Karaoke Forums

I figure maybe we can all learn from each others mistakes. There is definitely a learning curve to being a host. What was your biggest mistake hosting a show?

I would say for me it was my want to make everyone happy. Of course I know that isn't possible now. The worst instance of this is when I didn't speak up and stop a drunk from singing and talking over the mic. Losing control of my stage is something I try never to do anymore. To my horror this guy ended up breaking a mic stand and starting a fight right in front of my eyes. Now I hold the right to refuse anyone I choose of singing. The customer, sorry, is not always right, especially when drunk.

I simply tell them as a friend I need to tell them they have had to many to drink and in their best interest I can't let them sing. If that isn't enough and they keep bothering me the management of the bar steps in.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Babs:  I think you hit the nail on the head the first time out.  My worst mistake as a host was the simular to yours, I was trying to be something I wasn't, nice and accomodating.  Now my favorite phrase when people get out hand is "go fu..." on second thought I don't think I'll elaborate.  But I have gotten more gigs and am much more entertaining when I'm just me no matter how obnoxous that is.

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Okay, who took my pants?

listening to too much whining from divas... I finally learned to say "if you don't like it, it's a free country, and there are other shows that I'm certain you'd be very happy to have them listening to your whiny a&& attitude!"

Ours is definately trying to make everyone happy ! Especially the people who come in at the end of the night expecting us to get them right in the spotlight when we already have enough songs in to finish the night. We have stayed late quite a few times trying to do that & it always ends up costing US time & money. I dont mind staying late but "someone" is gonna pay us ya know ?! So weve recently changed what we do.We make sure we mention about 15 minutes to ending that were wrapping it up to bring thier final songs up then so there are no whiners when we do end. Its been working ok so far.

There are also people that no matter how many songs you have will want an oddball song not ever heard of or asked for... We do actually if at all possible go out & get the cdg of that song (if we think they might be regs & also sometimes for our regulars) Just for them not to either ever show up again or show up every once in a while..Ive since stopped doing that also. Unless I see that they are regular enough to buy it for them.

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

Dahlin in my experience you are always accommodating even when some stoopid witch turns your life upside down  :hug:

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

I have been doing KJing for about 6 -7 years now.  Only twice have I had a piece of equipment broke.  Someone fell on my gig wing and last Wed someone  broke a mic stand.  Both times the person paid me for it but strangely enough, both times it was a good regular who had a "little too much."

My mistake was pointed out to me by the regular who broke the mic stand.  He wasn't even singing.  He was playing "Guitar" (Blow up) and I have an old style Shure Mic 55SH that we use in addition to my wireless ones.  Luckily the mic survived.

Anyhow, my regular, called me the next day apologizing.  I told him I started to just tell him to sit down and don't get up on stage but, because he was a regular I decided not to.  His next statement made a lot of sense to me.  "Kelly, once I get in that condition, I give up any rights or courtesies that you might show me as a regular.  At that point you have to treat me just like you would any other drunk."

Made a lot of sense to me.

Kelly

I don't KJ obviously, but I know a mistake when I see one.  Favortism is a BIGGIE!!!  I mean it's ok when it's subtle and is just for a regular, but when the KJ is a man who's sexual preferences lean toward his own and he decides that it's a "men only" mic night at the last minute.... then there's a problem.
It was crazy, most of the men in there came with the women who wanted to sing, so NO ONE sang the whole night!  We waitin thinkin he might change his mind, but he never did and the owner asked him to leave!  A karaoke bar with no karaoke, what's next? *sigh

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[scroll][glow=darkorchid]~I'm the girl your mother warned you about~[/scroll][/glow]

Hi Magz  :wave: That is a crazy thing to happen. I'm sorry you had to experience that.

I would like to keep this thread more about personal mistakes though, so we can learn from each other. I don't want it to be things we hate about bad KJs.  :hug:

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

Wrong thread!


Kelly
 Sorry about that.

My personal biggest mistake was: In the middle of someone singing a very loud and obnoxious rock song, a good friend of mine came in and started talking to me. Of course, I couldn't hear a word she was saying, so, without thinking, I reached over and turned the volume way down to grandma level. It was turned down for about 20 to 30 seconds before I came back to reality, realized what I had done, and fixed it. Lots of laughs, but no one got too upset about it.

Biggest mistakes I've seen at other shows:
My FIRST favorite was one of my KJ's got VERY drunk and decided to stage dive. Unfortunately, no one was paying any attention to him at the time and he did a very loud, ungraceful and, I would imagine painful, belly-flop on the floor. OUCH!!!

My second favorite was the show where they set everything up so you had to sing with your back to the audience. That was a weird and interesting show. We tried to tell the KJ that it was weird and she gave us an attitude. It wasn't my company or my show, so we just tried to have fun and sang to the wall all night. We never went back and I heard they were only there for three weeks. Oh well.

Playing favorites is always a mistake, but we see it at a lot of shows. Unless you are Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, or Axl Rose, we will NOT play favorites for you at our shows. If you happen to be one of those three, the mic is yours. And all of our customers know that.

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Keep it legal!!!

Here's a blonde moment for you. I forgot to put the singers disc in and because I have a triple tray it just simply went to the next tray. So what starts playing on the speakers? Fart effects.  LMAO  The funniest part is it was Johnny Echo (now Johnny Reverb on this site). I could have died laughing this huge stream of fart noises just kept playing.

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

If they came from a disk........that disk must have been spinning between the cheeks of your a$$...........sure......blame it on the disk(or a catalytic converter)... .......truth is.......I think you crapped your pants..... ....next time, don't have chili before you come to work......once my music started.....you should have seen her sprint to the bathroom....

 LMAO  :worship:

I almost fell off my chair reading that. I'll have to borrow Kappy's Beano next time.
OOoooh that is so not lady like.  LMAO


I guess I win the award for biggest mistake - KJ CRAPS PANTS ON STAGE - no I would not recommend doing that.  LMAO

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

My biggest mistake was spoiling my customers for the first 2 years I was in the business....oh my! when I finally came out of the clouds and back to earth...I realized that I had gone too far.  I had created a bunch of spoiled brats, and it took me quite a while to stem the tide. I had to weed out the customers that couldn't handle change and rebuilt with new ones ...it took almost a year to rebuild.

For a new KJ entering the business you are wide eyed and idealistic to say the least. Give your customers good service but don't go overboard or you will create a bunch of whiners.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I totally agree ! When I took over in the spot I'm in now the previous KJ bought drinks for everyone all night. He admittedly told me he spent on drinks what he made every night. Well sorry, but I can't afford to do that. I need to pay the bills at home. They were very spoiled people. It took me about a year to build a new crowd because the old crowd disappeared when they realized their drinks weren't free. No worries though-  My crowd now is larger than ever.

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

OMG!!!!!! I think I topped myself last night in the mistake department!!! One of the customers was just getting ready to sing "You Give Love A Bad Name."
Picture this:
The music starts...Just as the first line begins (shot through the heart and you're to blame..) I swing my arm to point dramatically at the singer on the word "shot" and one of my other customers (he's one of my KJs, but he wasn't working last night) is just walking up to ask a question and BAM!!!! I completely slammed my fist into his head!!! Knocked the tar out of him. Now, this guy is a BIG guy. I made him stumble...gave him a bruise...OMG...I feel bad!!!! He laughed it off (after a little while) and kept making jokes about what a "tough boss" I am and if you don't know something, look it up, 'cause it's too dangerous to ask. Everyone else got a big giggle out of it.

Bottom line: Punching your customers or KJs is a BIG mistake!!!! (Or....know your personal space boundaries and make sure no one is IN THEM when you start to swing!!!!!!!)

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Keep it legal!!!

Was drinking my soda, walked up toward the mixer & tripped, soda went all over the board.  Luckily it didn't die, did have to shut the show down that night, I took it home & completely stripped it apart, cleaning every pan, pot & button with some good contact cleaner/lube & was back working the next night.  The board worked for another 3 years, although it was never quite the same.  New rule came into effect for all hosts after that night, all drinks & smokes will remain off to the side away from the equipment.

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

It is so funny reading these because I've done similiar things.
I had a cigarette fall out of my ashtray onto a disc. Thank goodness it was mine.

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