Karaoke Forums

I've never done this till tonight... got the flu. It started around 3pm and its 6:30 and I can barely talk, and there is a need for frequent bathroom runs (pardon the pun)... Thus the idea of running a show seems out of the question. My wife and kids have been sick all week, and I was beginning to think I dodged a bullet.. so I called the bar and explained the situation. The owner didn't seem too pleased with me.

How do you guys handle this? Do you "tough it out"... "show must go on" and all that... even though in all likelihood your sickness will "scare off" the customers?

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

If I have to work sick, then I do. I try to get one of my other hosts to cover if possible first, but if not, then yes the show goes on. It's not fun sometimes & I have my sanitary wipes with me if I need to pass the mics off. Actually I wipe the mics before & after each show & have them available if people want to use them as well.
I prefer Tylenol Cold & Flu daytime formula, aspirin & throat/cough surpressants & usually can manage. Sometimes Pepto is in order as well

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Sorry to hear this. Boyfriend woke up with the exact same symptoms today and don't know if he will be better in time for Sat. In the future I ought to know how to run our system, although carrying it in might be a problem. For now, we know another couple who would fill in. We have done that for them when they go on vacation. I wouldn't go in sick as it might just spread it around.

Since it IS flu season, and the job calls for alot of contact with the public, I would say you did the RIGHT thing, not only for yourself, but for your CUSTOMERS. I'm sure they wouldn't want to be around you hacking, and pooping, etc. ANY other time, I'd say suck it up, and get YOUR A$$ to work, SLACKER.

Srnitynow

I have to agree I was running a fever and could barly speak and even had a customer tell me i was crazy for coming out and doing the show in my shape but the show must go on and hell or high water unless im dead ill be there

I would say you did the right thing staying home. That is the advice of physicians, too. And of course, that is how it is spread. I have picked up some CLorox wipes for people to use if they wish before they pick up the mic. Daughter, who is a labor and delivery nurse, recommended this. She also suggests everyone got seasonal flu shots (if you are dealing with the public as we do), and she has highly recommended H1N1 shots as well. I have worked while very ill before, not fun. Hubby and I both host, and do have a couple of guys we can call in a pinch...Hate to do it but sometimes it isn't possible not to.

I think the best option here is for me to have a back up plan in place. I know several KJs who might have been able to step in had I made arrangements before hand. In the future I'll be better prepared... live and learn.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Instead of using other kj's, might be better to train someone from scratch for on call stuff. Or if you just need a night off!

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I'll never get Swine Flu, as I quit bacon..

Seriously to ask people to tough it out when they could have a serious contagous disease (even one that is over hyped like swine flu) is just wrong.

Not only is it putting un-necessary unplesent stress on the person who is sick it is exposing all of the other people at the venue to the disease.

A bar or any other occupation that interacts with the public at large would be liable to lawsuit for forcing someone to work who then infected others.

Sure you can tough it out if it is your choice in many jobs, but in any job where you interact with others it is your duty to not infect others.

If more people would just stay home and also keep their kids home when sick, we wouldn't see half the illnesses we do and they wouldn't take so long to leave an area.
All you do is spread it around when you force yourself to work anyway, disinfecting wipes or not. If your job is a solitary one where you have limited contact with the public (ie: bookkeeper), then I would say "Go ahead and tough it out, if you like". But when you deal with the public, STAY HOME! PLEASE! Don't spread it around. It will eventually get to me and believe me. I don't need it. I personally get angry when I see someone who deals with the public come in to work when ill. Not fair to all us innocent people out here. In fact, from now on, I think I'm going to start complaining to the business's management when I see it.
I understand that many bosses and venue owners get pissy when their employees don't show up (believe me! I have one heck of a pissy venue owner - wanted me to skip emergency gall bladder surgery once so the show could go on!), but I wish more of them would get a clue.
I try to have an on call host, and I did up until recently. I am right back where I started a year ago. Looking for someone to train.....
I agree with Lonman. Train someone yourself rather than bring in another host, if you can. Too much risk of losing your gig to them.

My personal view is something like a hurt leg or sore back that you can "tough it out" by all means do so.

A few years ago I was back at work at my desk job the day after major leg surgury, after spending the night in the hospital (I was not doing KJing at the time).

I also sometimes have toughed out a cold, knowing that I would stay alone in my office for nearly the whole day.

But as a KJ i can come in close contact with dozens of people in a night. I tough out problems like bad heartburn but something that can spread is another thing.

My problem is, even with having subs, calling them at the last minute usually doesn't work. I've gone to work with migraines or bad colds before because I couldn't get a sub to work at the last minute. The only time I ever missed a gig was a freebie gig for our bar xmas party. I had the flu and was throwing up. It wasn't a gig I had to do, but wanted to.

In the past I would have worried about calling in sick, but the owner knows now after yrs of me being there 3 nights a week without fail I must be really sick not to show up. If I have the flu I'm staying home !

I'm going in next week to get the flu shot and the H1N1 shot. I looked it up today on the internet and it says you can safely get both shots the same day. I just go to Walgreens Clinic.

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I hope you feel better soon and you get over it quick. I don't wish the flu on anyone.

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This is a difficult situation for some... I don't depend on KJing as an income. It's just pocket money for me. For someone like me, the answer is easy... I would try and get someone to fill in for me (and they would get paid whatever I was getting paid for the show). If I can't find someone, then I would have to tell the place to cancel the show for the night.

For those of you who do this Full Time as your main source of income, it is a more difficult decision. When you're not doing a show, you're losing part of your income.

Or worse you can end up losing the night all together. HAd that happen to me. I had been doing three nights a week when one Friday I dislocated my shoulder at the last minute mind you. They were able to get someone to fill in that night thatwas just DJ. They decided to try him out on that night for a few weeks. Needless to say I never got that night back. But it proved to be their undoing. If they hadn't brought in the dj and his crowd, they might not have had to hire a bouncer. If they haddn't hired the bouncer he would not have been there to get stabbed and I might still be working there.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Not only should KJ's stay home but if you are a singer and anyone
in your family has the flu PLEASE stay home. Just because you don't
have symptoms doesn't mean your not a carrier. Going out when you
have been exposed can infect lots of others by you just being in the
area.

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

The other thing about a singer is how the cough into the microphone because their hand is right there. And no one thought the wrong at that time, because it wasn't flu season. But the other day when off mike, I cough to clear my throat before I sang, and there was actually some out there. I'm partially a germaphobe myself, but the media has everybody stocking on their lysol, hand sanitizer, and chicken soup for fear of their lives. I cough there nonetheless because it's a smokey bar.

agree

....unless I'm dead, I'm there! Not quite, but darn close!! Sometimes that is a very hard thing to do & it takes one heck of a commitment, but it is a choice you made when you decided to become a KJ. Find a fill in host or suck it up....MrD

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