The Complex Logistics of the World’s Biggest Live Music Event | WSJ Countdown
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- Imagine if American Idol met the Olympics and was broadcast live to more people than the Super Bowl. That is Eurovision - the world’s largest live music event.
With up to 26 countries plus interval acts performing live each night, a lot of planning goes into the time between acts. Every few minutes, the stage crew brings props, artists, dancers and pyrotechnics on and off stage all before the cameras cut back to live TV.
WSJ traveled to Malmö, Sweden to go behind the scenes at Eurovision with the senior floor manager, Pernilla Isedal, and the senior stage manager, Tobbe Berg, to follow the incredible high-speed logistics of the 50-second stage change.
Chapters:
0:00 World’s largest live music event
0:51 Eurovision, explained
2:27 The planning
3:48 “The postcard”
#Eurovision #Music #WSJ
Days ahead of Xi’s visit, EU investigations add to pressure on strained China relations: on.wsj.com/3Ut789q
Americans really need to stop comparing the ESC to American Idol!
FR! FR! Im getting sick of this kind of comparison!
The better comparison really is the superbowl. Especially since eurovision has higher ratings
exactly!
in Europe, most if not all countries have the equivalent of American Idol.
The only comparison that can be made is with the half time show.
Eurovision is several half time shows back to back
The _American Song Contest_ was an American music reality competition television series based on the _Eurovision Song Contest._ The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States starting in 2021 and shortly after announced the American Song Contest with a 2022 premiere date. it consisted of eight episodes airing between March 21 and May 9, 2022 on NBC. It saw acts representing all 50 U.S. states, five territories, as well as Washington, D.C. compete for the title of Best Original Song. Over the course of the season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds leading to two 11-participant semi-finals, and culminating with a 10-participant final round, which aired as the season finale. Participants advanced from a qualifying round to a semifinal, and then to a final based on votes received by public voting or jury voting, or a combination thereof. The contest was won by the state of Oklahoma, which was represented by the song "Wonderland", performed by AleXa.
@@RaymondHngI didn’t see any of the episodes / live shows, and it must have been expensive to make ASC but I feel like NBC should have stuck with it and tried it for at least a 2nd season & aired the Eurovision Song Contest semi finals & final delayed in primetime and used it as a promotional platform for the American Song Contest. All broadcast networks are shifting more and more away from scripted dramas & comedies, so they will need more and more reality (competition) shows on top of all the live sports games they broadcast in primetime. And having another live reality competition that could attract a sizeable live audience for 8 weeks on NBC & Peacock could be very profitable, which I’m basing on the success the American Idol reboot has been on ABC. It’s not bringing in the gigantic sponsor deals & ad rates that Idol used to get during the earlier seasons when Idol was basically the Death Star for everything scheduled in the same timeslots, but it must be very profitable if they can afford these huge salaries for the 3 judges & Ryan and considering all the effort it takes to make a season of American Idol.
Not a singing competition!! It's a SONG contest...
Where does that false claim even come from? The very title gives it away, and yet Americans keep calling it a "singing competition." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@JorgyValenko because they have to dumb it down lol
Wrong. It's a contest where you need the full package (song, vocals, staging, charisma, costumes, storytelling and concept, camera work). If any key elements are off, the entry has a high chance of flopping.
@@elinat2414 all true + politics 😂😂 I'm croatian, don't mind me 😂😂 still buthurt for loosing in 1999 with a great song,and now again last night
@@me9981 Oh I totally sympathise! I am reasonably happy that Nemo won, but Croatia really was my favourite.
Comparing a tradition that's been around for 80 years with that TV show "American Idol" is somehow an insult to all Europeans. But if it helps you get the gist of it...
Eurovision started in 1956, so not even close to 80 yet
@@mipr5420 we are entering the 8th decade of Eurovision history so allow me to round up
@@KrlKngMrtssn Eurovision turns 70 in 2026. so rounding up would equal to 70 not 80
@@Dog1818YT Doesn't really change the original message, does it?
To be fair, the biggest insult is that American Idol itself is just another franchise of the UK made Simon Cowell series Pop Idol.. so technically just another copy of a European competition.
Has to be said, I (eventually) got tickets for one of the semi-final rehearsal shows in Liverpool last year as my other half is a bit of a Eurovision geek, and was massively impressed with the staging and changeovers.. rather made up for the songs really 😂
0:56
My biggest pet peeve is when Americans call Eurovision a singing competition. It is a SONG competition, there is a difference. You can have an excellent ballad with one of the greatest voices you’ve ever heard beaten by a guy wearing a windows95 shirt and a skin coloured thong coming out of an egg made out of jeans
You tell em Josh!
Truly Eurovision is probably be better described as a song performance competition. A guy coming out of an egg and looking half-naked is not really that much about the song, it’s about the whole performance.
@@D.S.handle 100%
not Windows95man flopping while Germany getting their best result in 6 years. maybe having too much "televote bait SONGS" will clash with each other.
It is a song contest. But the song is not judged by just looking at the sheet music. The song is performed by an artist on stage in front of a live audience and television viewers. So the performance of the song is judged as well. The performance of the song and the song itself cannot be separated into two components.
The American mind cannot comprehend this
More like we don't care honestly
@@nueat6 if you really think that, you're delusional my dear.
@@nueat6sure, Jan… you don’t care so much, you saw the title, pressed on this video, saw this comment and then commented. You secretly wish you could be a part of this, but your mind used hate to cope with it.
I always hate the American Idol comparison. There are no sob stories or cover songs, it's artists with original songs. Americans WISH they had the creativity to pull this off.
I mean it's a song contest, it's not the wildest comparison ever.
Also, if Americans think about Eurovision at all, at no point are they wowed by some exceptional 'creativity' of it. Eurovision songs are typically very generic and very rarely does the winner score a hit that lasts longer in the European public zeitgeist than that spring, meanwhile American songs top the charts and become classics all over Europe for decades.
@@ReddoFreddook name a few real hits from american idol then
Ill get eurovision
Waterloo
Fairytale
Euphoria
Heroes
@@mrglados1556 Tbh heroes isn't really a hit as far as I'm aware, but to name two more:
Arcade
Snap
we got a "sob performance" this year (at least in the semi); Joost would've cry for real at the GF if he took part (not a good thing... this would come off as cringy)
@@momomon7662 Save Your Kisses for Me, Diva, Volare, Zitti e Buoni, Congratulations, Hard Rock Hallelujah, and my personal favorite - Nocturne.
Oh my god, I'm an American, and I CRINGE whenever people call it a "Singing Contest". It's a SONG. Contest. It's in the name. Eurovision SONG Contest.
It is a song contest. But the song is not judged by just looking at the sheet music. The song is performed by an artist on stage in front of a live audience and television viewers. So the performance of the song is judged as well. The performance of the song and the song itself cannot be separated into two components.
The _American Song Contest_ was an American music reality competition television series based on the _Eurovision Song Contest._ The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States starting in 2021 and shortly after announced the American Song Contest with a 2022 premiere date. it consisted of eight episodes airing between March 21 and May 9, 2022 on NBC. It saw acts representing all 50 U.S. states, five territories, as well as Washington, D.C. compete for the title of Best Original Song. Over the course of the season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds leading to two 11-participant semi-finals, and culminating with a 10-participant final round, which aired as the season finale. Participants advanced from a qualifying round to a semifinal, and then to a final based on votes received by public voting or jury voting, or a combination thereof. The contest was won by the state of Oklahoma, which was represented by the song "Wonderland", performed by AleXa.
It's not "up to 20 countries each night". The Grand Final has 26 countries!
Yeah, apparently my hamster did the research for this...
i have seen this "up to 20 countries" line in a hypothetical scenario where a maximum of 46 countries participating. someone did a quick Wikipedia search lol!
This year even 25 countries 🤦♂️
At least they corrected it at the end.
They said up to 26 countries?
It’s not a singing contest! A song contest! The songs are judged, not just the voice. The Jury especially looks at song stucture, lyrics etc. And the artists are often established or upcoming artists in their country, many with a label. So it’s NOT like American Idol at all! But yeah: cool glimpse backstage.
It is a song contest. But the song is not judged by just looking at the sheet music. The song is performed by an artist on stage in front of a live audience and television viewers. So the performance of the song is judged as well. The performance of the song and the song itself cannot be separated into two components.
The _American Song Contest_ was an American music reality competition television series based on the _Eurovision Song Contest._ The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States starting in 2021 and shortly after announced the American Song Contest with a 2022 premiere date. it consisted of eight episodes airing between March 21 and May 9, 2022 on NBC. It saw acts representing all 50 U.S. states, five territories, as well as Washington, D.C. compete for the title of Best Original Song. Over the course of the season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds leading to two 11-participant semi-finals, and culminating with a 10-participant final round, which aired as the season finale. Participants advanced from a qualifying round to a semifinal, and then to a final based on votes received by public voting or jury voting, or a combination thereof. The contest was won by the state of Oklahoma, which was represented by the song "Wonderland", performed by AleXa.
Eurovision always amazes me with the level of professionalism they show. Everything always runs very smoothly and very fast and yes, the stage change in 50 sec is unbelievable
The best stage ever designed!! The box-like vertically movable ceiling LEDs elevated the concepts which variety of performances used it. It felt like mechanical precision of Melodifestivalen but on a much larger scale!
When it comes to the stage work this year sets a very high bar for others to follow.
Isn't the stage patterned after the set design of Loreen's performance of "Tattoo" last year?" Even the sound that is played after each postcard and right before the artist's performance is the same sound that starts "Tattoo".
The reveal of the green room behind the stage was such a cool moment even after having seen it twice already in the semis!
ESC is a masterpiece of a show: from stage design, to animations, to camera angles, to artists. It is truly a one of a kind show.
If you watch the event in person, whenever they take longer than the postcard interval, they cut to the audience on TV to buy time
Mmmm... How when it's a live event?
@@darjuz96 it IS a live event
@@darjuz96 you just press a button to switch to a camera in the audience (it's probably a bit more complicated than that but still)
@@sadmoneypenny. Sorry bad translation (too literal if can be translated in Italian in "se" but it can be used also in non conditional cases)
It's so American to compare a concert to "halftime shows back to back" lol
That is because we don't care about this as much as you do. So to try and keep us watching you put it in a way we would understand.
@@nueat6damn, home girl is fighting for her life out here responding to comments… it’s ok - we welcome you in the Eurovision family. I know it sometimes rough to be living under a rock, but you can jump in the wagon :) you obviously care
@@nueat6 bruh you are replying under every comment with "we don't care". For someone who doesn't care, you seem to be very involved in this comment section
@@nueat6 You clearly do care 🤡
Calling Eurovision "American Idol" feels like an insult
The Stage Crew is the Star of the Show! I'm so happy that their efforts are acknowledged. Thank you
This is the kind of video I appreciate. Thanks to put the spotlights to all these shadow heroes that make Eurovision the best and biggest live music show in the world ! ❤
for the nth time, its a SONG CONTEST!!! OMG! 😭😭
It is a song contest. But the song is not judged by just looking at the sheet music. The song is performed by an artist on stage in front of a live audience and television viewers. So the performance of the song is judged as well. The performance of the song and the song itself cannot be separated into two components.
The _American Song Contest_ was an American music reality competition television series based on the _Eurovision Song Contest._ The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States starting in 2021 and shortly after announced the American Song Contest with a 2022 premiere date. it consisted of eight episodes airing between March 21 and May 9, 2022 on NBC. It saw acts representing all 50 U.S. states, five territories, as well as Washington, D.C. compete for the title of Best Original Song. Over the course of the season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds leading to two 11-participant semi-finals, and culminating with a 10-participant final round, which aired as the season finale. Participants advanced from a qualifying round to a semifinal, and then to a final based on votes received by public voting or jury voting, or a combination thereof. The contest was won by the state of Oklahoma, which was represented by the song "Wonderland", performed by AleXa.
One of the best parts of Eurovision. The lightning fast transition
Up to 20 countries? That's just wrong!! WSJ just do your research
"from Azerbaijan to Australia"
Er, have you guys looked at the map? You basically said the EUROvision covers from Central Asia to Oceania...missing the entire continent its based around 🤣
..and it didn't make sense alphabetically either LOL
The countries participating is members of the EBU
Indeed! Geographically it would make more sense "from Iceland to Israel plus Australia" and alphabetically "from Albania to Ukraine"
Tell me you don't understand Eurovision without actually telling me you don't understand Eurovision
Thanks for the insight in the stage changes, but please, don't compare it to any of the small American singing competitions, as you mentioned yourself, it has more viewers than the SuperBowl, that should be plenty of info for the americans to understand the scale of it, or at least try. There was 140 countries who voted and watched the competition it is really not comparable to any national event in the US.
Where is Half as Intresting's Logistics of Eurovision video xD
Edit: Would more likely be under Wendover Productions now that I think about it.
Omg i want that so bad
There's so much professionality and passion involved in this event♥️
I have always wondered how they change it so quickly 🤣 great video!
American idol? Come on now....We've been doing this in Europe for 80 years
This year’s event is unbelievable, the stage is extremely over the top in size. Unlimited fire and smoke in addition to the lasers. They even projected moving clouds onto the scanning laser beams over the audience
They have the competing countries BEHIND the LED screen, which moves up, to show them, when the votes are revealed... How is that even possible?!
Amazing setup, the Eurovision logistics team is 🔥!
Any Eurovision hosted by Petra is an added bonus.
12 Points from Australia!
The Americans mind be like you can do all that during a 5 minute ad break.
?
My biggest pet peeve is that no one understands Eurovision in Malaysia but me 💀🤣
Me too and I'm from the Philippines. 🤣
Doesn't matter, we still appreciate that you guys watch and participate!
It's not "a singing competition". It's Eurovision.
Comparing it to American Idol made me die inside, but I really enjoy seeing the behind the scenes of how the show works. It really is a marvel how they make it look so effortless on screen!
Wow! Stage Tech! My dream job! Thanks for sharing!!
Every single US video about Eurovision: "It's like American idol" and "It's a singing competition"
I don't know which one is more wrong, but I get the issue of explaining it. The best explanation I can give Americans is:
"It's complicated..."
I used to do limited live show stuff in my old job for tradeshows and such, but this can barely compare to the insanity on display here. It's just amazing how Eurovision pulls it off every time. The "postcards" have been getting shorter and shorter over the years, but I think they really cannot push it any lower without risking everyone's health and safety. Still, it is a feat to behold...
How can wall street journal upload a video with so many false information?
And the result is always marvellous
Amazing work 👏
Kudos for those hardworking people who make possible this impossible thing
I friggin love these backstage vids!
This is so interesting. What an insane job
One time I saw this comment on IG under a RuPaul drag race video Where it said something like “why RPDR final is not live but pre-recorded? If Eurovision can do it, so can Rpdr”
And that told me everything I needed to know about an average American mind. They are so sheltered within their borders that they cannot or dont want to grasp that - yes - there are better, more expensive, higher quality produced shows outside USA
Thank you for this video! I'm convinced the stage changes are done very quickly for the next performer. I thought some performances are just pre-recorded to be honest!
amazing !!
Great work done by the crew, great interviews, horrible comparisons by WSJ. Please pay more attention to details in your work, there is no need to make such an interesting look behind the scenes a cause of frustration. Definitions matter, details matter, and in this video, the narrator repeated some careless lacks of oversight.
powerful hidden job!
i've always been interested in how they change stages so fast, this is so impressive!
Crazy coolness....
Es ist so krass!
Wow! 🎉
Insane
This whole video is full of misinformation and just incorrect statements. Like..can Americans even TRY??
Americans had their chance with the very first Eurovision spinoff, the American Song Contest presented by Kelly Clarkson and Snoopy Dog. The whole thing was a mess and it got cancelled by NBC. So… no
@@igor_patrick That basically seemed to be a close to 0 budget production. Felt smaller than a lot of the national finals in Eurovision, lol
The _American Song Contest_ was an American music reality competition television series based on the _Eurovision Song Contest._ The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States starting in 2021 and shortly after announced the American Song Contest with a 2022 premiere date. it consisted of eight episodes airing between March 21 and May 9, 2022 on NBC. It saw acts representing all 50 U.S. states, five territories, as well as Washington, D.C. compete for the title of Best Original Song. Over the course of the season, 56 competing entries were divided into five qualifying rounds leading to two 11-participant semi-finals, and culminating with a 10-participant final round, which aired as the season finale. Participants advanced from a qualifying round to a semifinal, and then to a final based on votes received by public voting or jury voting, or a combination thereof. The contest was won by the state of Oklahoma, which was represented by the song "Wonderland", performed by AleXa.
And the best: no commercials!(!!!)
it is actually shown with commercials in some countries. Basically all the breaks where the hosts talk with artists and crowd are replaced. Fortunately not where I líve.
@@zarraxia thanks, I didn't know that. Seems I live in the right place ✌️
Most broadcasters that air Eurovision have commercials, excluding the German, British and some others i forgot. They usually fill it with audience interactions, skits, etc.
Потрясающе!
Wow!!😮
Great 👍🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Great report!
It actually was not… but I guess they at least tried
WSJ FOLLOWING EUROVISION! ICONIC!
I did stage crew, and, yeah, it's a lot of work, you need to be on your mark, ready to move because if you miss your queue, then you're still on that stage when lights go on, and you don't want that unless that's supposed to happen
Good morning
This is the worst Eurovision, but I must say, the production level was BEYOND!!! It's like every artist is doing a music video
What’s the contingency if something goes wrong, is there a button to play extra footage on the broadcast?
They cut to the presenters who have prepared dialogue for that occasion.
The cameras will move to the presenters if the stage is not ready in time, everything has a contingency plan
@@thwales2520 Professionals know how to build contingency into everything.
So the jegg isnt covered in denim in the back!!
iirc the UK's hosting approach last year was actually kinda big brain. They had two completely separate stages that the performers used, so while one performance was going on they had all that time to set up everything on the other stage.
What are you on about? The UK only had one main stage
wsj now stage decorator?
It’s a SONG CONTEST
Calling it American is like calling a McDonalds patty a steak. I understand for reference sake this is aimed at non European people so it makes sense but to me the reason Eurovision always delivers is because all the artists are already established in some capacity. If they wim Eurovision its not like American Idol where you get record deals and what not.
what a low quality video with such bad research
Whatever they're paying them, it's not enough.
The insane thing is a lot of them volunteer too.
@@Underestimated37 I'm almost certain that they dont get paid. The Broadcasters who send them to represent them will pay for their staging, accomodation, meals etc. maybe some spending money. But its not a paid gig.
@@yascaoimhin you didn’t watch the video did you? It’s not talking about the artists, it’s the team who do the sets and changeovers. Those aren’t part of the delegations sent by the participants, the EBU and national host provides that.
@@yascaoimhin No, they are paid professionals. Stagehands in the entertainment industry are usually represented by a union. In North America, the union is International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
The Swedish equivalent to IATSE is the *Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film (Teaterförbundet för scen och film).* This union represents professionals in various fields within the performing arts and film industries, including stagehands, technicians, actors, and other theater and film workers in Sweden. The union works to protect the rights and interests of its members, negotiate collective agreements, and improve working conditions within the industry.
Most of the music I listen to still is about 15 minutes long per track.
Euro bros coming out in full force for this one huh, lol
Amazing. I'd love to work there. Time is money 😂
That’s a lot of effort for a mid-off
is the title correct English? I feel like its missing a word or two
Nothing is missing there. It's good English
@@ivanf4136 they edited it
It's a headline. There's no need for a complete sentence with subject, verb, and object structure.
0:22 The jegg is not fully egg, my life is a lie. 😭
haven't you seen the red carpet ceremony they came in with them inside it lol
Eurovision is a SONG contest
not a singing competition
This is NOT a song contest! Its a contest WHO PAYS MORE to EBU!
#FREEJOST
😂
The reason y luna didn t make to the final Is cause bring 2 towers 3 dancer and 1 red horse on the floor screen were too much work 😅😅😅
Would these can be done by automation/autonomous robotics ?
As someone who has been to this exact year of eurovision twice now, once to sit and once to stand I have witnessed a lot of technical aspects and no, automation would be pretty hard to implent on a giant led stage which needs to look good from all Angles, technically a lot of the songs use the ceiling as props via lowering down sections of it which technically is automated- But stuff like moving in towers, assembling the cirlces, bringing in platforms and like drumsets, or wiping the led stage down works because its humans, small little creatures that move fast and can easily hide behind the stage once they are no longer needed. There is too much variation between the songs for it all to be automated.
@@zosig23100 years from now who knows
Some of the cameras are operated by robotics.
Nope
"I'm never gonna let you down..."
Ricrolled 'ya
Over capacity of production?
Baby Lasagna ❤🇭🇷❤
Hi
They must be so thankful to countries that shine with zero props, but only with amazing vocals and mesmerizing music - like France.
Not really. It's a song contest, not a singing competition. So great vocals are usually not enough. Which is why France typically does well but hasn't won in decades
@@yascaoimhin I didn't say anything about others songs being bad or anything, but that the backstage people must be thankful for the little break some countries allow them. Of course, we all watch it for the show, but France - especially in 2021 with Voila - was another level of wow.
Americans losing their marbles over the fact that this is european PUBLIC SERVICE.
Welcome, have a seat miss gurl.
DONT SHOW IT TO THE AMERICANS
Second
Turn around just as fast as Ryanair
❤ EACH PERSON MUST DO HIS OWN JOB OR HER OWN JOB. IOLANDA COSTA IS A SINGER, A MUSICIAN : SHE IS NOT A CAMERAWOMAN, so please let the floor dark when the portuguese selection is acting because they are white clothed, otherwise they are not seen when the carpet is white. The image needs also to be zoomed to see the dancers and IOLANDA properly ! ❤
Tell the Portugese delegation that
First
Nay vvalstr..Al balanceDNA nayt KAMPETETSHUNS NU EARF GAEA..U RDUN #Gnesys
Oh yezzzzzz, when music is moving things oh yezzzzzz I love it, Eurovision wonder on earth making us feel such a huge big global family & paaaaarty, feeling just fine together, when music becomes the best welfare engine oh yezzzzzz, we need nothing else 🎉❤🎉
Joost 12 points! EBU FU!
The EBU was entirely reasonable in DQing someone who more likely than not commited assault. The fact that you're condoning threats of violence is concerning.
Саламалейкум. Ну ч0 там? Кончита будет на ойровижн ?
The interval acts in the final included Alcazar performing "Crying at the Discoteque"; a tribute performance of the 1974 Swedish winning song "Waterloo" by three past winners - Carola (Sweden 1991), Charlotte Perrelli (Sweden 1999) and Conchita Wurst (Austria 2014)
В интервале финала Алькасар исполнил «Crying at the Discoteque»; трибьют-исполнение шведской песни-победителя 1974 года "Waterloo" тремя прошлыми победителями - Каролой (Швеция, 1991 г.), Шарлоттой Перрелли (Швеция, 1999 г.) и Кончитой Вурст (Австрия, 2014 г.)
For every American: this contest was a bit different with political things. You better watch Rotterdam in 2021.