had to be cut back to three minutes, and some of the magic of the full version is lost. That said, if you\u2019re hearing it for the first time then it\u2019s all good, I guess. Back in 2011 France were the hot favourites with a similarly popera entry, and it didn\u2019t do well. That was mainly because the male vocalist hit the wrong pitch from the start, and never really recovered (you could see the fear in his eyes!). Luckily, Il Volo will have no such worries \u2013 strength in numbers! Musketeers and all that\u2026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/italy-e1432139399498.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1265\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/italy-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"italy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Il Volo - Grande Amore (Italy) Impression of 2nd Rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GhIwK9sOphI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Next up, Edurne for <strong>Spain<\/strong>. So much more than a frock and a wind machine for their staging of \u201cAmanecer\u201d. The song has flourishes of Madonna\u2019s \u201cFrozen\u201d throughout, and is suitably epic. In the final this and Russia may count each other out slightly, but Edurne\u2019s not giving up without a fight! Indeed, there is a rather interesting frock which will be discarded at some point in the proceedings, as will the male backing dancer\u2019s top! It\u2019s all very passionate, and there is an impressive section where Edurne is flung around by the backing dancer, and yet somehow her vocal remains impeccable! She\u2019s got a strong core for sure! I hope it does well. Spain have found their niche in previous years, and songs and performances such as this have proved popular.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/spain-e1432139518993.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1260\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/spain-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"spain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Edurne- Amanecer (Spain) Impression of Second Rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lo54opM8Eg8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>France<\/strong> is increasingly fancied in the press centre, and with the bookies. I think a bit of it is the effect of the euro-bubble. I\u2019m not sure it will do as well as some expect. That said, the staging is visually very strong and Lisa Angell has a great set of pipes. What was great about her time on stage today was that, a) she only did a run-through twice (with most other countries doing three or four during their twenty minute slot), and b) she thanked all the technical staff for making her feel wonderful. Such generosity of spirit in a field of divas was probably very well received by the technical team.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/france-e1432139534324.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1259\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/france-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"france\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lisa Angell - N&#039;oubliez Pas (France) Impression of Second Rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XU386NvAaWQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ann Sophie, representing <strong>Germany<\/strong>, was the surprise ticket for her home country. The original artist who was selected by the German public changed his mind on hearing that he had won, and so a slightly bemused Ann Sophie took his place. This was a very slick rehearsal, and she does a cracking vocal and confidently sashaying on stage. The backing singers are supporting her with great harmonies, and \u201cBlack Smoke\u201d is a catchy pop song. I hope that Ann Sophie\u2019s confident performance wins over the viewing public and national juries.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/germ-e1432139425249.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1264\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/germ-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"germ\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ann Sophie - Black Smoke (Germany) Impressions of second rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GC-_rDjawdg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Australia<\/strong> have been invited to take part this year, as part of the 60<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary celebrations. As you might know, the ESC is hugely popular down under, and every year it is broadcast \u2018as live\u2019 the following evening in Australia \u2013 they even televote for their own amusement! This year they are active participants, and popular with the bookies. It\u2019s a good song, and Guy Sebastian is another fine vocalist. Reminiscent for me of Denmark\u2019s Bruno Marrs sound-alike, Basim. It\u2019ll do well, but I really hope it doesn\u2019t win, as I don\u2019t really like the gimmick. In the event that they do win, originally I was led to believe that the country that finishes as runner-up would host next year. Now I understand that it will be held in Germany.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/oz-e1432139548176.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1258\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/oz-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"oz\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a>(we had retired to the press centre, as there was a break in rehearsals, so I only watched this on the big screen :D)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again (Australia) Impression of second rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hah8d1nGpO4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Host country <strong>Austria<\/strong> have a familiar sounding song to represent them this year \u2013 and the hometown advantage should buoy The Makemakes. There was a brilliant moment this morning on Austrian breakfast television, where the presenters, one by one, gathered around a piano to sing the song, and were later joined by lead singer, Dodo. All such fun for that time in the morning! I can\u2019t imagine BBC Breakfast doing something similar! Great stuff from Austria this year. Where&#8217;s my hat and my hipster hair&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/austria-e1432139447159.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1263\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/austria-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"austria\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Makemakes - I Am Yours (Austria) Impression of Second Rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2dzJUdt2ZCA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And, finally the <strong>United Kingdom<\/strong> were also on stage today. Electro Velvet did four performances, and got more polished with each turn. I gotta say that I don\u2019t think that it\u2019s our worst ever UK entry, as some have suggested. I think Josh Dubovie in 2010 was much worse, and Daz Sampson in 2006 was total cringe, and don\u2019t get me started on Scooch in 2007! I do like listening to the song in the car, in the office, etc. It\u2019s got as few good hooks, for me \u2013 if somewhat bizarre lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>However, (repeating a phrase I have used all week), the staging is a bit of a hot mess. Yes, do the flapping and retro stuff, but don\u2019t wrap it up with sparkly, flashing neon frocks. It\u2019s all a bit too fussy. To repeat, I really like the song \u2013 my Dad even thinks that it\u2019s going to win &#8211; but my hunch is that this package (song and performance) might cause it to fall flat, and unfortunately struggle out of the bottom five in the final. I am ever the optimist, as you know, but I haven\u2019t emailed John Cater this week to set a bet that it will get into the top ten. And I\u2019m not even going to do a Paddy Ashdown either way (top or bottom). Still, time for some tweaks, so let\u2019s see, and remain ever hopeful that the performers are not made to feel like a national embarrassment &#8211; because they do deserve better than that.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/uk-e1432139501906.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1261\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2015\/05\/uk-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"uk\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Electro Velvet - Still In Love With You (United Kingdom) Impression of 2nd rehearsal\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fdq47ungwCg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>So, even with a few doubts about the UK presentation, I really think that the Big 7 have a great set of songs. I have confidence in them all, but alas that&#8217;s not enough for these artists on Saturday night!\u00a0 I will see these guys again on Friday afternoon for the first run-through of the grand final line-up \u2013 and then we&#8217;ll know how they shape-up next to those entries that made it through the semi-finals&#8230; \u2018citing! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well we were up and at \u2018em first thing today, arriving at the arena for the second rehearsal of the \u2018big seven\u2019 \u2013 expanded this year to include guest country Australia. I haven\u2019t seen any of the previous rehearsals, so it was good to finally be in the arena in the standing area at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>I have confidence in the &#039;Big 7&#039;... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2015\/05\/20\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I have confidence in the &#039;Big 7&#039;... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Well we were up and at \u2018em first thing today, arriving at the arena for the second rehearsal of the \u2018big seven\u2019 \u2013 expanded this year to include guest country Australia. I haven\u2019t seen any of the previous rehearsals, so it was good to finally be in the arena in the standing area at the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2015\/05\/20\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-20T17:23:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-05-20T23:38:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/files\/2015\/05\/wedpresss-1024x617.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Phil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Phil\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Phil\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b8d31dd0ab70e18f4d5b5ca5b8fce228\"},\"headline\":\"I have confidence in the &#8216;Big 7&#8217;&#8230;\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-05-20T17:23:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-05-20T23:38:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1236,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/48\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/wedpresss-1024x617.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\\\/eurovision\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/20\\\/i-have-confidence-in-the-big-7\\\/\",\"name\":\"I have confidence in the 'Big 7'... - 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