GOING FOR A SONG…….!
I AM not at all embarrassed to say that I am a fan of Eurovision, and seeing re-runs of Euro oldies and the performances of this year’s disappointed artistes does not in any way compensate for the real thing.
However, I can’t believe it’s 18 years since I decided, almost on a whim, to go to Eurovision to see what all the fuss was about.
The contest in 2002 was in the intriguingly named Saku Suurhall, an 11,000 capacity concert/ice rink/baseball arena on the outskirts of Estonia’s beautiful capital, Tallinn.
It was everything I expected it to be, colourful, crass, nationalistic, but above all entertaining – and that was just the audience…. It was like a football match with 24 different teams instead of two, all waving their banners, scarves and national emblems.
But unlike many football matches it was hugely entertaining and exciting from start to finish no matter now bad and over the top the songs and dance routines, but above all it was a great example of international camaraderie and sportsmanship.
The amazing atmosphere was replicated in Tallinn city centre, in the town hall square, where many thousands watched the proceedings and celebrated one of the biggest events marking Estonia’s transition from the old Soviet Union to an individual nation state in the European Union.
As I have written in this blog just a few weeks ago Tallinn is one of my favourite cities in the whole world, stunningly pretty, almost fairytale like, and it was no problem spending another four or five days there after Eurovision.
I can’t even remember who won that year in Tallinn, but it was such a great night it really didn’t matter.
I do remember my ticket cost about £200 and that the UK entry was a song called ‘Come Back’ performed by a 21-year-old called Jessica Garlick, star of the then highly ranked TV series Pop Idol.
Needless to say she didn’t win……
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