Karaoke Forums

As a host, I try my very best to be nice to everyone.. and I also try to overlook certain traits and/or habits ... particularly from our "regular" singers, that make me want to throw things...

A couple of these would be:

The lady who has never, repeat NEVER sung a song straight. In the past couple of years, she's probably sung forty or fifty different songs, and in every case, she wants either a key change, or a tempo change, or both....

The guy who HAS to do "Mr. Roboto", complete with all the robot-like dramatics & actions EVERY week. He's oblivious to the fact the novelty has long since run it's course... Now, all he does is clear the room. I've asked him to "give it a rest", but he insists it's a tribute to some long-dead cousin... so I grin and bear it.

Oh, and one more.... The lady that "hovers"... It's almost spooky... With any song that she's not familiar with, or one she's trying to learn, she'll saunter up to within a couple of feet of the singer and stare at the screen while mouthing the lyrics. I've asked her not to do it... that it's off-putting to the singers, and for a while she resisted the urge... but she's back at it again.

In the grand scheme of things, none of these are worth losing sleep over, so I keep smiling..... but they still bug the he11 out of me.

Got anything similar to share??

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

The guy that keeps talking to you when you are trying to listen to adjust and just won't shut up.
Or the person that will try asking you about songs WHILE you are singing your opening song (or request).

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

Ones who cup the mic, or swing mics by their cords. Or the one who wants to join in because this is thier favorite song to sing.. Ect.....

Along the same lines as Lon -

The guy who talks over you when you are introducing him.

Or, the one who blames the song on his bad performance and blames you. Had it happen this weekend. Guy came up and didn't know what he wanted to sing. Then, he decided on "I Told You So" by Randy Travis. I asked him if he ever sang it before, and he said no. I explained that the song was "in a funny key" and you probably shouldn't waste your only song on something you're not familiar with. He insisted, so I went ahead and did it. I gave him the DK version, which I know for fact is spot on because it's one of my songs from years ago. He could not find the key, and when he was done, he said "that f'ing song sucked. That was way off! That's BS, you have to let me sing another song because you f'd up".

No. YOU f'd up when you didn't listen to me. And, then you f'd up the song. Don't blame me!

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I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

Yes I LOVE that when the singer blames you for their performance. The way a song was recorded - too fast too slow, background singers, etc. Hey I didn't record them.

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

Down here, the bars close at 2:30. We run until 2:00 then breakdown and leave. I have a guy that comes in on occasion, but not until 1:00, after going bar hopping. He'll put in 4 songs and bug the crap out of me as to why he is not getting to sing all four songs, and gets mad if I don't let him sing the very last song of the night, which is usually reserved for me. My other favorite is the guy that comes up, his song is cued and ready, and he says......"Wait!! Change that to (pick a song) instead!!". I would like to takes those people and scrub their faces into the carpet until all their skin comes off. I had one, years back that started, at the beginning of the show, bothering me to let her sing. Now I run a "first come first serve" rotation and mix in newcomers as I see fit. I already had a few singers and this girl starts yapping about letting her sing before this one and that one. Well I let her wait her turn. She sang about 20 minutes into the show, and was TERRIBLE!! Later on, I was outside having a smoke and talking to a friend of mine, and was telling him the story. This woman chimes in "That was my daughter". They left after that. I learned a valuable lesson that night. I never talked about anyone thereafter. . BUT, there was a plus side to this, I spared the place of her lousy voice!!!

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

1). The person that constantly asks if I have a song and never, never, never looks in the books first.

2). The person that asks me a long loud question when there is a singer singing (my rig on the stage).

3). The person that repeatedly lowers the mic and points it at the floor monitor, even after being told not to do it.

Can I tell you how much i love these posts...this just made my day!!! The ones I hate are the "Spitters" that shower you with saliva whilst asking you how long it will be when you already have a stack of patiently waiting customers that have been there for 3 hours...and this douche just walks in...

I can't stop laughing...that there's other people that know what i go thru on the nightly basis..

i think the book one is pain in the (@$%&#!) too...the guy at 1:30am is classic...

this is great!!

Thanks Guys

Tony

I have one...


When they tap/hit thier inside of thier palm on the mic...prior to the song starting or during a guitar solo....or trying to get the crowd (or lack thereof) to clap...

That's the worst...

Tony


(testing, testing is this thing on?)...the worst!!

How about the drunks that go to put the mic in the stand, don't push it in and "THUMP!!" the damn this slams head first on the floor. My buddy had that happen to one of his mics, and now it sounds like you are singing out of a can. I made him keep it and I use it when I sing Machine Head from Bush, or when I do the Phil Rissuto part in Paradise by the Dashboard Light. The tone is now perfect.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Tapping on the mic and saying 'is this on?' is bad... but I have one guy who spits in it.. then says 'Is this on?" I tell him, "not now, it isn't.. I turned it off when you spit in it!" Moron!

Then I have this one lady.. brings me her own piece of paper.. filled with about 20 songs.. and says, 'just pick one'. Fine, EXCEPT, she's never looked in the book.. she's younger than me but these songs are all from the 40s and I don't have most of them... nor have I ever heard of them... AND half of them she doesn't even know who the artist is!!! I've told her over and over, if it's not in the book I don't have it. And I've told her, 'you need to know who the artist is"... because once I tell her I don't have them.. she asks if I will get them. YA, in my spare time!! Clueless and been coming to my show for about 4 years..... you'd think she'd catch on.

THEN, her hubby.. has great rhythm and timing... but dang if that guy doesn't have the worst flat voice I've ever heard! I set the controls, and walk outside for a break! Usually, I can tune people out but this guy.. AND he sings some really good old rock.. badly!

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SoundChoice Certification coming soon!

The singer that stops coming to my show because there are too many singers in rotation, and then won't show up when it is slow because there is no one to sing to?

- The person who took/stole my radio mic last week
- The singers who have a habit of changing their song last minute and verbalising their request through the microphone with reverb on.
- The ones who think I only allow a song to be sung once a night just to spite them.
- People who bang the microphones.
- The "just one more song" crew.
- Non singers that are disrepectful to the people on stage.
- "Booers" - even if it okay cause you're "mates with the singer"
- Singers who tell everyone they have a sore throat. If it's really that bad don't sing or it sounds like an excuse.
- Singers with good voices that only sing the same seven or so songs

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'A genius is one who can do anything except make a living'. Joey Adams.

I had a good one last Saturday. I had a woman who was in the rotation all night. I stop my show at one o'clock. Here last turn comes up at 20 minutes to one and she did not have a song up. I called her name over the mic and asked if she wanted to sing another song and from the lottery machine she was sitting at she yells "No, Not Right Now" so I skip her and move on to the rest of the singers. sh sends her husband up during the last singer to tell me she now wants to sing and they both get pissed when I tell sorry I'm out of time. They even go as far as to complain to the manager for the next half hour while I'm tearing down mu equipment (The Manager just smiled at them and Said "Sorry to hear that").

as for generic situations, how about the woman that pimps herself out to several people in the bar to Sing with them and ends up on stage 5 or 6 (Sometimes More) times in a rotation and causes you to get several complaints about her getting to sing more. Then she complains when you limit her time allowed on stage and says in a whinny voice something like, "But They want/Need me to sing with them".

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Sal "Kjmann" Esquivel
Karaoke With Sal - Website

I don't allow that. I have a "one free duet" rule. You get to be onstage two times in a rotation exactly once. After that, you get one stage appearance per rotation. When they complain, I say "People came to see a karaoke show, not the Marcy Show."

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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.

Or....The singer who want's you to play the actual song not the karaoke version because thats the only way they can sing it. Or the singer who wanders up and starts singing in the mic to the filler music.

Some good ones here that made me chuckle. Other ones named... I have to play devil's advocate here.

1. Last song sung by the KJ: I used to do the last song at every show... until I gave it some thought. Our goal is to build up a show, correct? From a singer's perspective, you get told sorry we're out of time and then see the KJ singing the last song. Makes the singer that was turned down say "WTF?" Needless to say, I don't do that anymore. The show is about your customers, not the KJ. The first song... fine. You need to adjust volume levels and some EQ, but the last song... that's a no no for me now.

2. While I do understand if you have several people asking you "Oh please, just one more song" you just can't do it. You have a certain time you get paid for and that's it. But if it's really only one more song? Does it really kill you to go 5 minutes over (unless your venue is closing down at the same time the show ends of course)?

3. All in all I can read/see some impatience and low tolerance level here with some. I don't think those will help you to build a show. You knew what you are getting into when you signed up for the gig. All kinds and levels of smart to stupid people, drunk people, bars, alcohol... so be prepared to handle it in a more professional/kinder way and I can almost guarantee you better turn outs.

Sorry, didn't mean to PO anyone... but you should really give this some thought.

As to my pet peeves... people who disrespect/mistreat my equipment in any way. But then again, I knew this is going to happen eventually dealing with drunks. So I eat it and try to talk with those people quietly and calm after they're done. Most of the times that approach works the best.

HA, I do have 1 guy that is very vocal about that. If it's too busy he complains he can't sing alot, if it's too slow, he complains no one is there. He wants it full bar, but few singers so they can hear him and oh yeah the crowd HAS to be responsive with applause. Funny thing is this guy cannot sing very well. Entertaining to watch, but man!

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

From a singer's stand point, I have no problem with a slow night, cause I get to sing more. The nights where you can only sing two songs kind of suck.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

1) Improper use of the mic. Cupping it, screaming, spitting, singing with it like there ready to eat it, tapping it, not singing into it. List goes on...
2) The one that never want's to use the book, do you have this one, how about that one. You find a song, then nah, I don't want to sing that one, how about this song do you have this song. Low and behold when it's there turn to sing they ask to change the song...
3) Crowding me. Just last night I had a gal think my shoulder was her tit rest. She was real drunk. Sandra was 3 feet away, smiling. I got up and let Sandra look for her song, then she crowded her and started kissing her arm, and blew in her ear. It was funny as hell...Really though the people that get right up in your face, and stay there. Or there real touchy touchy and you don't know them. We have our fare share of Joto's and Lesbiana's down here...

Jon