Karaoke Forums

I know this topic has been discussed recently, but I can't remember the thread title, and felt maybe this deserved its own anyway.

So, last night, I had a guy in who has been trouble before. He's just one of those obnoxious people that doesn't sing, but feels like he can go up and grab the mic whenever he wants and say whatever he wants. Well, he goes up after someone is done singing and as someone else is preparing to, takes the mic from him, and says something I didn't quite understand. I did, however, hear the words "lesbians" and "fat" several times. I made a comment about drunk people and microphones and was prepared to let it go.

A few minutes later, I notice two girls - who had never been in before, and who had both sung and were having a good time - reading him the riot act. After they were done, I went and asked them what it was he said over the mic that set them off. Apparently, he had been hitting on the one girl, who deflected him by saying, "I'm here with my girlfriend." They were not lesbians, but that's neither here nor there. His words on the mic were apparently some retaliation against her.

Long story short, I approached him - with no malice - and asked him why he felt it was necessary to do that. He immediately started being a jerk to me, saying something like, "You don't have any idea what was said before that, so eff you and get out of my face." I made it clear that he got on MY microphone and spouted whatever crap it was he said, and that it was not acceptable. It got worse from there, as he said thing like, "Well, I did it, what are you gonna do about it?" I lost my cool.

Next thing I know I'm involved in a profanity laced p!ssing match with this drunk idiot, that nearly came to blows.

Let's keep in mind that he's pulled this kind of thing before, taking the mic from people and saying stuff whenever he feels like it, and being a nuisance, so maybe I was already biased, but I've never blown my top like that at a show.

I don't feel bad about what I said - or nearly did - to him, but I do feel bad that I acted unprofessionally. I just have no tolerance WHATSOEVER for intolerance, and that guy is an intolerant neanderthal.

So, uh, anybody else have a similar story? Maybe make me feel not so bad for being human and losing my mind for a few minutes?

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hi-voxentertainment

I think you did fine. He was the one who pressed his luck. You showed restraint.

I would ask for clarification at your venue and see if you can 86 someone. If you can't, then there might be a problem with follow-through. You shouldn't have to put up with repeated problems from a patron. Those types of things get worse over time, not better.

I would suggest that you put him on notice that if he gives you any more trouble, he will be gone.

I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with that crap. If that comment was made over the mic, our manager would've been all over him & most likely out the door before it escaladed any further.

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I think it helps to vent your frustration about a bad night with friends here who understand the job. I always feel bad when something like this happens even though they are in the wrong. No one ever likes confrontation of that magnitude. You did the best you could with an ignorant drunk. It is nice when management backs you up, but if you're like me that doesn't always happen, so you do the best you can.

You probably already thought of this after the fact.
I don't always turn off the singing mic when people are done singing, so it doesn't always occur to me at first to do so. That would be my first suggestion though. If someone grabs a mic and it isn't their turn to sing, turn it off. If they haven't asked my permission to talk over the mic it should get immediately turned off. I don't care if it's mid sentence. It happens so rarely I sometimes forget it is in my control. I'm thinking that's what happened to you.

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...and certainly why God invented the "MUTE" switch...just don't forget to turn it back on! ... (I have muted channels before that weren't in use, then plugged something into them later without 'unmuting' and had momentary panic).

Don't feel bad about being human, be thankful you didn't let it go any further.Cops, lawyers and judges are never a good thing.

There are somethings that always hold true and what comes around goes around.One day he's gonna mouth off to the wrong person at the wrong time and get whats coming to him,and maybe more.

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SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE LAST TUESDAY

yeah, Jerks can irritate you, and drunk ones seem to irritate even more!

I agree about the 86 scenario. Without a series of controls, stuff like this can escalate out of control.

And yes, mute or the volume control can be your best friend.

At my shows, I always had the singers hand the mics back to me, as I usually had folks that would grab the mic when walking by and act stupid.

As for what to do when the guy confronts you, don't take the bait. Of course, in my venues I worked in, I always had the agreement if I said they're 86'd, or the manager said one of my singers was 86'd, we backed each other up. At a venue called "Reds" I left because that wasn't honored. Gave them notice that night. (The troublemaker started to mouth off on the mic, and my partner turned off the mic, and then the idiot on the mic realized it was off, and spiked my BRAND NEW mic onto the pool table. I told him he wasn't going to sing EVER on my system, and I pulled the receipt out of my pocket and told him, "Congratulations, you just bought a new microphone that's been spiked. I want a replacement one!"

To the guy's credit, he DID pay for the mic. But by then, I was already out of there.

It is the job of the pub management to deal with idiots like that. It is they who are unprofessional for leaving you to deal with it..

I actually did mute the guy at first. I saw him standing at the stage waiting for the singer to finish. When she did, he grabbed the mic and I hit mute. He tried to figure out how to turn it on, having no idea I'd hit mute. Next singer came up, took the mic, I started his song, then the moron grabbed the mic back. His little tirade lasted maybe 8 seconds, I said something sarcastic about him on the mic, then restarted the song. Our entire confrontation thereafter took place during the singer's song.

There was no manager on site, and usually isn't. Just the bartender and the kitchen guy, who also kinda doubles as a bouncer. Neither of which were terribly quick to try to get this guy out. I'd have liked a much quicker and less inflammatory solution.

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hi-voxentertainment

First hit the mute button then get security to turf the guy. No need to go up to him. Avoid the confrontation. That's staff's/security's job, yours is hosting karaoke.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Timberlea,

Simple and very well put.

Mrmarog

That's the perfect world scenario. Talking to the bouncer/kitchen guy tonight, he thought I was in the wrong, so there wasn't really any way for me to win this thing.

I talked with the owner tonight and let her know in no uncertain terms that if that's the kind of people the employees are going to stick up for, I won't be around much longer. I've been there longer than anyone working there, including the owners. I'm no egoist, but bartenders have told me they used to fight over who got to work Thursday nights because it's the best night of the week. They'll lose that if they lose me. And they're dangerously close right now.

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hi-voxentertainment

Swirl, without a doubt you cannot continue to endanger your personal safety in such an environment. It's not your boss's job - let alone the bartender and the kitchen guy - to determine who's "right" and who's "wrong" in an argument. Then "decide" if they'll help?

It's your employer's job to ALWAYS protect and support their fellow employees FIRST and the owner should make sure everyone abides.

What if there were punches thrown? If the other employees thought you provoked the situation, would they let you get your butt kicked?

The other night, I had a drunk regular in my face asking for me to put his friends up next. I told him I couldn't do it. He wouldn't leave the side of the stage where I was set up; in the middle of the stage 3 guys were singing.

The drunk guy kept asking again and again. I told him no again and again, all the while getting pretty exasperated. Seriously, this went back and forth about a dozen times.

Finally I cut the music in mid-song with about 100 people in front of the stage and yelled out on the mike, "I"m sorry I gotta stop the show, but this guy has got to get 86'ed since he won't get out of my face!" The crowd started booing. The drunk guy puts his hands up triumphantly. The bouncer at the door came and led him toward the door. The drunk guy turns around and throws his empty beer can at me. At least it was aluminum.

Now I'm a big boy at 6'6" and 300#, but I'm not there to fight..I'm there to entertain. And I've got discs to pull and work to do!

At the end of the night I was reminded this was the same guy who about a month ago got very physically aggressive with me (strongarming me around my neck and shaking me). There was someone onstage singing. I was able to get away and head up to the bouncer who took care of things.

As to why was this guy even let back in the place? Well he's a REGULAR...and apparently a much nicer guy when he's not drunk. I also understand that karaoke is there to sell alcohol and that makes people drunk.

I don't feel unsafe because I know help is a short distance away. But if the owner didn't care about me taking licks? I would be SO outta there.

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[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

[quote]
That's the perfect world scenario. Talking to the bouncer/kitchen guy tonight, he thought I was in the wrong, so there wasn't really any way for me to win this thing.
[quote]

Whah. That's your job. God forbid you have to deal with a drunk person at a karaoke gig. If you can't handle turning off a microphone, kicking someone out, cutting someone off, etc.....maybe you should look into another occupation. I've been to several shows that get OUT OF CONTROL, but the KJ doesn't let one guy ruin it for everyone.

don't be so hard on yourself DJ Swirl anybody thats been kjing for a while has had something similar happen, i don't do bars anymore. a good friend of mine owns a bar and has karaoke 3 nights a week, i have sit in for him before on breaks hes a great guy and backs any of his employees up, if you get barred from his bar its for life, he has zero tolerance....you see plenty of fights here in redneck country and i have had my share of them....i came close about 6 months ago when patron chose a song he could not sing and then got in my face cursing at me i grabbed his arm shoved it as far as i could up his back and pushed him out the front door with the owner in tow just in case i needed help. like i said hes bared for life. i don't advocate violence but in this part of the country you have got to put a stop to this type of behavior immediately are it will escalate out of control. i guess the worst case scenario would be if the guy waited outside for you after the show....just remember a drunk has no defenses.....always protect yourself, your safety has to come first......cal

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cal's quote:"the best things in life are free, yet those things are priceless"

If the guy was off the mic and no longer a distraction to the show I would have let it go if it had been in my room DJ Swirl. There's just too much other stuff going on to continue things that are no longer happening on stage.

We had a guy, a big guy, who grabbed a mic for a little impromptu chick boom last Thurs. He refused to give it up even after I killed the mic. The security that night was the little guy, but he got him out of there. With some help from a few of the regulars.

Another guy, a first timer to the room, flipped me off and yelled "F YOU!" at me. I think he's been pampered in one of the other rooms in the area. Anyway I explained to him that rotation was an hour and a half out and he was just going to have to wait like everyone else. That news seemed to upset him greatly.

I just let that one go. It was too busy to pursue it. He left on his own though.

I was talking to security tonight and he laughed and said that would never happen here.
Our customers party hard but we will not tolerate drunk abusive behaviour. Never get i a shouting match with a drunk Calmly tell them they are out of bounds.

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Identify the jerk with the bar owner or licensee and let them deal with him.
Suggest that he be ban and barred for his conduct. Karaoke or not, patrons
have the right not to be disturbed by being called names because they rejected
his advances. When an establishment earns the reputation of not permitting
rowdies on the premises, their business flourishes from those who appreciate
a safe and friendly venue where a fun and harmonious relationship exists.

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"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid."

Uh, yeah. Maybe you need an Easy Reader version of this thread, because I DID cut the mic off. He grabbed it from a singer once it was back on and before I could cut it off again, he said what he said.

I deal with drunks all the time, and y'know, I'm pretty good at it. I tended bar for 13 years before this, so I think I know what I'm doing. This is the first time in my entire DJing career - which spans some 10 years - I've lost my cool, so telling me to switch occupations is ignorant.

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hi-voxentertainment

i agree djswirl no one absolutely no one should have to put up with a drunk out of control harassing patrons or a dj/kj its not part of the job once they take it to that level, they have over stepped their bounds. we don't choose to have comfortations, we are there to do a job, just like the waitress or bartenders. we are there for the people that want to sing and have a good time, are job is to try to make them sound as good as we can, and help them feel good about there performance. ......cal

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cal's quote:"the best things in life are free, yet those things are priceless"