In the end, the St. Jakobshalle in Basel became an opera house. Because an opera singer had taken Europe in a storm for himself, and in two ways: The countertenor JJ struggled against violent winds during his appearance in a small boat on the high seas that hit him and his song “Wasted Love”. After that, as expected, he won the most votes of the juries, so that at the end he was unable to go in front. The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) takes place in Austria and not – again – in Sweden. The first thing he came up with after the announcement of his victory was his family. On the way to the stage he fell around his mother around his neck. Then it went down and through the rows of spectators onto the stage, where last year’s winner Nemo was waiting for him with the glass trophy. The winner’s first words were his team, which had led him to victory, then thanked all of Europe. And that over and over again, even while he sang his song again at the end, Conchita Wurst cheered him from the upper ranks. Thomas Neuwirth alias Conchita Wurst won the ESC with “Rise Like a Phoenix” in Copenhagen in 2014. It was only the second time for Austria after Udo Jürgens’ victory in 1966 with his song “Mercie, Chérie”. After only eleven years, the two JJ follows. Of course, he also had something to say after his victory: “Love is the strongest strength, let us spread more love.” He also converts traces on Conchitas that had told the sentence in 2014: “We are a unit and we are unstoppable.” In a way, she, so to speak, anticipated today’s motto of the ESC: “United by Music”. The jury on the JJSGanz’s jury was not surprising, even if the Finnish Trio Kaj, which started for Sweden, for a good two months with the sauna song “Bara Bada Bastu” in almost all and especially with the bookmakers. But with 126 jury points it got too few points to win in the end. With 258 points, JJ had more than twice as many jury points, he was enough to get 178 points from the audience to get the overall victory. The Trio Kaj, which started for Sweden, was one of the favorites with his sauna song. Dpagleich was two more artists in the viewers’ fright in front of the Austrian-and that clearly: The Israelin Yuval Raphael with her song “New Day wants Rise ”(297 points) and the Este Tommy Cash with“ Espresso Macchiato ”(285 points). JJ reached 436 points together, followed by Israel (357 points), third place went to Estonia (356), followed by Sweden (321) and Italy 256). Germany briefly did not make it onto the left half of the points, the duo ABOR & Tynna landed with 151 points in the 15th place. Twice, the two even got twelve points for their electronic pop number “Baller”, from the jurors from Ukraine and the Czech Republic, from Serbia and Israel there were ten points from Italy. Austria’s jury, however, gave the Austrians Abor & Tynna zero points, JJ, in turn, received twelve from the German jury. That will certainly still cause discussions. The jury points for Germany added up to 77 points, 74 were added from the spectators. He had said in advance that he did not hold anything from the juries because they were rationally, not emotionally voted. Apparently he was aware that the two Viennese would have a hard time with the jurors. The fact that in the end even fewer points came from the spectators than from the juries may have also surprised him. As announced, Raab, who declared the ESC as a top priority, took over responsibility for Germany’s performance. Raab had relied on victory in the next year, when NDR gives responsibility for the Song Contest to the SWR after almost 30 years. ABOR & Tynna started for Germany. The so-called roof states were together in an ESC final in a row, i.e. Germany (D), Austria (a) and Switzerland (CH). Before 2023, this last existed in 2014, in the year of Conchita Wurst. This year, however, the three German -speaking countries were as successful as it has not been for a long time. After the jury ranking, JJ and Zoë Më, who competed for Switzerland with “Voyage”, were even at the forefront. The twenty -four -year -old, who got 214 points from the jurors, was completely empty among the spectators. Only the United Kingdom was also punished in this way in the televoting-with zero points. On Saturday evening there were again Pro-Palestinian protests, in the city, but also in the St. Jakobshalle. Edi Estermann, responsible for communication at the ESC, confirmed an incident against the German platform “ESC compact”. Accordingly, a man and a woman attempted to get over the stage at the end of Yuval Raphael. “They were stopped.” Color bags are said to have been thrown, nobody was injured. “The man and the woman were accompanied from the hall and handed over to the police,” said Estermann. Whether Yuval Raphael, who only survived the terrorist attack of Hamas on the Supernova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, noticed something of the incident, has not yet been known. Costs of Eight million CHF (around CHF 8.5 million) were estimated. A good 1,300 police officers have been on duty in the past few days. The first protests during the ESC had occurred last Sunday when Palestine activists tried to disrupt the official opening event in the city. Unlocked security measures due to the great offensive of Israel in Gaza, which had started on Saturday morning, the responsible persons once again presented completely new challenges. In the short term, the security precautions were tightened and more police officers were used on the final day, especially around the main event location, the St. Jakobshalle. Yuuval Raphael represented with her song “New Dawn Will Rise” Israel.afpam In the early evening there was a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city, the police spoke of around 800 participants. The tram traffic was therefore temporarily blocked. The demonstrators who opposed the orders were encircled on the later evening, and irritating gas and rubber shot are said to have been used. However, nobody was injured, but the city of Basel had drawn a consistently positive record on Saturday afternoon: According to this, around 300,000 guests in Basel were counted in the ESC days, so almost twice as many as the city had inhabitants. More than 500,000 visitors came to the Eurovision Village and the “EuroClub” at the fair and the Eurovision Square on Barfüsserplatz. A large stage for live music had been built there. Last Sunday, around 200,000 spectators also accompanied the official opening at the town hall and along the 1.3 -kilometer turquoise carpet through the city, and 100,000 tickets for the nine shows – the two semi -finals and the final as well as for two dress rehearsals – in the St. Jakobshalle and for the public viewing in the Arena Plus were sold. Swiss newspapers, but also the BBC, had reported that Celine Dion flew to Switzerland with her private jet and in Basel, there was neither a appearance by the Canadian superstar, nor was the prepared message of the singer recorded, as was the case the evening before during the dress rehearsal. Martin Green, the ESC director, was still optimistic on Saturday afternoon, but had also said that it was like Christmas and you had to wait until the giving. The disease is so insidious that the fifty-seven-year-old can only decide whether it is able to appear or not. In the show on Saturday evening, several former ESC participants for Switzerland appeared, including Paola Felix, Luca Hänni and Gjon’s Tears. However, Nemo started with the winning title of 2024, “The Code”. Nemo had brought the ESC to Switzerland and Basel. It is very doubtful whether Nemo had a favor with his second appearance on the final evening. Nemo presented the new song “Unexplainable”, a trip, in Nemos me. “When I started writing this song one evening, he literally flocked out of me,” says Nemo. “I tend to think too much and to look at everything that often leaves me with the feeling that my emotions were decoupled.” Nemo also appeared, he had won last year and brought the song contest to Switzerland. “Cabaret” was not “sensational” Nemos Sally Bowles, but a being that lies on the ground and seems to be lost. The whole thing was reminiscent of Rocky Horror Picture Show before Nemo was winding on the ground, cried, tearing down the wig. That had nothing to do with the ease of Nemo’s winning appearance in 2024 in Malmö. The audience in the hall remained consistently, the applause was sparse, and on Saturday it was cleared why Michelle Hunziker hadn’t already moderated the semi -finals with Sandra Studer and Hazel Brugger. Hunziker had “an obligation on Italian television”, to which she was contractually bound, as she said. Studer and Brugger, on the other hand, were already visibly a well -coordinated team that, due to his musical insert in the first semi -finals, “made in Switzerland”, now achieved cult status, especially on social media – also because the third year moderator Petra Mede from Sweden was involved in the appearance. She gave Wilhelm Tell, according to the Saga, the invention of Eurovision should also decrease. The audience favorite was the supposed duel of the two public favorites of the past two ESC years, Baby Lasagna and Käärijä. The audience in Malmö with his song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” looked at the Croats in 2024, just like the Finns a year earlier with “Cha Cha Cha”. Thanks to the jurors, Loreen and Nemo each won the ESC. Now “the winners of the hearts” competed against each other with their songs, one with his dances entirely in blue, the other in neongrün. In the end they united, were also “United by Music” and sang their new European Mermann riot anthem “Eurodab”, which was released on Friday. A conciliatory conclusion for you, but the discussion, however, whether a pure televoting would not be more fair and democratic, so the jurors should be abolished again, will continue after the 69th ESC in Basel. After all, this year’s winner has a significant thanks to the juries and not to the audience.
