This year will be the first time that Azerbaijan is being represented in the Eurovision Song Contest, and the public will see a truly impressive and unique performance from the country on the South-Eastern edge of Europe. Elnur & Samir will perform Day After Day seventh in the running order of the First Semi-Final of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest - as one of the lucky countries to pick their draw position themselves, they opted for their lucky number. After an exhausting promotional tour, Samir even had to spend some days in hospital, as his voice had suffered from the huge number of performances. But today, during the rehearsal, he had obviously recovered well, and Elnur & Samir delivered a confident performance.
Elnur & Samir were dressed as angel and devil, with Elnur and two backing dancers wearing big angel wings. While Elnur stands and shows his vast vocal range, Samir sits on a throne and performs some of his vocal parts in the typical national style of Mugham singing. Their whole performance is very professional and elaborate. Towards the end of the song, people will see the climax of the whole stage act, with the throne falling apart and pyrotechnical effects illuminating the stage.
In the press conference, the delegation was asked if a public interest toward the Eurovision Song Contest has developed yet in Azerbaijan. They claimed that, since the national final, which was produced and filmed at the highest technical standards by leading international companies, the enthusiasm has grown steadily among the Azeri population. When Elnur & Samir were asked how they felt after their victory in the national final, they replied that it had taken them two days to realize what this actually meant for them - in the meantime, they were just watching television at home. At the end of the press conference, the delegation invited everyone to a live concert of Elnur & Samir and several other artists from Azerbaijan, and they presented the press pack, which included a fine selection of gifts and gadgets from the Land of Fire.
