No contest: In corona era, Eurovision seeks to unite Europe

This was no contest. Shut down by the coronavirus crisis, Europe's annual musical spectacular that pits countries against one another instead sought to unite them on May 16.

The Eurovision Song Contest whose final was scheduled for May 16 night was canceled amid restrictions aimed at reining in the global pandemic.

So rather than judging songs from 41 artists from Albania to the United Kingdom and having countries allocate points to elect a winner, organizers created a two-hour show called "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light'' that was broadcast in more than 40 countries.

Underscoring the effects of the coronavirus, the show opened with a montage of videos of the deserted streets of European cities before cutting to an almost empty studio in the Netherlands.

It was a stark contrast to the frenetic scenes of flag-waving, screaming fans that form the backdrop for normal Eurovision finales.
Part of the Ahoy convention center in the port city of Rotterdam that was to have hosted the contest was transformed earlier this year into a makeshift care center to ease strain on regular hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.

At the end of the show, it was announced that Ahoy and Rotterdam will host the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.

May 16's show featured appearances by past favorites as well as the artists that were to have taken part in this year's competition jointly performing 1997's winning song, "Love Shine a Light,'' made famous by Katrina and the Waves.

From its humble beginnings in 1956, the contest has become a vector of camp and kitsch with almost 200 million viewers tuning in for the finale.

Johnny Logan of Ireland, who won twice as a singer and once as a writer, opened Saturday's show with a performance of...