Gang Boo

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:08 pm

A friend of mine just relayed this story to me.

He went to a bar I used to do to check things out.

The new KJ (he's a JERK) is running the show. My friend wanted to sing. He is used to my style of singing from anywhere in the bar. The KJ only had corded microphones and you had to sing on the stage. He told the KJ about his fears and wanted to know if he had a cordless microphone so he could avoid the stage. NO just these. So the KJ told him not to worry everything will be fine he would take good care of him.

The KJ gets on the microphone and announces that "Bob" is nervous about singing on stage and let's have everyone give him a big booo now.

The entire bar booed on command in unison, highly embarrassing my friend. Needless to say my friend was not very happy about the experience.

Why would getting the entire crowd to boo a singer before they sing be taking good care of them???

I need to change my thinking...

mnementh · Post by **mnementh** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:16 am

He might be a jerk but it certainly sounds like he is in charge of his audience, given the result of his request.

Possibly he thought he was reducing the tension in the room but I also DO take your point that he obviously did NOT read the situation or your friend very well.

Getting up on a stage isn't everyone's cup of tea and can be very nerve racking.

When I was young, I lost a couple of school singing contests because I would be shaking like a leaf in front of an audience.

On the microphone situation, I was about to sympathise with the KJ to a certain extent but when you mention he has ONLY corded units, that turned round.

I have several cheap and cheerful corded mikes and they get handed out to the show off's and general idiots that sadly frequent Karaoke.

They are cheap enough that I won't actually break down and cry if some moron breaks one.

However, I have 5 or 6 good quality radion mikes that go to people I deem to be sensible and not "blootered" out of their minds.

Sandy

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:53 pm

There are several things in play here and none of them are good.

#1. He lost a customer that will not go back and one who will relate his story to other people that may or may not go to his karaoke show. (Lost income for the bar owner and a negative hit to the KJs reputation)

#2. His promotion of bad crowd behavior is a very slippery slope. Adding alcohol to the crowd already loosens up peoples inhibitions to have a mob mentality. (Potential for trouble in the bar from mob mentality and from slighted singers wanting revenge) Not good for the bar owner and his reputation.

His crowd will assume they can act however they want. Taunting or booing or yelling or throwing things or acting out during someones performance will seem normal. If his trained crowd of idiots attends your or my show they could poison our crowds to act out too.

I think it's absolutely STUPID on the KJs part. He should be promoting clapping and good behavior. As I said the KJ is a jerk.

Karaoke has a collectively bad reputation we all pay for from many years of jerk KJs and this guy isn't helping anything. IT'S STUPID. DON'T DO IT AND DON'T PROMOTE IT. IT WILL COST YOU IN THE END.

The last thing I want to hear or have any of my singers hear is booing or negativity in any form. If the singers stop coming you have no show.