It’s deep in the show and while the lights reset, a hush sweeps over a resplendent audience in a packed Palais theatre. The glittery, sparkled, sequinned, and shimmering crowd take and hold a collective breath before a single word appears on screen – Azerbaijan – and then everyone loses their minds.
A little context: First held in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has progressed from a songwriting competition involving only a handful of European countries to a live, week-long, broadcast that has been watched for nearly 70 years and is enjoyed by millions worldwide.
Eurovision on Tour features 15 legendary acts from the contest’s history, many who are visiting and performing in Australia for the first time.
To be sure, “Enjoy” doesn’t feel like the accurate verb to describe the energy in the room on Friday. For fans of Eurovision, this is communion. Eurovision is church. Much like the conditions of the contest proper, each act is presented relatively sparingly – the only accompaniment being four dancers and a large HD video projection behind them.
Admittedly, the costume designer’s insistence on having the female dancers in mostly thongs while the male dancers remained mostly covered in trousers felt a little too obsessive in places, but physically the choreography was performed excellently and woven in well with each number.
Emmile de Forest (Denmark), Linda Martin (Ireland), and Ovi & Ilinca Bacila (Romania) kicked off proceedings, each delivering a similar double-billing of croon-ish ballad and harder base-driven dance track.
They were fine enough, but it wasn’t until Destiny (Malta) took the stage that the night shifted to spectacular. There’s a reason Destiny got three solo numbers, her sonic sermon on the mount lifting audience from entertained to aural ecstasy.
Not every act was able to project a similar aura – for every Dami Im (Australia), Sunstroke Project (Moldova), and Effendi (Azerbaijan) there was a Jalisse (Italy), but the teeming Eurovision fans made sure each artist felt appreciated and adored.
Merci Vilmal!
EUROVISION ON TOUR
Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
Performance: Friday 15 November 2024
Information: www.eurovisionontour.tv
Image: Dami Im (supplied)
Review: David Collins