This morning the broadcast of the first night of Festivali i Këngës 59 took place.
Performed in semi-outdoor conditions during a cold Tirane's evening, there was more than enough fire on stage to warm up the performances.
Most performers coped well with the outdoor environment and acoustics. The show was well put together, despite a few random breaks, and the host arriving on a horse was one of the highlights of the evening!
Out of the songs performed, these were our take-aways:
Top Performances
Inis Neziri - 'Pendesë'
The Aussievision team's favourite going into the contest, Inis really stood out with a strong vocal performance of her song 'Pendesë'.
Absolute winner vibes from us and many fans agree. This is a package ready for Eurovision.
Era Rusi - 'Zjarri Im'
The complete opposite to Inis's ballad, this was a terrific high energy first night performance. Historically performances only get better throughout the contest, we look forward to what she brings later in the week. Massive fan response and still a contender after 50% of fans voted her their favourite in our FiK59 Twitter poll.
Anxhela Peristeri – Karma
Brought every possible element of FiK to the stage and delivered a great vocal and staging performance. Still very much a chance!
Improved on live performance
Xhesika Polo – 'Me mbron'
Emotional ballad that is having a strong reaction with fans in Albania. A song dedicated to her mother who passed away earlier this year. A more subtle performance tonight but certainly pulled on the heartstrings.
Kastro Zizo – 'Vallja e jetes'
This won't win any vocal awards but Kastro brought huge energy to the stage. Not really a winning chance but elevated live to the studio for many fans.
Rosela Gjylbegu - 'Vashëzo
Not a huge song but Rosela really delivered a classy performance and we would expect to see this later in the week.
Mixed review
Mirud - 'Nëse vdes'
The no.2 song in the Aussievision rankings, Mirud's overall staging concept was impressive. However for some of the team the performance lacked impact and Mirud seemed a little uncomfortable at times with the choreography. While other members of the team thought it was an incredible concept and performance.
Dropped down in our lists
Giliola Haveriku – 'E Lire'
This was the no.4 in the Aussievision teams votes and the studio is a low key bop. Live though, it lost some of its magic and has tumbled down in our live rankings.
Overall staging seemed to have really improved over the years. Though some choices like a woman in a cage and a mid-dance smoke break were questionable at best...
You can watch the full show below:
Night 2 takes place tomorrow morning 7:00am AEDT.
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