The Mercati Arena. An indoor stadium packed with spectators. Despite initially stating a maximum of 70,000 people, demand for tickets were high, somehow the stage designers were able to fit a few thousand extra in. At 7.58pm exactly, the lights go down, save for the giant screen. A two minute countdown in white text, same font as the logo, begins on it in the format [ 01 : 59 : 99 ]. As the clock continues, and the music builds in intensity, the lights around the arena steadily begin to pulse, increasing in intensity, with the audience being bathed with white light as the time fits the final seconds.
Upon zero, the arena is plunged into darkness, with the screen displaying a dark sky full of stars. Roughly ten white beams shine from the sky, arranged in a circle, with the point in the stage they converge on steadily rising. On top of the square is a woman, crouched down, one knee touching the floor, the areas surrounding it acting as a pyramid staircase. This woman you'll have known from our earlier entries, finishing 5th at WVSC46...
OPENING ACT
Sky Is The Limit
Eliana Mitrecey
Tune: Funky At Heart // Studio Killers
Upon zero, the arena is plunged into darkness, with the screen displaying a dark sky full of stars. Roughly ten white beams shine from the sky, arranged in a circle, with the point in the stage they converge on steadily rising. On top of the square is a woman, crouched down, one knee touching the floor, the areas surrounding it acting as a pyramid staircase. This woman you'll have known from our earlier entries, finishing 5th at WVSC46...
OPENING ACT
Sky Is The Limit
Eliana Mitrecey
Tune: Funky At Heart // Studio Killers
Eliana is dressed in a long, flowing white dress, with her hair as shown in the picture. The dress has a cross cutout on the main cleavage area, not large enough to be provocative, but noticeable. She is wearing silver high heels and a daimanté headband.
The sky is the limit
And we're gonna hit it
From coast to districts
Reach out your hands and
We're going all out
And we won't fall
As the song begins, she begins to stand up from her crouched position on top of her plinth. Her right fist raises, left hand holding the microphone. When she is fully standing, she begins to walk down the staircase.
Tonight is all ours
From now till the late hours
Write our name in stars
You're gonna know
That you're solid gold
Come, enjoy the show
As she walks down the steps, the camera pans left to catch a man playing a white acoustic guitar, dressed in black, untucked dress shirt, white tie and black slacks. As she sings "you're solid gold", she walks up to him, and kisses him on the forehead. She stands in the centre of the stage, in front of the catwalk as she reaches the bridge of the song.
And you know life is a mind game
Tonight we're gonna solve it
So tonight go and stake your claim
The sky's the limit
As she sings, the stage begins to be flanked on the left and right by white-dressed men and women carrying the flags of the countries taking part, clapping their hands as they go. As she sings the next part of the bridge, the front two, both carrying Nekoni flags walk to either side of Eliana, and grab her hands. During the vocals, the three lift their arms up and tilt their heads to the sky.
Time to make yourself a hero
And throw your head up high
All the world is behind you
Tonight is our night
During the instrumental, everyone runs down the catwalk in formation, following the leading three to strobe lighting. All the flags are being waved, with the two behind the lead pack holding the flags of the last two winners: Britonisea and Mister X. The front pack is able to get to the end of the catwalk as the second verse begins. The flag bearers let go of Mitrecey's hand and wave their flags, at which point the guitarist has joined them at the end, too.
The weekday is long dead
The 9-to-5 is spent
Let your inner child
Scream and shout out
'Cause the party's on time
And you're the first in line
During this part of the verse, Eliana pulls on the tie of the guitarist, pulling it off in one go. She then tugs on the dress shirt, and it tears off, revealing a black, sleeveless T-shirt with a blue and gold heart in the traditional Nekoni colours. She throws the tie and shirt into the crowd, of course.
From beaches in MarinaPoint to Mercína
We gather at Varea
To celebrate that
It's Nekoni's time now
So, let's go
As the verse continues, the catwalk descends to ground level, with Eliana at the front still. The platform hits the ground as the verse reaches its end. The white beam lights that started the song pointing at her followed her up the catwalk, and are now directed at her again.
And you know life is a mind game
Tonight we're gonna solve it
So tonight go and stake your claim
The sky's the limit
At this point, she is on the floor with the crowd. The catwalk section has multiple plinths for the flags the bearers carried to stand in. The flagbearers place their flags in the designated spots, then join Eliana. The front eight or so bearers pick up Eliana and put her on their shoulders.
During the next part of the bridge, she sings whilst the front group pick her and walk forwards into the end of the catwalk zone. All those not in the group are stood by their flags clapping to the rhythm.
Time to make yourself a hero
And throw your head up high
All the world is behind you
Tonight is your night
During the second instrumental, the front group carry her back to the main stage whilst the rest perform a dance routine based on freestyle breakdancing, with windmills and feats of upper-body strength being very much the order of the day. Whilst the routine is carried out, Eliana addresses the audience.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Varea, and welcome to the year's biggest party, the WorldVision Song Contest 64!"
She is brough back on to the main stage just in time to finish her final lines next to the guitarist, centre stage.
Time to make yourself a hero
And throw your head up high
All the world is behind you
Tonight is our night
The song ends to rapturous applause. Eliana takes a few moments to take it all in, then grabs her microphone again. "Now please welcome your hosts, Alice Florien and Miki Lazaretti!"
The hosts run on together, greeting the audience. The meet with Eliana, and greet her with the traditional kiss on the cheek.
Alice (left): "Thank you Eliana! What a great start to the show!"
Miki (right): "Honestly, I don't know how the acts tonight are going to top that, but they're going to give a go, and it's going to be great fun watching them go for it! So many countries tonight have sent their greatest singing and performing talents, and tonight we find out who gets the honour of being able to call themselves the greatest of them all!"
Alice: "That's right! Tonight is a great feast for both the ears and the eyes. The whole world is watching, the whole world is listening, the whole world is looking for a good time! And not just enjoying the party, everybody watching here in the Mercati Arena and the millions and millions at home all will have an equal say in who takes home the gold!"
Miki: "I think that leaves us with just one thing to say, doesn't it, Alice?"
Alice: "Of course..."
Both: "World, are you ready!?"
The audience's thunderous cheers make the answer to the question pretty obvious.
Both, with Eliana: "LET THE PARTY BEGIN!"
OOC:
