The musicians from Denmark, Iceland and Lithuania are among this year’s ESC favorites in Germany – and will be live for the first time at the German ESC final on Saturday, May 16. The final in Rotterdam is canceled due to the monster pandemic, so Germany is simply holding its own final.
In “Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – the German Finale live from the Elbphilharmonie” Barbara Schöneberger greets Ben & Tan (Denmark) with “Yes”, Daði Freyr og Gagnamagnið (Iceland) with “Think about things” and The Roop (Lithuania) with “ On fire “. Ben Dolic, who like the others would have been on stage at the ESC in Rotterdam this year, will also sing his song “Violent Thing”.
Photo by: Zlatimir Arakliev
Ben Dolic with planned ESC show
His appearance at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie will, as far as the requirements for corona prevention allow, be based on the staging with which he would have started for Germany in the Netherlands. This performance was designed by the American choreographer Marty Kudelka, who has already received the MTV Video Music Award twice for his dance shows for Justin Timberlake.
Efendi. Photo by: Farhad Ali
In total, the focus of the German finale of the Eurovision Song Contest is Ben Dolic and ten of this year’s ESC participants: all those who received the most votes in the German semi-finals of the “World Wide Living Room” on May 9th. In addition to the three acts already mentioned, these are Azerbaijan (Efendi with “Cleopatra”), Bulgaria (Victoria with “Tears getting sober”), Italy (Diodato with “Fai Rumore”), Malta (Destiny with “All of my love”), Russia (Little Big with “Uno”), Sweden (The Mamas with “Move”) and Switzerland (Gjon’s Tears with “Répondez-moi”). They will be seen in music or performance videos.
Victoria. Photo by: Lora Musheva
Peter Urban and Michael Schulte, fourth at ESC 2018, comment.
Michael Schulte also performs
Together with the Dutch singer Ilse DeLange (Common Linnets, Sing my song) Schulte will also perform Nicole’s former ESC winner “A Little Peace”. Schulte said in an interview with Radio MDR Jump, the 30-year-old said: “Sure, the song is from a different time. It sounds a bit hit-like. That’s why we made our own version of it, but of course it still fits thematically today. Unfortunately, there is still no peace around the world. ”
Miohael Schulte 2018. © NDR / Rolf Klatt
In a classic voting, the viewers will then decide who will be the German “winner of the heart” at the ESC 2024. As in the actual ESC, the German contribution is not available for the German public. The 100-strong ESC jury from Germany also votes. Both votes each make up 50 percent of the result. During the voting, Michael Schulte sings his ESC hit from Lisbon, “You Let Me Walk Alone”, as well as a new song. In addition, in “Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – the German finale live from the Elbphilharmonie” recordings of the most beautiful, the most touching and the strangest appearances of the countries from the past 64 years of ESC history.
Daði og Gagnamagnið. Photo by: Mummi Lu?
A whole ESC night
After 9:55 p.m., the ESC evening continues with the program “Europe Shine A Light”: The show from Hilversum in the Netherlands virtually brings together those who would have performed at the ESC in Rotterdam this year. Here too, Peter Urban and Michael Schulte comment. In the 120 minutes there are gigs across the entire continent, lots of music and some surprise appearances by former ESC participants.
The Roop. Photo by: Jurga Urbonaite
The Elbphilharmonie will also be broadcast. From 0.05 a.m. the first shows a big historical ESC final – the “Eurovision Song Contest 2010”. Ten years ago, viewers in Europe had Lena in their hearts with “Satellite” and chose her as the winner.
The sad thing about this evening: ProSieben wants to score with a counter event. On Saturday, at 8:15 p.m., Stefan Raab and ProSieben organize the “Free European Song Contest”. 15 prominent artists perform live on the big stage in Cologne for Croatia, Israel, Turkey, Denmark, Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy, Ireland and Kazakhstan.
Little Big. Photo by: Ilia Prusikin
