Karaoke Forums

Do you ever have those nights where you just can't get your mood up?

I think I've been taking on to many jobs. Last night I felt like I was fake smiling all
night. I love KJing and I'm not complaining, but it is so hard sometimes to be the party. I have a gig today and tomorrow too. I guess I'll have to pump up on some coffee.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

It's all in the crowd energy for me, if the crowd is big but not motivated or just sits there no matter what you try, it drains me where I feel whipped & the mood just goes blah, if the crowd is upbeat I feed off of that & it can turn a bad mood into a great mood.
Last night I had a dead crowd - packed house, 25 singers, but NO ENERGY!

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

When you have those nights, does singing help?

try making a call to a confidant or a close friend to help you get up.  that usually works for me.  i think everyone goes through nights like that once in awhile.  good luck!

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All work and no play make Homer something something

Have had those kind of nights myself.  We all have!  Face it, we can't be UP all the time.  I have found mingling with my crowd  has helped a lot of times for me.  I always wanted to let my customers know that they are the reason I am there, and to acknowledge their presence when they are repeat customers.  By chatting between songs, and listening to how their days went usually makes my problem, whatever it may have been seem menial.  They can almost always make you feel better.  Especially when they are having a great time.      :D

Singing does help, but when I have 30 or more people in a rotation
I try not to sing. I've got around this before by singing with a patron
you're right it does help.

Good idea to mingle more - sometimes it will work against me though.
It is hard to have a conversation when people are interupting with crazy questions.
What should I sing next? How long until I sing? Does the microphone make me look fat? How long are you open?

I love this question - will it show me the words to sing?

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

In the course of life WE ALL have "those nights" AND Days, it's duration that get's to be the problem, not the occassional funk. During the day job, during parties, at home while typing in rooms such as this... We have cycles.  I left music when I got into the "perpetual funk", where not only my mood wouldn't elevate, but I felt so wiped out it was tough to leave the house. We all go thru funks... Just remember... "They pass".. Often-times novelty dies for US too.... We just don't enjoy doing something so repetitiously it becomes a burdon. Musicians playing song night after night after night don't usually enjoy playing the same song as much after months down the road as they did when they initially polished it up practicing it..

We get BORED !   That's normal.... We all go thru funks... Same reason people need a "vacation", which likely has something to do with this Bab's,  You need to get away.  Some people move to new homes every several years, MANY need change !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Oh yeah, everything Steven is saying is true.  Just because it's fundamentally a fun job by nature doesn't mean you can't get tired of it sometimes. Repetition can set in with any job and cause a "funk".

If you're feeling some KJ Burnout, try this (A Kj that I know from another Forum did this, and felt better)...

Invite people to be Guest KJs for the night. You operate the equipment, and they do everything else (from taking the song slips to announcing the people up to the stage). You can have people that you know here on the Forum (that might be inclined to visit) come to your show and be a Guest KJ as well.

I love you guys. I feel so much better.
Kappy - I am getting to go on my first vacation in 6 years soon.
I know it will help.
Cueball - your idea rocks. Not only will it help me, but I bet the
people I have come in to guest host will bring a crowd with them also.
I'm always looking for new ideas to boost bar sales.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I t happens to us all.  Having been doing it for 6 years and almost 5 of those at the same place 3 nights a week can get old.  Add a full time day job to that and it can get real old.  A month ago Mondays were getting a little slow; I needed a break, my wife told me I needed a break, so I told the owner count me out of Mondays for a while.  Wed & Sat's are enough.  The break has helped me greatly.  Of course it has made the other two nights even more productive.  I do a 4 1/2 hour show anyway.  Those two nights are almost always now an extra hour.

As Lonman well put it, if the crowd is energetic it helps.  Besides several cups of coffee I try to remind myself that things can always be worse.  Not trying to be over dramtic, but nights like those I remind myself that my grandfather died getting the family out of their house fire when he was only 34 years old.  (my subconscious reason for getting in the fire service) And my dad died of cancer when he was 33 years old. (I was 7)  I am now 50.  Life is short. Learn to enjoy every minute of it no matter how bad it gets.  Because right around the corner it can always be worse.  Dig deep, think of a song that reminds you of good times and let it rip!  The night always seems to get better.  Look for things that can make you laugh.

We talked here awhile back about using inflatable props, Guitars, saxes, and such.  I told the the crowd one night that "Cliff" one of our regulars couldn't  seem to find an inflatable that he "felt comfortable with."  He was teasing of course.  I was too, I quickly whipped out an inflatable sheep and blew it up in front of everyone.  That was one time we probably could have used a little dance music.  It took awhile for everyone to stop laughing.

Kelly

Kelly brought up yet another excellent point.  Often-times it takes work to stay in a positive mindset, at times we have to try to "fool ourselves" into being happy, go thru the actions of smiling, and laughing whether we feel it or not !   Even use our logic to remind ourselves  "thank (whoever you believe in) that it's ONLY the duldrums I'm experiencing now,  It COULD be much worse" !   Bordom at least isn't emotional pain.  Happiness doesn't fall into our lap, it takes work on our part. Sometimes we just have to allow sensation and patterns to pass. It's also (at times) important to give yourself permission, or allow yourself to "be in a funk".  Fighting it and ruminating over it, or worse, beating yourelf up over it is the worst way to deal with psychological "slump".  Other times there's a physical reason behind the slump such as exhaustion, hypoglycemia, dehydration,bio-rhythm, hormonal cycle.. etc. It's extremely difficult to stay in a positive mindset when our body is warn down, or not well.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Start drinking before you have singers. Tequillia will do the trick. A nice buzz will turn that once every 6 months downer into a good time.

Bab,

I sing solo for four hour three night a week -  I have to work during the day so Friday night it's rough. Not always, but there are nights that when I first start off it doesn't even feel like me up there singing.  I usually get over it after a while and the rest of the night goes smooth.  I asked a friend of mine thats been singing for years.  He said, wait till you're sick and you still have to go on.  I really want to wait for a very long, long time.  Has this happened to you as a KJ?
     
                                            Jackson

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Singing just for you

Oh yeah - I've gone to a karaoke gig thinking I had food poisoning
it ended up being the flu. I had to run to the bathroom to throw up twice.
I would have called my sub in, but he was already out for the night.

I also suffer from migranes. Usually once or twice a year I will get one
when I have a gig. I take medicine, but that only takes the edge off the headache.
I go outside to get away from the loud music if I can.

I'm fortunate that I can put on a fake smile and trudge through. Only my true blue regulars know somethings up and are generally supportive.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Yep,  I recall you mentioning that.  You're tougher than I am.  If I feel as sick as I felt when I had Ptomaine poisoning.  I won't get out've bed to go to the bathroom to puke...



You can drive with one of those ??????   Dang,  I can't look at a computer monitor or see ANY movement when I get those... I have to shut my eyes. cover my ears, turn out the lights, take the phone off the hook..and play dead for a bit, it's the only why I can live with those.. I can live with tension and sinus headaches, I deal with those every three days at least.. but Migraine,  hell no.  Those are worse than when I get PMS..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

When I was youger and I would get a migrane and stay in a dark room
praying it would end. Now I've learned if I think I'm getting one to take
3 excedrin migrane pills. It makes it tollerable enough to function. I still
have sensitivity to light, but it isn't as bad. I squink a lot when I'm working
and that is what I think tips off the regulars. One night I almost left the gig -
counting minutes, but I made it through.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

What's a 'squink'?...Is that a squint with a wink?....Man, if I saw you squinking at me I'd think you was flirting and then when you told me you had a headache, i'd think we was married!...and no man in his right mind flirts with his wife, he saves that for strangers.

Stop squinking, you are confusing me!

squinking  LMAO

What the heck was I thinking  LMAO

Okay squinting

Oh man I'm still laughing squinking squinking squinking

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]