Day 3: Boat sails and snow for Denmark’s Rasmussen – REVIEW

ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 3 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Norway, Romania, Serbia, San Marino, Denmark, Russia, Moldova, The Netherlands and Australia.

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 next artist to rehearse is Rasmussen for Denmark. We have just watched their first run through of Higher Ground live on screen and here is our initial reaction.

Staging

If you’ve seen Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, you will know exactly what to expect as once again DR elect to stick to their national final staging. The performance is bathed in blue lighting, with a large boat sail on either side of the stage. For the final chorus, the wind machine is turned up and we get the snow effect as used by Ireland’s Ryan O’Shaughnessy yesterday.
Rasmussen is joined by four backing vocalists and one of these go to the back of the stage during the final chorus to wave a big white flag. Undoubtedly there will be an addition of dry ice for a future run through.

Vocals

Rasmussen’s vocals are strong and pose no issue, he comfortably hits the high note towards the end of the performance. His backing vocalists effectively create the “Viking” feel to the song.

Costumes

Rasmussen and his four backing vocalists are all wearing very similar black costumes which are identical to those seen in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. A modern take on a Viking costume.

Watch the rehearsal!

Stay tuned for our reaction to Julia Samoylova as they rehearse I Won’t Break next for Russia. 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.