Karaoke Forums

So tonight was fairly slow for singers. I get a girl come up and ask me how to sign up. I point out to the tables and let her know that all the books, slips, and pencils are out on the tables and all she needed to do was fill out a slip and bring it to me.
So right after that, my song comes up... People were singing a lot of downers so I pick an upbeat crowd pleaser. Just as I start singing, the girl comes up with a book and a slip, stands right in front of me, shoves the book in my face (While I'm singing!) and demands that I find a pencil for her. I point at the mic that I'm currently singing into, but she doesn't get it! AAARRRG!!! How dumb do you need to be to see that I'm busy singing and cannot/will not drop my song to go find a flipping pencil because you're too lazy to look for yourself? They weren't hard to find and were on at least 3 tables within arm's reach that I could see! I pointed to them but she couldn't figure it out.
I ended up just turning away from her. Afterwards, when she comes up to bring her song and I tell her, " Sorry, but when I'm singing, I can't help you". She gives me a dumbfounded look and says, "Oh sorry. I didn't know". How can you be so stupid as to not know? Do her eyes and ears not connect to her brain? Apparently not.
/end Vent

Sorry guys! Just HAD to get that off my chest to someone who would understand. It was a bit of a rough night in that the place was packed, but we had more than the usual number of self centered MEMEMEME people. It was all about them and no one else existed or mattered. I HATE people like that and have a real hard time with it normally, but there seemed to be more than a fair share of them out tonight. So trying on the patience....

I have noticed that for many people drinking tends to exagerate the importance of "ME" to the point that many people become unable to understand the concept of other people existing except to serve them.


Then again some people are just stupid.

I have had similiar situations where you just happen to be singing and people see your lips moving but don't register that "maybe now is not the perfect time to ask a question" ......Most times I will stop singing and answer their question and pick up the song when I'm done. If it looks like a long process I'll ask them to wait until the song is over. You don't want to be rude as the host the singer comes 1st but its a fine line ....

She probably saw how smoothly you were doing a bizillion things at once and presumed you could do anything.

Sorry again, guys, and thanks for your support. I guess I was just tired last night and really frustrated at all the extra selfish people out last night. It helps to know I'm not alone and to be able to let go here helps, cause I just have to pretend it doesn't bother me when I'm at work.
On a side note, at this bar, there is no way you can stop singing once you start when the crowd is as big as it was, unless you want to have the whole place booing! There may not have been a ton of singers last night, but the crowd was loving it nonetheless!

Right there with you! This happens to me once every night! Plus by people who aren't even drinking yet! The best is when they get mad at you for not acknowledging them. Or when they are trying to yap at you while you are mixing sound, and obviously look very busy. We have strange jobs, my friends

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Wam bam thank you m'am.

Once a night doesn't bother me so much, but last night there was a ton of that crap going on...
Another one last night kept bugging me to look up songs for her just to see if I had them, not to actually put in, mind you. (I didn't. I was too busy so I told her to check the book). Then she asked me about one of the previous singers... she wanted to know his name... So I said" Oh, you mean Keith!". Then she says to me "Where is he?" in a tone that told me I should know exactly where he was at that very moment. She was dead serious.
I think to myself "OMFG! You're kidding me, right? I sit here all night and don't move from here and you're expecting me to know where this guy is in a bar packed with people? Cause I have nothing better to do with myself than keep track of people you might be interested in!"
But instead, I said"I don't know." Then she says to me, "Well do you know where he went?" (Isn't this the same question, rephrased?) My answer" No."
Some people's children! I tell ya![/u]

It's tough being Gods.

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Wam bam thank you m'am.

This probably should be another rule that should be added into the front of all karaoke books, in the category of manners and class:

Rule 11: Please wait unit a singer is finished singing and you are done applauding before you go to the front to hand in your song or ask the KJ a question.


It's distracting and rude to walk in front of the singer or behind the singer, or to crawl up on stage to ask the KJ a question while a song is being sung. Let the singer have their space and their song! Usually you will only have to wait a minute or two. Patience is a virtue!

The way I'm set up, it's not too bad having people come up, but why, oh why, do they feel they must walk right in front of the singer's screen when it's CLEAR sailing on the other side?!!! (and then give YOU a dirty look when you ask them to move so the singer can see).

That is one thing I can't do.
Getting the next singer up and going...
Getting volume levels is when I don't want to be distracted.
I can't multi task.

Wouldn't it be better to wait until the song has a long instrumental break to get the KJs attention for a question?

Much should be left to the KJ's discretion, but I think the end intent should be to show courtesy to the person who is singing, since they might only get to sing two or three times during a night--quality time is key. Some KJ's will wander the floor during a song and quietly answer questions about songs or take slips. I think this is an okay method, and a long instrumental might be a good time to do that, assuming the singer doesn't need the KJ to help play air guitar.

Some of it probably depends on how the singing area is set up, the size of the crowd, and other factors, but I hate to see someone singing and then, as was mentioned above, someone walk between them and the screen, or have someone carry on a prolonged conversation with the KJ close to the singer's area. I think it distracts a lot from that person's three minutes of song time, and it ends up looking like two people are on stage. (note, I've broken this rule myself, so woe to me too, but in general I try and get my song in in between songs, or in a way that is unobtrusive and doesn't distract too much from the present singer's performance).

The stage is owned by the singer when I run a show. I'm not on or really near where they are. I'm off to the side where I can do business without having folks get in front of the singer when they want to talk with me. My rule would read:

Rule 11: Please only talk to the KJ when a singer is on stage and past the first chorus of their song. At this point you may go to the front to hand in your song or ask the KJ a question.

I don't want people getting in the way of the rotation, getting a new singer up quickly is what needs to be done when a singer exits the stage. When there is no singer on stage that is the worst time to talk to the KJ.

YES.

I rarely sing when I am working. I may go weeks without doing it. I feel like that takes time away from the customers. I love to go to other shows and sing when I have free time. When I am at my KJ job, I am there to serve the customers, not sing for my own enjoyment. That is why I get paid, and my pay comes from customers who spend money on booze and food.

If there are very few singers and my girlfriend is there to operate the mixer/laptop and field questions or take new song slips from people, then I will sing once or twice during the night; but I usually have plenty of singers and any songs I sing will mean fewer songs for paying customers before closing time.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

We've had that debate many times. I prefer not to engage in it in this thread. Thanks

I politely hold up one finger (sometimes I wish I was the middle one) as to say "one moment" never looking at them and set the sound for the next singer then I will give them my attention. Seem to work most always.

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

I do the same thing! Oh, how I WISH it could be the middle one sometimes, especially for "repeat offenders"!

I do things similarly or use the one finger method. It depends on the night, but I tend to sing back up for people more than singing myself now-a days. No one will miss my harmonizing if I stop.

It does amaze me sometimes on a really busy night that people don't see when your busy and just wait a few seconds until you can get free. My pet peeve is when they start yelling my name to get my attention from the crowd. If you want something come to the stage and ask me.

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