OK, let’s be honest here, visiting the Eurovision Song Contest was not exactly on my bucket list, but when the good folks at NEP Europe kindly extended an invitation, I thought, why not – a backstage tour is always going to be interesting and besides, I’d never been to Switzerland before. I’d be joining a hastily assembled continental coalition: the guys from NEP, a German camera operator and two esteemed journalists from Finland and the Netherlands.
Ordinarily, out of respect for my hosts (and to avoid appearing completely incompetent), I’d have carried out a little research ahead of the assignment. On this occasion, however, the event coincided with a pressing publication deadline and I simply didn’t have the time. Like the delicious cheese for which the host country is famed, my knowledge was full of holes. I briefly considered reading up on it at the airport. However, while I’m not a nervous flyer, I did note that the last song I’d heard on the radio in the cab had been Boney M’s One Way Ticket. If this was a portent for some terrible fate, did I really want Eurovision to be the last thing I’d Googled? I opted for a coffee and croissant instead.
I think I’m right in saying Basel airport is actually situated in France. There are certainly exits to both French and Swiss sides. Basel itself lies in the far north west corner of Switzerland, also sharing a border with Germany. The city retains a palpable Mitteleuropa feel – throughout the two days I was there, I overheard numerous conversations begin in one language before morphing seamlessly into another.
We met in a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Rhine. Basel straddles a wide curve in the river and as we sat and enjoyed lunch, a stream of those long, low, barges that ply the mighty waterways of Europe swept by, carrying their mysterious cargoes on to destinations unknown.
As a group, we got on well. Everyone was friendly and approachable. NEP had helpfully provided two technical experts – thank you Axel and Christian – and they patiently answered some excellent questions from my press colleagues as well as some uneducated ones from me. As our meeting drew to a close, a sudden, cacophonous blast from a river cruiser’s horn made us all jump and our little ‘Coalition of the spilling’ sent coffee flying in all directions.
We walked back to the hotel for a freshen-up before the tour. The Swiss pulled out all the stops for Eurovision, and Basel basked in a carnival atmosphere. Extravagantly costumed fans filled the cafes, hotels and bars before making their way to the venue, St Jakobshalle, in the lee of the towering FC Basel stadium.
Behind the scenes, NEP was putting on its own elaborate performance. There will be a full article about it in the July/August of TVBEurope, but suffice to say it was a seriously impressive operation. Ahead of the second Semi-Final, an air of calm competence radiated throughout the OB trucks and cabins. Crews had been at the venue for five weeks and Saturday’s main event would see the culmination of plans that had first been laid some six months previously. The men and women behind the consoles, desks and cameras were ready, quietly confident and very much in control.
And then it was into the venue for the evening’s entertainment. It was impossible not to be awed by the stage, dominated by its giant LED wall and vast arch. The show began right on time – we were, of course, in Switzerland – and the first of the performers arrived in a bright blaze of pyrotechnics, heat washing over the expectant audience.
I’m not remotely qualified to provide any sort of judgement on the acts but I did respond to my editor’s WhatsApp asking what I thought of the show. In the days that have passed since, I’ve not been able to improve on my first, impulsive comment. It was, as I said at the time, very Eurovision.
Thanks again to NEP Group for arranging things and looking after us all so well in Switzerland.
