A widely announced victory for Sweden at the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. As announced it was the head to head with Finland that broke the televote, coming second with Käärijä and the song Cha Cha Cha. To bring the event back to Scandinavia was Loreen, to her second victory, with the song Tattoo, given as favorite since the eve.
In third place Israel with Noa Kirel and Unicorn. Marco Mengoni took fourth place. But he was still the protagonist of the evening. Not only did he excite the 12 thousand of the Liverpool Arena with his intense and powerful performance of Due Vite, the song with which he won the Sanremo festival, and which here took home the Marcel Bezençon Composer Award for best composition, assigned by the composers of the songs in competition, but he also wanted to bring on stage the LGBTQI flag designed by graphic designer Daniel Quasar to make the famous Rainbow Flag still more inclusive. Five more colors, white, pink, light blue, brown and black, positioned on the side.
The new colored stripes are dedicated to the black community, the transgender community, HIV patients and those who died to carry on the battle for rights. The evening opened in the sign of Ukraine, which after the victory last year in Turin of the Kalusch Orchestra, should have hosted the event. But the current situation of the country, still at war, has not allowed it. And so, in an ideal connection between Kiev and Liverpool, chosen as an alternative venue for the event, the Kalush Orchestra, spokesman for the Ukrainian drama, opened the final with Stefania, the song that led them to victory a year ago, and with a film attended by British artists of the caliber of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joss Stone.
Princess of Wales Kate Middleton also made a cameo appearance at the piano. In support of Ukraine also the Czech Republic with the Vesna, with the song My sister's crown, a feminist anthem that invites you to never give up, but also a song with a political background with a humanitarian message of support for the Ukrainian population, underlined by the refrain sung in Ukrainian. Even the Let3 Croats say no to dictatorships and war by remaining in their underwear and with fake missiles on stage. But Eurovision does not give up its dose of excessive show, trash, feathers and sequins, as per tradition. As he did not give up paying homage to the city that hosted him with the Liverpool Songbook, during which some artists who have been protagonists in past editions have retraced the history of the city's music. Among them also an emotional Mahmood who performed a revisited version of Imagine, the great classic by John Lennon. The artist, in his third Eurovision appearance after representing Italy at Tel Aviv 2019 coming second with Soldi in Turin last year together with Blanco with a sixth place thanks to Brividi, is the first Italian to be invited as a guest out of competition in an edition abroad.
Marco Mengoni on stage with the Italian flag and the rainbow flag
Marco Mengoni, during the initial presentation of the 26 artists competing in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, brought on stage, in addition to the Italian flag also the rainbow flag, symbol of peace. Five more colors, white, pink, light blue, brown and black, positioned to the side, almost as a badge, or perhaps as a reminder. It is the LGBTQI flag that Marco Mengoni waved tonight on the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was designed by graphic designer Daniel Quasar to make the famous Rainbow Flag even more inclusive. The new colored stripes are dedicated to the black community, the transgender community, HIV patients and those who died to carry on the battle for rights.
In an ideal connection between Kiev, which was supposed to host this year's Eurovision Song Contest, and Liverpool, chosen as an alternative venue, the Kalush Orchestra, winner last year and spokesperson for the Ukrainian drama, opens the 2023 final with the song Stefania and with a film attended by British artists of the caliber of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sam Ryder and Joss Stone. Princess of Wales Kate Middleton also made a cameo appearance at the piano.