Karaoke Forums

Do people at your show sing along to the backing vocals to most of the songs, if not is it actively encouraged or discouraged.

THis is not about getting up on stage but singing along to the songs without a mic.

I know that this can be a disturbance if the BV singer is obnoxious, but it can be good if it is well done. The local attitude will depend on the balance of good/bad experiences with this at your show.

As long as they are not on stage, uninvited, there is really nothing one should do, unless the person is very disruptive. We often have people singing along in their seats and look at it as participation and interest. It makes for a livlier show.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

None of your answers really fit me. It would be pretty often, but the singer asking has nothing to do with it. Most people don't care. There is one fellow at one show who tries to avoid certain parts of our crowd (they tend to come late) because they sing along and he doesn't like it.

Personally I don't mind it as long as they don't sing too loud too out of key so that it affects *my* singing.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

None of those answers fit my situation. I have a few regulars who sing along with any song they know whether they're asked to or not. In some cases they sing so loud that it actually frustrates the singer on stage and I have to ask them to cool it.

Now when it comes to songs where there's a definite crowd participation component like Sweet Caroline, Family Tradition, Never Called Me By My Name, etc. well then it's a different story. Usually the singer asks for the participation and for those songs most of the club is usually involved in singing their part.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

People don't do it to a brand new singer but some of the regulars that people know "can take it" get the backup treatment. Besides the crowd participation songs mentioned above, whenever a regular sings "The Wonder of You," the crowd does the "Ahh ahh ahhs" in the background (from their seats without mics). The singer would feel no one was paying attention of that didn't happen.

It doesn't happen that often for me. I have a lot of regulars and a lot of very serious singers. I know my regulars well enough to know who doesn't like it if someone joins in. If it is a friend of theirs and I know they won't mind I allow it. If a random person just jumps up on stage and grabs a mic I'll usher them off the stage.

I have a lot of singers thank me for keeping the random drunk from budding in. Usually singers are to shy to tell someone they don't want them up there. People wait a long time to get their moment on stage and it isn't fair to have someone bud in on ther time unwanted. Most people who want someone to sing with them are going to put there name on the slip.

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None of the answer fit ours either. Sometimes the crowd sings along, sometimes not. Sometimes if a singer is struggling, the crowd will jump in & sing the actual song from their seats - sometimes not. I don't neither encourage or discourage. Sometimes the singer asks for it, sometimes they just get it automatically. It definitely is more of a party atmosphere when you hear the entire crowd singing along with someone!

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I totally encourage the audience to sing along. That's part of getting everyone involved and having a good time. It's only a bother when you get that one idiot that trys to outsing the person on stage by being as loud as possible.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Crowd participation is always good in moderation. Like stated, some songs are made for it. I should not be able to hear someone without a mic sounding louder than a singer with a mic. If this happens, I rectify the situation.

I have it on my rules and announcement page to not come up and try to grab a mic to join a singer because it is your favorite song. They come up and and ask if I have another mic. I say Yes, but you are not going to use it right now. If they wanted your help they would have asked ahead of time. I have seen other KJ's who will say ask the singer. One, this distracts the singer from singing their best. Two, some will say yes, even though they really don't want to. Some people are afraid to say no, even though that is what they feel, so I put it on me. I say no, that is it. I don't believe in putting my customers in uncomfortable situations, so I handle it.

I had a KJ try and join me on a song. I was singing Kryptonite, and the idiot grabbed his mic and joined in. He was off Key. That is bad enough. His timing was horrible, that is what really messes me up and makes me mad. I don't claim that I have a perfect voice, though it is good, but my timing is perfect. I grabbed the mic out of his damn hand. He looked at me in shock. When the song was over I informed him to not ever do that again to me, oh yeah on the mic. Everybody heard this, and it embarassed the hell out of him.

Felix the KJ

I agree with the rest of the group... your choices don't really apply. Some songs just naturally bring out the group participation factor (add "American Pie" to that list). It just adds to the atmoshere of the place and show. I have never seen it become detrimenatl to the Singer on stage.

I also agree with the other thing mentioned. It's one thing to sing from your seat, but NEVER to get up on your own and grab a Mic to join in with the Singer on stage (unless you were specifically invited by the Singer to do so).

Well we as KJ's can do something simple that helps curb that really easily. I keep any mic not in use muted. So that way when the person does come up and grab the mic they'll realize pretty quickly no one can hear them anyway. Once I see they've realized that I'll invite them to leave the stage if that's where the person is singing or I'll retrieve my microphone if they've walked off with it. I do check with the person singing as sometimes they don't mind if the other person joins in. Usually even then I'll keep the joining singer's level a little lower so that the original singer is a little more dominant in the mix.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

As a singer, I love it when the crowd sings along with me haha..

But when some drunk bastard gets up and starts trying to grab the mic and (@$%&#!) it gets a bit out there, but the host here basically just kicks them off the stage if they see it's annoying the singer.

If it's not annoying the singer (i.e a sexy lady grindin' up on me while I'm beltin' somethin' out, even if she's trying to sing along with her own mic), then it's all good.

I guess it just depends on the situation really.

Some songs need the crowd.. if the crowd doesn't get involved, then you might as well just skip to the next singer haha..

I've had some good times helping myself and the KJ when a drunk got up and grabbed a mic.

The first time I was doing my song, the one guy who sings Soul and loves his gin wanted to "Improve" my song by adding himself on stage. So when he was getting close to grab the mic, I got it first and handed it to him, but pulled the plug out when he grabbed it. So Soul man was trying to out do me singing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" but when he got in front, I was dangling the plug so the audience can laugh.

Another time this drunk guy always approached the singer to yell in his mic. I talked to the KJ if he does it on my song, I'll hand him the other mic and let the KJ turn on his vocal effects machine to give the drunk guy a baby voice.