The opening of the second semi-final is in some ways a counterpart to the close of the first, with a number of songs tipped for qualification all clustered together early in the run. But unlike the first semi-final, the draw for the running order here may not have helped them at all. If they are to qualify, they will have to make an immediate impact that outlasts the dozen songs that come after them.
The benefit, of course, is that the opening salvo represents a very upbeat start to the second semi-final. It will be interesting to see whether the likes of Sweden and Ukraine work with or against each other, and how the energetic launch to Thursday night will affect the chances of more sedate entries such as Albania's.
I have a feeling that the countries that make it to the final will reflect the distribution of the songs in this semi-final. For better or worse, Latvia is fairly well placed to stand out in the middle part of the draw, as are the Croatian and Bulgarian entries that follow it, although their hopes could be dashed by commercial intervention.
Portugal will be hoping that their wildcard choice to go last will pay off, and in view of the kinds of songs and performances that will precede them, they may well earn their long-awaited place in the final. Denmark too could confound everyone in their choice of 13th. Whether inveterate qualifiers and fellow wildcarders FYR Macedonia are as lucky remains to be seen.
Predictions are no easier to make for this semi-final than the first in terms of who will qualify, although there are roughly the same number who seem almost certain to be back on Saturday. Beyond that the playing field is slightly more diverse and therefore even - but if I had to nominate which semi I thought was more likely to produce surprises, I would say this one.
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1 comment:
In our first double-semi year, we couldn't have wished for two more different shows. While the opening leg of Semi 1 eases us in gently and saves the main contenders for last, Semi 2 blasts off with a vengeance only to descend into a rather erratic and quite frankly dodgy second half. History suggests that the songs towards the end of the show will have a better chance of qualifying but what the televoters are going to make of that peculiar final stretch which runs the gamut from manic to syrupy, is anyone's guess. To my mind the Thursday is even more wide open than the Tuesday. Polishing up the old crystal ball, I get no further than three surefire finalists and two fairly likely qualifiers.
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