INFE Tribute: Flashback to the Eurovision Opening Acts (Part 2)

A couple of weeks before we posted the first part of our tribute to all the opening acts from the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest until the year 2002. Today we continue that tribute focusing on the opening acts that took part from that year up to nowadays.

In this second part of our tribute we will approach the contest from the year the two semi finals were introduced and after. After this point more and more opening acts take place on the eurovisision, more impressive and with more glitter than before, following the contest’s general trend for a more phantasmagoric show. The videos with the country’s culutural elements are withdrawn and replaced with card postals before each entry and shows with acts dancing and singing making the show more impressive.

Another common element in all editions is the come back of the previous year winning artist to open the show, a factor that wasn’t seen in every contest before. From 2004 and on the winners return on stage to open next year’s connecting the last year’s event with the new edition of the contest by singing their winning entry.

Lets go on and remember this fascinating beautiful moments of our favorite song contest:

–2004: Although it was the first year a semi final was introduced we watched an opening act only in the final. As expected the one opening the final show was last year’s winner Sertab Erener, who got on stagw with a new look to sing Everyway That I Can and her new single Leave.

–2005: In the semi final show The Song and Dance Company of Ukraine Military Forces, A-6 Ballet and Diezel DJ Power, offered an impressive show with all kinds of music. In the final show we saw Ruslana with the introduction of her winning song Wild Dances and her new single Heart On Fire.

–2006: We fly to Athens to watch an opening act inspired by greek mythology. In the semi final show we watched a medley of winning entries by acts disguised in ancient Greek gods and godesses. Later on Sakis Rouvas (Greece 2004 & 2009) flies into the stage alongside with Maria Menounos and sing together UK’s ESC 1997 winning song Love Shine A Light.

In the final show female performer Fotini Dara sings A Song Of Life, composed and written by Dimitris Papadimitriou . The lyrics talk of the art of singing and how this type of art was born in the ancient years of Homer and has developed alonside with out lives until our days. Of course further on appears Elena Paparizou and performs her winning entry My Number One.

–2007: In the semi final Finnish dancers dance to the music played by famous acordeon player Johanna Juhola. In the final Lordi appear on a impressive video clip dierected in the area of Rovaniemi, a city in Finland, capital of the region of Laponia near the Artic circle. During the song’s bridge the group pops in live on stage.

–2008: From this year we have the introduction of the two semi final system , so three opening acts to unfold on stage. In the 1st semi final we see the performance Video killed a radio star while in the 2nd semi final the show Serbia For Beginners , under the guidance of dancer and theatrical author Aleksandar Josipovic. All shows displayed Serbia’s musical tradition.

In the final Marija Serifovic performs a new remix version of Molitva καθώς and her new single Tell Me Why. The same time a show is unfolding on the back part of the stage.

–2009: The Tolmachevy Twins, Russia’s ESC 2014 representatives and winners of Junior Eurovision 2006, appeared for the opening act of the 1st semi final show, while in the 2nd semi final we listened to a mix of winning entries by the Terem Quartet band, the Russina national ballet Kostroma, the Russian airforce’s band and the show-ballet Art Dogs. In the final the entertaining theatrical company of Cirque du Soleil presented an impressive show . At the end previous Russian winner Dima Bilan appears on stage to perform his winning entry Believe.

–2010: one of the most simple and non inspirational Eurovision Song Contest in the latest years. An opening act was shown only in the final and it wasn’t other than Alexander Rybak’s performance of Fairytale.

–2011: We watched an Οpening act on in the grand final night in Dusseldorf. The host of the show, Stefan Raab, performs a jazz version of the winning entry Satellite. After a while ESC 2010 winner Lena appear besides him on stage.

–2012: In the final show the Musician Alim Qasimov sings mungham, which is a composition of Azeri music combining melodies with poetry. Later traditional dancers get on stage and the act closes with ESC 2011 winners , Ell & Nikki performing Running Scared.

–2013: In the 1st semi final Loreen alongside with a children’s qoir perform Euphoria in sign language while in the 2nd semi final Urban Orchestra plays on stags with a compsition by the choreographers, Jennie Widegren and Fredrik Rydman.

In the final the opening acts includes for the first time the competing countries’ parade while a choir sings We Write The Story composed by forer ABBA group members , Björn Ulvaeus και Benny Andersson , and the worldwide popular Dj Avicii.

–2014: In the first semi final ESC 2013 winner Emmelie De Forest performs once more Only Teardrops alongside with the European Qoir. On the back ground all the people’s faces that contributed to the organization are displayed on screens, to demonstrate the meaning of the contest’s logo #Join Us. In the 2nd semi final we saw a very professional show based on Jalousie ‘Tango Tzigane’ composed by biolist , Jacob Gade.

In the final we watched at the custommary parade of competing acts.

–2015: The first semi final show opens Conchita Wurst singing Rise Like A Phoenix alongside with the Symphonic Orchestra of the country’s national broadcaster, ORF, under the guidance of Peter Petsjik.

In the final night the hostesses Mirijam, Alice and Arabella sing with Conchita και and a choir of children the song Building Bridges which was the moto of that year’s contest.

–2016: In the 1sr semi final night ESC 2015 winner, Mans Zelmerlow, sings a different version of his winning entry Heroes with children on stage instead of the initial holograms, while in the 2nd semi final night δεύτερο the hosts, Petra Mede and Mans presented us a rather humoristic theatrical performance, answering to the crucial question what is Eurovision after all. After the traditional parade of the competing countries took place.

–2017: In the first semi final the ukrainian singer, composer and dancer, MONATIK presents us the dance song Spinning , while in the 2nd night show the hosts Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk sing a Eurovision medley with dancers and traditional instruments. After that all competing acts introduced to the audience while on the background each act’s county flag was displayed.

–2018: In this year’s Eurovision we saw an opening act only in the final. Before the established parade of conestants Ana Moura and Mariza sang together fado, a type of music located in the region of Lisbon in the beginning of the 19th century.