ESCXTRA.com are live for day 5 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 taking place at the Pala Olimpico in Turin, Italy!
We continue with the second rehearsals for the majority of the artists in the first semi-final! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Iceland, Norway, Armenia, Finland, Israel, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Malta. Also taking to the stage today for the first time are the big 5 – France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany will have their first rehearsal later this afternoon.
The latest artist to rehearse is Achille Lauro from San Marino who is performing the song “Stripper”
Follow every rehearsal live
Below, you’ll see our written review of each rehearsal. If you want more, you can follow our live stream where our team will be reacting live to every single rehearsal as it happens! Furthermore, read our handy guide for a more detailed look at this contest’s rehearsal schedule.
Rehearsal review
Stage presentation
What isn’t there on stage with Achille Lauro?! He begins behind a translucent video screen with his keyboard and drummer in cages. His three guitarists are dotted around the stage. It’s red and black in the verses, and with eyes similar to Zitti e buoni on the video floor on occasion. The colours do go gold in some of the choruses too. Dry ice floods the stage as well.
At the end of the second chorus, a steady cam walks from the back of the stage to Achille kneeling on the floor of the front of the stage and… voilà, a mechanical bull magically appears on stage for the middle eight. Achille gets on it and begins to ride the bull as it moves, whilst the guitar solo takes place on the B-stage. The other two guitarists play towards the bull which Achille rides until the end of the performance.
Fire and fireworks accompany this song from the second chorus for even more impact. The final minute is full pyro, unbelievable.
Costumes and styling
It’s fair to say that Achille Lauro is wearing as little as you can get away with on stage at Eurovision: he’s wearing a translucent bedazzled lace one-piece outfit with black briefs beneath it. He’s got black cowboy boots, embellished with crystals. Stripper, in a nutshell.
Vocal quality
The vocals are strong enough for this song that doesn’t require pitch-perfect vocals, and Achille’s confidence really allows him to show off vocally where he wants in this performance.
Overall impression
This is one of the more visually impressive performances at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. There’s no doubt it is impossible for anyone to take their eyes off Achille Lauro while he gives us the performance of a lifetime. Big budget, big ideas, big impact.
Watch the rehearsal
Stay tuned for our reviews for the rest of today’s rehearsals at the Pala Olimpico. If you want to know what to expect from the rest of the day, check out our rehearsal schedule. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our live stream for instant reactions to every rehearsal!
