The Best Karaoke Bars Have 5 Qualities in Common

We all know what Karaoke is and I am quite sure we all have an opinion. It's usually, you either love it or hate it, it normally doesn't afford a gray area. The movie "Duets" with Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow put Karaoke in the mainstream. Most bad Karaoke experiences aren't judge by the quality of the evening's performers, as they shouldn't be judged by their singing talent but by the level of fun they bring to the song. Is it really about singing? If it is for you, maybe American Idol is calling and you might want to lighten up a bit. The host of the karaoke is the most important ingredient for a great night.

 

Karaoke places aren't all equal

A karaoke D.J. is called a K.J. and they are the hosts. They set the stage for how the evening will evolve. Had to get that out of the way if someone just landed here from outer space. A K.J. can make or break an evening. The professionalism of the K.J. will be noticed by any person who has been a few times. You have your low rent K.J. or fill ins for the main K.J. that can butcher an evening. Bad karaoke is easy to spot. Good karaoke is tougher to recognize because a professional K.J. does it seamlessly. Some of the qualities that make a good karaoke place great.

• Song selection-- The number one thing that makes a great place. The worst thing to hear when requesting a song is the repeated, "Nope, Don't have that."

• A good K.J. doesn't hog the mic when there is a long wait. Karaoke can get frustrating if there are a lot of people, at 3 minutes a song on the low side, that's only 15 singers an hour if moving along. If there are 60 people in the place wanting to sing, there could be an issue and some might miss a chance to participate.

• A good K.J. doesn't play a random songs between singers. Never understood why some did this, people come to sing and hear others sing, not some pop tune from Brittany.

• A good K.J. doesn't have 6 minute songs in their play list. They just kill an evening if a few people choose the long play songs like "Freebird or "Green Grass and High Tides" or songs with long instrumentals where the singer is swaying to the drum solo uncomfortably for 3 minutes between verses.

• A good K.J. is punctual with their start times. Nothing worse than knowing Karaoke starts at 10PM and the K.J. finally gets the first singer on stage at 11PM because he was to busy meeting his fans and ignoring his responsibilities as a proper host.

Signs you found a good Karaoke bar

A good karaoke spot will have a clear sign up process for singing and start on time. A good K.J. will pay attention to the singer sign-up order and not accept tips so people can cut the line. A good K.J. will have a trimmed well rounded, song list and make proper use of everyone's time by not hogging the mic talking, playing songs between singers, or singing themselves unless it is a duet. A good K.J. knows who the real stars of the evening are and makes everyone feel like a Grammy award singer.