The Eurovision Song Contest paid tribute to John Lennon during the grand final on Saturday night with a cover of “Imagine.”
After all this year’s contestants had completed their performances and the phone lines opened for the public vote, a number of former contestants from previous years delivered a tribute to some famous Liverpudlian musical acts, including Lennon, former Spice Girl Mel C, Atomic Kitten and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Italian singer and former Eurovision contestant Mahmood opened the musical interlude – nicknamed the Eurovision All Stars – with a performance of Lennon’s “Imagine.” He was followed by Israeli winner Netta, who came first in the contest in 2018, performing “You Spin Me Around” by 1980s band Dead or Alive. Next came Daði Freyr from Iceland with “Whole Again” by late 1990s pop band Atomic Kitten, which had the entire auditorium singing along.
Sweden’s Cornelia Jakobs then performed “I Turn To You” by Mel C, one of the singles she released during her post-Spice Girls solo career, before singer Sonia – a Liverpool native and Britain’s 1993 Eurovision entry – took to the stage to perform the song which saw her come second that year.
The musical tributes came to a close with Duncan Laurence, Netherlands’ 2019 winning entry, who performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was joined on stage by this year’s Eurovision hosts – rapper Alesha Dixon, West End performer (and “Ted Lasso” star) Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian rock star Julia Sanina and Eurovision commentator Graham Norton – as well as other performers including the U.K.’s 2022 Eurovision entry Sam Ryder, who sang along with Laurence.
26 acts from Europe and beyond competed on Saturday night to take home the Eurovision crown.
