– Everyone now expects me to say something stupid, this is what the excluded Dutchman said during his first concert after the controversy in Malmö.
The short version
- Joost Klein, who was disqualified from Eurovision, gave his first concert after the scandal at the weekend.
- He performed in his native Netherlands, playing only a short remix of ESC's hit song “Europapa”.
- Klein also played ABBA's “Winner Takes All”, which has been interpreted as a potential kick against Eurovision.
- Police in Sweden have stated that they believe Klein will be prosecuted for alleged threatening behaviour.
- Klein's planned concert in Oslo in February 2025 was moved to a larger venue for the second time on Tuesday.
Joost Klein (26) continues to top the charts of all entrants in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, with his song “Europapa”.
But other than that, the artist has remained out of the limelight after being disqualified from the competition on May 11. He allegedly behaved threateningly towards the photographer.
According to his lawyer, Klein denies his guilt, saying he only pushed the camera away because he didn't want to be photographed. Klein himself believed he was not threatening.
Hurry – quickly
Anyway, Klein was greeted with open arms and cheers from tens of thousands when he played his first concert after the Eurovision scandal, on home soil, during the Freshtival festival in Enschede at the weekend.
However, the Dutch did not get what many of them would have come for.
Klein only played a quick, short remix of “Europapa,” according to the Belgian HLN – Not the version that made him one of the Eurovision pre-candidates.
– I missed the original version, but it was still a great performance, said one viewer, according to Dutch RT in the East.
See more photos from the ceremony here:
There is now speculation on social media about whether dropping the hit version was a kick to Eurovision.
In the hours after learning of Klein's involvement in the “ring” until he was officially exonerated, he removed all Eurovision-related material from his Instagram account.
Sold in Oslo
HLN reported that Klein was closely followed during the ceremony by a photographer who was wearing a T-shirt with a question mark on the back.
Furthermore, Klein closed the show with a house version of “The Winner Takes It All” – one of the most popular songs by Swedish Eurovision legends ABBA.
“Everyone now expects me to say something stupid,” Klein said at the end, while thanking the audience.
“But I love you all,” he concluded.
During the concert, he allowed the audience to participate in posting his first text message on Instagram since Malmö.
“Love always wins,” he said there.
A decision on charges in the Klein case is expected to be made in Sweden in early May/June.
On February 25, 2025, Klein will play in Oslo. Originally he was going to play at John Dee's, but last week the concert was moved to the three times larger Rockefeller Club.
On Tuesday evening, the venue announced that the concert had been moved to the slightly larger Sentrum Theatre.
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