We cover the same ground often here.. I try to read only but sometimes..

Water: How about we let the host worry about the show and the publican worry about the beverage sales. They're already coping with people coming in to watch their cable TV and drink water and with what people are down to charging for Karaoke these days the cable is more expensive! If it's a good show there will be enough people not to worry about water drinkers.

Hosts Singing: I know this boiling point topic is a few days old now, and I haven't had time to read through everything in detail but I have to respond to a comment that asked basically 'who goes to a show to listen?'. At my favourite venue there is a core group of 6 people who come every week and have been coming for the last 3 years (before that I can't say, I didn't know it was on until then) and until three weeks ago not one of them had ever sung. Some weeks individuals are missing, but I know of only one week where none could make it and we were all certain something was wrong (and there was something wrong). There is another girl who never sings who's been coming 3 weeks out of four for a year now who often brings friends and many of them don't sing. There is also a wife of one of the staff who doesn't sing but comes to listen. These lovely people all come and eat a meal and not one drinks water (and those not driving are very fond of their grog), and all of them want to hear every body sing who's there, including the host. They often have requests for him and the regular singers, as do the bar staff and even some of the singers, for songs they can't sing themselves or have enjoyed him doing in the past. Most importantly, every now and then on those inevitable nights when the singers are slow to arrive the room is alive anyway, because they are still there, and enjoying the show. Some shows have regular singers, this show has a regular audience, and a host that knows that one needs the other, and who will sing as much or as little as needed but also as requested for those loyal non-singers who are actually keeping the show alive.

I keep repeating the word show show show and I guess that's the thing that means the most to me, it's a SHOW. If every Karaoke Show was the same it would be McKaraoke (would you like water with that?) and we wouldn't need hosts, all we'd need is juke boxes. Some like venues where no one's there so they can sing all night, others would rather sing two songs to a rockin' crowd (I'll take either, it's all good), some like hosts who tech only and others (like me) like hosts who put on a Show and make you part of it - yeah baby! Find what you like and support it, in here and out there, but please, please, please, don't try to make it all the same.
Submitted by K Scar on 16-04-2007

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