ESCXTRA: Live from Lisbon

Day 5: Cesár Sampson is a one-man machine for Austria – PREDICTION & REVIEW

ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 5 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Azerbaijan, Iceland, Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Israel, Belarus, Estonia, Bulgaria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Greece and Finland.

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 latest artist to rehearse for the second time is Cesár Sampson for Austria. We have just watched their latest run through of Nobody But You live on screen and here is our initial reaction.

Staging

The performance begins in darkness, with Cesár’s face visible at 15 seconds in. Wearing a head mic, he emerges on top of a gigantic podium raised metres into the air. There are gold lights from underneath the stage and around the podium, and Cesár is lit by white spotlights from above.
The podium descends during the second verse in which there are closer shots of Cesár who interacts well with the camera. As we move into the chorus, the hologram of Cesár returns over a wide shot of the inside of the arena.
During the middle 8, Cesár moves around the outer ring of the stage and steps back onto centre stage for the final chorus. There is a fragmented effect on the camerawork here, replicating effects seen in the video.

Camera shots in this performance: 52

Vocals

Cesár’s vocals are great as always, and the Austrian delegation effectively recreate the backing choir as heard in the studio version.

Costume

Cesár is still wearing his slim-fitting grey outfit, consisting of a metallic grey silky top and drop-crotch trousers.

To qualify or not to qualify?

We have taken a flash poll from around the ESCXTRA table here in the press centre and 4 out of 7 of us say…

YES!

Watch the rehearsal!


Stay tuned for our reaction to Yianna Terzi as they rehearse Oniro Mou next for Greece. If you want to know what to expect for the rest of the day, 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.

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