Week 105: Eurovision Week 6! #4 - Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix

[@TiagoSilvaESC]

She actually won the contest and it was very controversial bc some countries didnt want to show her performance but it was definitely a turning point in the contest and in europe to give such a visibility to something different. Shes not really a women, its just her artistic persona, shes a man in her daily life. I was 14yo and voted for her❤

[@Prafik614]

Actually turning point was already in 1998 by Dana International, first transwoman to win ESC 🌈

[@Chris-u5k5w]

Dana International did it back in 1998 and it was a million times bigger and more controversial

[@alifc1082]

Wich countries didn't want to transmit her performance?? Her image.. Austria is one of the one conservative ones that I know...

[@carlosmaynier]

@@alifc1082 I remember Russia, make a big complaint

[@minaolenella869]

​@@alifc1082Serbia and montenegro church blamed flood that they had, on Wurst winning the Eurovision. Supposedly it was punishment from God cause of " Europe's bad morals." In that case, God has pretty bad aim.

[@KathyClysm]

On the crowd singing along: The songs are usually released as music videos a couple of weeks before the show and since this is the Grand Finale, they've already seen the Semi Finale performance so they probably already new the lyrics. Conchita was a heavy favourite to win that year - and did in fact win that year!

[@Sanchordia]

More than a couple of weeks, usually at least two MONTHs before the actual contest.

[@shovkovskyi]

I don't remember Austria being a favourite before the semis (at least not in odds)... after semis though yes - Austria shot up to 1st place in odds by quite a margin... but before semis I think it was somewhere between 10-15th... maybe I remember wrong...

[@vanyadolly]

And there's a whole week to learn the songs from the semi-finals even if you don't listen to them in advance.

[@rowo2774]

@@shovkovskyi You are right, the odds changed quite a bit that year. Before the rehearsals the bookies even thought both the winner and the runner-up (The Netherlands) of that year wouldn't pass the semis (26 songs were in the final). The live performances in the semis rocket them to 2nd and 3rd position in odds. Austria went to 1st in odds only on the final day and then became the fifth winner in Eurovision history to win both public and jury voting.

[@jeanpeuxplus7257]

Best Bond theme written for a non-Bond film! And yes, what a voice. Winner.👍

[@homeiswhereukeepurdealtho]

this one never fails to give me CHILLS. conchita made HISTORY.

[@Kolious_Thrace]

This one never fails to give us disgust… He didn’t made any history, he just wanted to draw attention. He won because of his staging and the controversy surrounding his persona.

[@geralbert]

Yes, it gives me chills everytime! I love this song and the performance is amazing ❤

[@geralbert]

@@Kolious_Thracedid you see how they reacted? did you hear the crowd? She won, you know, is more history than what most people will do ever.

[@homeiswhereukeepurdealtho]

yeah yeah keep bitching@@Kolious_Thrace

[@Kolious_Thrace]

@@geralbert he won because he was dressed as a woman… the song and his voice is decent but it was all the fuzz was about his appearance…

[@2609israel]

Denmark’s stage remains as a 10/10, that stage was huge and well done, god bless danish desing 🎉🎉🎉

[@tytllee]

To this day this remains my favourite Eurovision winning song.

[@Soyyisuss1]

Guys, Conchita Won the contest back in 2014. The Stage you just saw was in Denmark. One the greatest Eurovision stage ever made, and the back is a full screen.

[@p.f.5718]

I saw Tom Neuwirth as a contestant in an austria singer competition. He had an extraordinary voice, very well trained (Musical) and very handsome and intelligent guy. I was astonished how a man could sing like that in the powerful high voice (In that time I didn’t know Dimash 😂). He was a slim not very tall and very young man - that was his „handicap“. After the show, he told there was nobody who takes him serious because of his stature and he struggled therefore a lot. Besides this he outet himself - that was a big problem in this time. So he said, if you want to reduce me to a little gay guy and not hear my voice - you get what you want and he created „Conchita Wurst“ He said - now as Conchita - I can wear high heels therefore I am tall enough. And he succeeded 😂 Buy the way - he prefers „She when he is „Conchita“ and „He“ when he is Tom Neuwirth. He is a very humble and highly intelligent man with a lot of humor. Love from Austria 🇦🇹

[@aescula58]

Yes thats it😉

[@Lyrazel]

Full body chills every time I see this performance in full. Incredible

[@Joaosantos-fc1vs]

This is pure art!! The stage, the lights, the song, the lyrics, the voice, the representation! GODESS ❤

[@atitlosgr7274]

What a great Bond song. Conchita managed to sing it live better than the recorded version, and she was much better that night than the semi finals.

[@EdAPC]

This staging is in my personal top 5 of all time.

[@VioletDidi]

I've probably watched this song a 100 times... I still cry every single time. This is a masterpiece and one of the most deserving winners.

[@Shovhannes]

One of the best ever in Eurovision ❤

[@Tsuliwaensis]

the songs are released on the official ESC youtube channel months in advance. right now you can already listen to almost all of the songs for this year's contest there.

[@adas9848]

The crowd knows all the songs by the grand final. She was ranked mid table before the contest and her performance amazing!

[@ninab9969]

Probably my favorite Eurovision song, performance and artist. In one word: majestic. ❤‍🔥

[@mateobabaja4524]

This stage was one of the best

[@gittebachmannappel8120]

One of the best song to win the ESC - and as a Dane I’m so proud of how good semifinals and final we delivered 🥰

[@biggi934]

Great artist and a great person, very polite and supportive

[@andresmora1518]

This is too iconic

[@Magwinther]

It was held in Copenhagen in Denmark and offcourse won this song. 👌Best Bond theme song to a not Bond film 🎉

[@henryjackson6677]

Conchita won Eurovision that year and it was hosted by Denmark. It’s an arena with a 11,000 capacity

[@VENTURA_RAVEN]

She, well He won this edition. The music is so damn good.

[@annemarienordby4326]

That stage cost so much to have made. It's screens, on screens in boxes on screens. Yes, those beams have projections onto them. We in Denmark are still not quite over how much it costed us, and my theory is that is the reason why Danisg MGP keeps being so boring. We are scared of winning and will go above and beyond to avoid it😭😂

[@ZakhadWOW]

Only Rasmussen and this year with Saba have been highest quality.

[@vitalz91]

The best stage of the Eurovision of all times

[@2609israel]

@@ZakhadWOWRasmussen was SUPER robbed by the juries 😭😭😭 I least I got to see them in Lisbon 😢

[@barbarasieverding1754]

😂

[@vincentesc]

This has to be one of my favourite performance ever ! Everything is FLAWLESS

[@AmaanStorm]

I rarely get goosebumps from Eurovision live performances, but this one was one of a handful of performances that literally had me silent all the way through. I remember when the song and artist was unveiled in 2014, the amount of hate she got from the former soviet states, in particular Russia; who were very vocal about their dislike of Conchita and her appearance. Quite a few unsavoury comments were made by members of the Russian parliament and she had to endure so much negativity in the run up to the finals. I remember Russia even threatening to withdraw, calling the contest a "hotbed of sodomy". This led to one of the most satisfying victories at Eurovision when she triumphed, then broke down, before acknowledging the defeat of hatred and a celebration of talent and love. Conchita was a lesson for everyone to not judge from the outside, and to just look past the exterior and just enjoy the talent. One of my all time favourite vocals/staging and triumph stories at the ESC

[@alloverdplace8173]

This whole performance is just Wow❤🎉

[@Prafik614]

Such a huuuge ESC classic ❤❤❤❤❤

[@mzbelgium]

I just love your Eurovision reactions! This was a fabulous song, wonderfully performed and staged. Excited to see this week's #3 #2 and #1 videos 😄

[@markojovanovic5901]

Gives chills

[@thomaspetersen2823]

If you guys wanna check out more of that stage, I recomend watching the full contest (maybe not for a video - but you can pick and choose) the staging is among the best - and most versatile - each entry felt like a different venue

[@christrap4153]

In Denmark had one of the hugest stages ever eurovision had .

[@esc_briefing]

Best winner ever 🤩🎉

[@filigrant]

You should see the Eurovision opening they did in Austria the next year, after Concitas' win - It was epic!

[@johnthegreek5836]

Definitely one of my favorites

[@ashleydavall]

Conchita's win, along with Loreen, is Eurovision at its best since around 2000. Yes Conchita is camp, this performance has got a "shock" element too it, but underneath the drag, the incredible staging, the wind machine & everything else, is iust an incredible voice singing a great song. It is very difficult to win Eurovision with a ballad these days, but this just stood out, head & shoulders above everything else that year. It made Conchita/Tom Eurovision royalty & Conchita has repeatedly returned to the competition in some form or another in the decade since.

[@nikolaos9652]

Definitely one of the more Bondian songs of the competition. Amazing song

[@Zubiila]

Eurovision is getting close again and I definitely recommend checking out Norway's entry this year (Gåte - Ulveham) It's so good!

[@ladythalia227]

LOOOVE it!

[@makyotoo]

In Eurovision there's no change of stage or venue between the semi final and a final. The 2014 set was one of the more impressive ones since it was built inside a shipyard. So they hade huge space to work with, and the LED in the back is actually transparent (the pixels have gaps between them) so you can see the beams go through it.

[@anabltc]

a ma zing and I've heard it hundreds of times

[@ClaudiaErnst]

Great reaction guys! 👏 The 2014 ESC is my favourite one and I watch the full material (two semi finals and final) from time to time. Well deserved winner. Sadly the latest things around the ESC left me head shaking. Terrible conditions for artists and delegations.

[@tetama2agani]

Oh yeah one of the most iconic Eurovision performances❤❤ she caught the heart of bot the judges and public❤❤

[@Konkon787]

This stage structure was really impressive, especially for the time. It had something like screens, it allowed for projections when needed and stayed transparent when they wanted to use only the videowall in the back. Great reaction as always guys! P.s. You could make a reaction week for the 2024 entries. Please react to greece!

[@Camilof1974]

I had missed you guys. And this is one of my favorite performances

[@ronnopotter]

Nope, there are no famous songs before, because the rules establish they must be new. Exactly, the song can't have been released before September 1st of the previous year. But the fandom use to follow all the national selection process and the song has some time to be promoted. That is why in the final, everybody knows all the lyrics.

[@luciaarnaotorrego6852]

If you are going to cointinue down the eurovision road here are some of my personal favourites: 1- fairytale by alexander rybak 2- fuego by eleni foureira 3- arcade by duncan 4- Saudade by maro 5- soldli by mahmood

[@emmaaaa1004]

Oh my God I absolutely LOVE Maro’s song from 2022! It’s amazing! I don’t hear enough people talk about it but it was such a moment

[@luciaarnaotorrego6852]

@@emmaaaa1004 very underrated, it was really good

[@Lars_erik]

It wasn’t the participant but a performance during a break, but I still watch ‘Davina Michelle - The power of water’ every now and then.

[@spectre-8]

It's VERY cute when an American guy knows how to estimate in metres @6:10. Can I give you a fun fact though? You said '12 feet high, or for the Europeans [who don't measure in feet/inches]..' it's not just Europeans who use metres: "Only three countries in the world don't use the metric system: the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar. Every other country around the world uses the metric system."

[@vincentesc]

For this one it was the final of Eurovision in 2014 so that's why the audiance is huge as the other performance was from Eesti Laul, Estonia's national selection for Eurovision, so there is less budget and it is most of the time in a smaller arena

[@miglepon9303]

YESSSS CONCHITA

[@ludmilaianulov5516]

Hope you will listen for Il Volo, representing Italy that year, they were absolutely brilliant ❤

[@intros3]

This year's runner-up is also great Nederlands Common Linnets - Calm after the storm, listen :)

[@derhavas]

A Phoenix is a mythical bird that dies in it's own flames but is then reborn in the ashes.

[@saranissen6210]

The winner of 2014. One of my alltime favorite winners and ESC songs overall. What a performance and carisma. Depending on which country and city the show is hosted in, the size of the stage and the stadium varies, and depending on the stage show of each country sometimes the stage might also look smaller or bigger. You picked the Estonian preselection video from when she was chosen to represent them in the ESC, I think that stage was smaller than the official Eurovision stage that year (2018)in Portugal or looked smaller because her stage show was so dark then.(she went through to the finale by the way)

[@fenudel2734]

This song is my roman empire

[@Talkshowhorse_Echna]

You are correct about the phoenix. It originates in egypt but with another name. Our modern phoenix is the greek name and interpretation of the egyptian original.

[@Laaracansever]

La Forza performance that you have reacted was from national finals of her country. She won it and performed her song both in semi-finals and grand final in that year which were held in the same arena.

[@johnfrancismaglinchey4192]

That was the final,,,, she won the contest,,,, and as a result moved the competition to Vienna the following year And the Austrian 🇦🇹 hosting was amazing

[@oswaldm8645]

the performance you guys watched from "la forza" wasn't the eurovision one but the estonian national selection one that's why the arena is not that big

[@AnonymousKZY]

Eurovision Best of 2019 1. Netherlands - Arcade 2. Italy - Soldi 3. Norway - Spirit in the sky 4. Iceland - Hatrið mun sigra 5. Australia - Zero Gravity

[@mjm3091]

2:25 I actually think there may have been a city in the back? There definitely was one year, where stage was fully with the city panorama in the back, but it may be different year tbh. Some of those stages really get crazy tbh. 2:40 Songs can't be commercially released before the competition (they can't be too old), but we do get all the entries way before the actual contest - so people have time to pick their favourites. And obviously there are also Semi finals.

[@Krobra91]

she won austria's first win in its 49 years of competing if i recall

[@birgittalagerstrom6264]

Powerful❤

[@SugarMamiii]

Gwen Stefani week would be amazing (playlist included): 5: Early Winter 4: Rich Girl ft Eve 3: Cool 2: What You Waiting For? 1: Hollaback Girl kzbin.info/aero/PL4pD6SpkFVWuNbmy6gYwGTWTdVyJHVVBE&si=DH8s9DIT6nC5oqeG

[@mlo3784]

That was in Copenhagen 😉

[@matinee1992]

Elina's performance was not at Eurovision but at the Estonian National Final ;)

[@07012969]

2014 was such a good year 🎉

[@matheusgomes9812]

Conchita was no less than fantastic!!!!

[@takuyaaa]

I LOVE CONCHITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@bosko41]

Phoenix is from Greek and Egyptian mythology. It's an immortal bird that resurrect from the ashes. Later on Romans took Phoenix into their mythology as well. This contest was in Copenhagen, Denmark and Conchita was a winner.

[@ladythalia227]

The phoenix mythology is much older than that. A bird that rises from the ashes is found in nearly all ancient middle eastern reguons including Persia and Phoenicia.

[@fridanygren4070]

The semi finals and the grand final is always on the same stage but the stages differ from year to year since it’s not the same arena/city/country hosting every year

[@antaryjczyk]

Oh I do hope you react to Poland from the same year...it's something to behold hahahaha

[@Goddybag4Lee]

Another ballad from the winning ESC songs you have to watch is Molitva from Serbia!

[@salemoh9759]

It's like a James Bond Song

[@pascalletje7638]

Simply the best! Regarding your comments on the screens on stage: check out the pauze act of Davina Michelle at the European contest in the Netherlands a few years ago.

[@nelerhabarber5602]

Check out Conchita singing unchain my heart from Joe Cocker! Tom has a great voice!

[@regitzeillum6713]

The phoenix is from Greek and Persian mythology. It’s a bird, which burns and gets reborn from the ashes.

[@YUjjOi]

I know it doesnt fit the format if your channel but you should definitely watch the full shows for the experience. don't take it too serious. but you need to feel the vibe hahah. (my favorites are 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023)

[@birchleaf]

All entries must be new songs, but the videos are released in March or April and the competition is in May, so the diehard fans already know the songs by the time the ESC is held.

[@williammontes2894]

Conchita Wurst won in 2014. The competition was hosted in Copenhagen Denmark

[@liammcrae48]

Eurovision songs must be written for Eurovision. They cannot have been published on any other platform. So no, this song was not known before this contest.

[@matleeena]

Not to be the one to scold you, but I think the previous video was from a national final, not from the eventual Eurovision finale. Which would explain the different scale in staging :)

[@alberttrinidad1750]

The fact you showedno shocktells me you saw this beforehand

[@nagillim7915]

The phoenix originates in Greek mythology but may have been based on the Egyptian god Bennu who took the shape of a great crane and was said to have birthed himself and that he would be periodically self-renewing. 🤷‍♂️ Interestingly, remains of a human-sized species of crane native to Arabia have been discovered but it's been extinct since 1500 BC (which is well within the timeline of Egyptian civilisation).

[@serhiiognev]

🔥

[@Hamsyong]

Elina nechayeva, that's national final version

[@minalenaDub]

Do more eurovision!

[@MrRorosuri]

Conchita ✨️✨️✨️💕💕💕🫶

[@johncrwarner]

The songs for the ESC have to be new I think the rule is it must be published no earlier than 1 September the year before.

[@carlosmaynier]

exactly all songs the release date is September 1 or later

[@Saturinus]

The origin of the phoenix: As far as I know it's not known where this myth started. Many cultures around the world have a legend about the phoenix or a similar bird, such as Greece, Egypt and China.

[@jordanhalkier81]

What people fault to remember is this song was asked by intolerance counties to be banned from the contest due to it's acceptance of being LGBT Thankfully the contest ignored them bigots and had conchita perform the song and the rest is history. Such a statement victory. ❤

[@igortirkajla8042]

Good song and performance, but my fav was the runner-up, actually. Also a slower song, that might appeal to you as well, since it has classic acoustic rock/country style. And, now when I look back, this year was quite unusual in a sense that ballads were dominating the top. Regarding Estonia, as others already pointed out, you were watching the national final performance, not the actual one, which was more grand. When looking for the songs to react, try to rely on official Eurovision YT channel :)

[@_xander_x]

Mates, I've created a playlist of Australia's Top 5 Eurovision performances: kzbin.info/aero/PL150w6WMSHX-w98QF8naFSB6_UzWL5vG8&si=VGz4FD4uubdgQrr6 5. Sheldon Riley (2022 - 15th) 4. KMH (2019 - 9th) 3. Guy Sebastian (2015 - 5th) 2. Dami Im (2016 - 2nd) 1. Electric Fields (2019 National Final) Electric Fields have been internally selected to represent Aus at Eurovision this year, so lets get hype for them! They came second to KMH at our 2019 National Final.

[@BethReedus17]

you guys need to watch heroes by mans zelmerlow, i've seen many lists sent here on the comments but not many of them have this one, this entry won and it's one of the most iconic of eurovision history imo!

[@NICORMM]

React to love injected by aminata! (Latvia)

[@thrillyria]

I think this one is one of the most underrated Eurovision entries!

[@aedj73790810]

Songs have to be new at ESC

[@robtyman4281]

It's in a different country each year, but it all depends on who wins it the previous year. So for example Austria (with Conchita Wurst) won it in 2014....so hosted the competition in 2015. The exception was having in the UK in 2023 (runners up in 2022) last year, due to it not be able to be held in the Ukraine, because of the ongoing Russian invasion. Last year's winner Loreen won it for Sweden (with 'Tattoo'), so it was in Malmö this year. Switzerland won it this year.....so it'll be in a Swiss city next year......maybe Zurich? .... perhaps it'll be in Geneva, who knows! But it's never in the same venue. Even in the very unlikely event that one country wins it two years running (never happened!), it would still be in a different city in that country. It can't be in the same city two years in a row!

[@flamencaborner2298]

Phoenix is from Greek mythology.

[@brunoreis453]

Salvador Sobral - amar pelos dois

[@letztekrankheit]

The stillness of that performance though. So much more could have been done.