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My Thursday show runs from 9:30PM - 1:30AM and the bar closes at 2AM and MUST BE EMPTY by then. We have a NIGHTLY end of night drawing for a $100 which I try to do at 1:15AM someone pulls the ticket and the Manager announces the winner.
I'm usually left with 5 minutes in which I play an UPBEAT "regular" song making end of night announcements over the song etc etc.

Last night whiney boy cried to the Manager to sing a song at the end of the show.
There was enough time so I couldn't complain but the end of the show was just so BLAH and ended with no fanfare so to speak......HOW DO YOU END YOUR SHOW OR HOW DOES YOUR SHOW END (if you're there that late )

Make my closing announcements thanking everyone for coming, who I am which nights i'm there, when the other hosts are working, who was bar staff that evening & make sure they leave something on the tables. Any special event coming up. Drive carefully going home. Pretty basic & to the point.

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I end when the last round is over. Anywhere between 2 and 2:30. The bar is good with it and it's reduced problems with some singers being able to sing in the final round and some not.

I just have to be very careful stop taking slips at a time that lands us there. My goal is 2:15 and I'm usually pretty close.

In Oregon patrons can still be in the bar after 2:30 if all drinks are pulled. But people in there that late know the routine and the staff hustles them out as soon as the last song is over. Immediately.

By the time I'm closing up most people have left. I close at 2am and the bar is open until 3am. My entire crowd is usually made up of singers, so they sing their last song and leave. They all know I won't stay late unless I'm being paid.

If I close at 2am I just say that's it for karaoke to night. Thank you for coming blah blah blah.... No fire works here either.

If the bar is still crowded I will stay until 3am. It is easy to stop then because the bartenders are rushing people out.

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Fri night show is 8 to 12 and bars in Wa must be cleared out by 2 a.m. I thank everyone for coming in, identify who we are, when we're there, who the servers have been for the evening and to please tip them, and advise if they (or someone they're with) has had too much to drink please arrange for a ride home. "See You Next Week!"

I always give a "last call for slips" and make a note of the time for myself. I'll bend that rule at times...and sometimes I'll go over a little because Fri night show is in a tiny town, kind of a captive crowd, and many nights I don't start right at 8 (unless singers walk in right at 8. Now that it's dark at 8, I'll be starting right at 8.

Well, like most others I thank everyone for coming. There is a last karaoke song, but I rarely stop then. If there is people, I'll play 3,4,5 more dance songs while I clean up, hit the restroom, pick up books, grab a pepsi. If there is people there, I keep playing, heck even just with one of the speakers hooked up sometimes..while I'm packing the others in the trailer. If there is NO interest, I cut it off at 2...but I've been known to stay until 2:30 when they're screaming and pushing people out. Before the gripes start, I always clear any overages with the head waitress or owner. Such as, how much time...they'll say 10 mins or 5 mins or 1 more song.....Then of course, just after 'clicking' the off button.....could you just play one more song....hahahhaha, Nope!
MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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Our venue closes at 4am but my show ends at, or is supposed to end at 2:30am, but if it's busy i stick around and either keep the karaoke going, or end with Promo Only dance music videos, with the intention of possibly upselling another 'round of drinks once they've been dancing for a few songs. -it usually works and the latecomers or non-singers always get involved. I've been known to teach the Cupid Shuffle Dance at 315am, .

If it's a slower night, i'll just end with "One Love" by Marley and of course thanks all the singers and "Solid Gold" dancers for coming out, and to remember to take care of the servers and bartenders and plug the next karaoke date. Aloha. J.R.

I'm almost glad to live where the bar have to close down at 2. I like being done at 1 or 1:30.

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Yeah ,that would be nice and the wife would appreciate it, but i have no traffic to deal with, and i don't start the show til 11pm. You kinda get used to the hours.

Here in the state I live in, the law requires everyone "OUT" of the buildings by 2:00 a.m. So all of my shows end at 1:00 sharp,,within a few minutes or so. I give my thanks to all the great singers, come see us again next "??day", and to make sure they tip the hard working people who have taken such great care of us all night, make any important announcements, and say "goodnight, luv ya all", Then I play a few dance songs while I am tearing down, and I am always out the door by 1:30, unless I stay and chat for a few minutes.

Unlike Lonnie, I wish the laws here would allow for later closing times, but again, i'm grateful that I can get home a bit earlier, since I have a day job as well. ( my wednesdays are hell for me).

Scott

Depends on the starting time. 9-1 is most plenty on some nights. We are the same, must be out by 2. One club I worked a few years back even went as far as you must be off the premises by 2 or else you were tresspassing. I don't think it was ever enforced as there were always stragglers afterward.

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I give last call at 1:15 and all singing ends at 1:30 at which time I tell everyone to settle their tabs at the bar, thank them for coming, tell them to drive safely and good night!

I almost always have plenty of singers until the end of the show, in fact more often than not there are some who have already sung who have slips in for a 3rd or 4th song although they're probably not still even in the bar. Usually around 12:45 - 1 am, those who have already sung who have slips in will come up to ask if they'll get to sing again. Around that time I want to make sure that those who have not sung at all get their songs in.

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So if I give you a slip before your cutoff time, I am guaranteed to sing since you have not cut off slips? Even at the 1:14 mark? I would hate to turn in a slip & not be able to sing without being told it wouldn't happen.

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

I have started putting a placeholder in the rotation with an obvious name like "go home" or "show is over". Then as the time gets near and people look who is singing next they can see when things are ending.

My show "ends" at 2:00 but often ends up going till about 2:10. If I have a regular pleading to sing "one last song" I just tell them to get approval of the head bartender. Usually he will say yes for a regular.

After the last singing song I usually play some VERY change of pace music to get people out of the bar. (Motzart etc) I dont want "dance" music at this point it is to make people go home. I usualy have time for 2-3 songs as I take down tvs, mics, gather books etc before I have to get to the main speakers.

At 2:00+ me and the bartender want to go home and we want people out of the bar itself and onto the outside porch at the very least, so we can do cleanup.

Why do you need to be told if it's not going to happen and why on earth are you asking for guarantees? If you know what time the show ends and you know what time you sang your last song, and you can see how many people are left in the bar, you should have a pretty good idea whether or not you'll end up getting one more in. If you do, you do, if you don't, you don't, you'll live and it's ridiculous to get your panties in a bunch over it. It's called being a mature adult.

No it's called being a responsible host. If you take slips AFTER a point you KNOW you can't get someone up without saying a word about it (people leave rotations change) then that's messed up! If you are at a point in a night & you are still taking slips, either tell me flat out I don't have time or otherwise I will think I am getting up again! Not saying anything to a potential returning customer is BS!

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

A lot of KJ's, not all of them, only care about keeping people in the bar spending money. They don't think about the long term repercussions of lying to a customer. If the KJ takes my song slip, I expect to sing another song; unless he tells me that it is a maybe situation where I may or may not get up to sing again. That gives me the option of not waiting an hour for a maybe. If he says nothing about the possibility that it may not get back around to my turn, then I expect to sing again. If I get blown off at the end of the night in that situation; I look for another place to sing for a while. I will eventually go back to that particular venue and the KJ usually will ask where I've been lately. I have no problem telling the KJ why I haven't been around and I don't stay at the show very late expecting to sing another song so in thelong run, the KJ has costthe bar money by not being honest with me. I'm sure I'm not the only person who deals with that situation in that way. I don't mind waiting for my turn but don't make me wait for "nothing".

I announce several times during the last rotation "last call for slips" and then when the last singer is up "Sue will close us out"

I always go thru the last rotation (10-15 singers), then I play REGULAR music while breaking down... 1 or 2 dance songs, 1 medium tempo song, maybe a slow dance song, and always end with Goodnight Sweetheart (The Spaniels)

If you have powered speakers, you can do this with an iPod !

Note: I always go over... show at both gigs ends 1 hour prior to closing. I guess I got it good... no stress in that way.

AGREE! As i host i won't take a last minute song without first telling them they might not be able to sing it. As i singer i would get PO'd too if another host took a slip from me and then blew me off at the end of the night. I would take my business elsewhere next time.

I use compuhost, and as such - it tells you the time a song will be played - this lets me easily see when I should stop taking requests.

My local, on a regular night, has to finish at 12, so I aim to stop the singing at 11:40. This allows for the "One more song" chant, which I have a habbit of milking (the like it, I like it, it's just a laugh) - and then put something like "Champagne Supernova", "Wonderwall", "Hey Jude" on and let the crowd just sing.

Then that will fade to a Sinatra song or similar, I thank the bar staff, I tell the crowd to give themselves a cheer, and then to get lost, cos I fancy a pint And usually get bought about 10.

Obviously, here in the UK, it seems to be a bit more "in-jest" as being an (@$%&#!), but they knw me and know my jokes.

Occasionally (read: all the time) I get the "But it's just 1 more song", or "The landlord said" or anything like that. I say no, but tell them to come see me earlier next time I promise to get them up. If they are insistant, I just give them "It's just not going to happen, go have a drink and stop arguing".