On the 5th of November 2025, a great mix of people gathered at the Melkweg in Amsterdam to see 2024 Eurovision winner Nemo. The excitement and good vibes were palpable as soon as you entered the venue, visible on the faces of children and adults alike. The pre-show playlist added to this, with many hits from pop favourites playing: ‘Espresso’ by Sabrina Carpenter, ‘HOT TO GO!’ by Chappell Roan and many more.
Exactly on time, at 7:30 PM, opener Sven Cilliers started his set. He played a mix of his own music and covers of well-known songs that had the crowd singing along, such as ‘undressed’ by sombr. Towards the end of his set, Cilliers asked the crowd for the time, wanting to make sure he did not go into overtime with his set. “There’s enough time for one more, then!” he said, which elicited cheers from the crowd. It is safe to say that Sven Cilliers successfully warmed up the crowd for Nemo’s set.
After a small break, the room went dark once again in anticipation of Nemo’s set. The stage was set up cosy, like a living room, matching Nemo’s recent album Arthouse. A lamp on stage lit up and started speaking, creating a magical vibe: “Ladies, gentlemen, and anything in between and beyond…” However, the lamp said that Nemo would not be performing… only to be interrupted by Nemo themselves, of course! They opened the set with two powerful songs, ‘Ride My Baby’, followed by ‘Easy’, immediately making the entire crowd dance and wave their arms to the beat.
Before going into the next song, ‘God’s a Raver’, Nemo explained that this song was about a very special encounter – love at first sight. They told the crowd that they’re not sure if they’ve ever experienced it before, but that they believe that if they did, it would feel like this song. The party vibe continued, and Nemo even taught the crowd a simple dance to dance along to the post-chorus: “Mother, daughter, Holy Ghost, she’s the one I love the most. Touching heaven, met my maker, I believe that God’s a raver!”
During a little talking break, Nemo welcomed everyone in the crowd tonight ‘home’ – expressing that this night, this concert, was a place for everyone to be comfortable and free. This, of course, led to their album’s title track, ‘Arthouse’. This was followed by arguably the most iconic song of the night, which many fans had dressed up for – ‘Frog Swamp’, a song about a frog who goes from a good frog to a bad, evil frog. And these fans’ efforts to dress-up were not for nothing, as there was the chance to win the Best Dressed Frog Certificate, given out by Nemo themselves. There were frog eye headbands for sale at the merch table, enabling fans to participate last-minute in the frog dress-up as well. The fun absurdity of the song added to the magical vibe of the concert.
There was also space for some slower, more emotional songs. “Let’s take a second to breathe – the next song is about losing someone, and you can lose someone in several ways.” Nemo said. “And sometimes, when you lose someone, it feels like there’s this black hole in your chest.” During this song, made even more beautiful by Nemo’s phenomenal vocals, fans held paper hearts up as part of a fan project, a lovely effect.
During the ‘final song’ of the night, ‘Unexplainable’, Nemo took over the drums for the musical break in the song. However, the night could not end yet – not without their famous Eurovision-winning song! As the talking lamp encouraged the crowd to cheer louder for Nemo to come back, the first notes of their song ‘Casanova’ could be heard. Finally, Nemo came back out for the encore, accompanied by rainbow lights completely fitting the song, making everyone dance their hearts out before their iconic song, ‘The Code’. During this song, the crowd was obviously the loudest, singing along to every lyric.
Overall, Nemo provided a magical night at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, with their incredible talent – from pop, to opera, to rap – and created a beautiful space for everyone to be fully themselves, no matter their age, gender, or sexuality. Fans left the venue in a great mood, spreading their froggy looks through Amsterdam on their way home.
