Karaoke Forums

Hi all

So, how do you get a reluctant crowd to sing? I have a 'Top Ten' requested songs in the front of my books which I set as a challenge to have all of the songs from the top ten performed during the night. I usually do one of them to get things started. I have never had a night where this hasn't been achieved.

Sing TV theme songs or Barry Manilow ballads or something really obnoxious until someone cracks!

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

Sing a song that everyone knows, like Margaritaville in my case, and walk around with the mic and make the audience part of the show. They may shy away or laugh, but it gets the crowd loosened up.
Other silly songs that I've used:
Okie from Muskogee(spelling, what a concept)
Gilligans Island
Ballad of Jed Clampett
Oscar Myer Weiner song
anything silly like that.
I mean you may look foolish to some, but it's a way of letting folks know that you are in fact down to earth and not above making a fool out of yourself in the spirit of having fun, and after all that's what Karaoke is all about, having fun. So if you let down your guard, they will too.

James
Maninblack

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I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

I figure there are basically 3 kinds of people at a karaoke show: 1) people who are there to sing; 2) people who are NOT there to sing; and 3) people who will overcome their inhibitions given a sufficient quantity of alcohol.

I think (therefore I am?) that the people who are there to sing will get things started.  Time will take care of the inhibited.  I leave the others alone.  I don't ever want to embarass anyone or try to get them to do something they don't want to do.

I do encourage groups of people to come up and sing because some folks find it much more comfortable to sing with a group.  There's less personal risk that way.

The other thing, and this won't get them started but it does help to keep them coming, is to treat each singer with respect.  I thank them for participating and encourage the crowd to give them a hand.  I do that no matter how badly they sing.  I have always operated on the basis that everyone has a certain amount of respect for someone who has the guts to sing in front of an audience anyway.  So they are not as critical as they might be at a concert where the singer is a pro and is getting paid.

Larry

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

All the above are really excellent suggestions -

By the end of the night I usually have way to many singers. I
find it is more getting them started. Some people are just to lax
to start filling out their 1st slip or don't want to seem anxious to their friends.
I have eleviated this by keeping song cards for all the regulars. When I see them walk in I pull their card with all the songs they sing on it. I usually start my 1st rotation with 6 people who haven't even turned in slips. Now they find it an honor if I pick them to start the night off. If they don't want to sing they let me know - that is rare.

A reluctant singer is a different story. Someone puts in a song (it always seems to be a man) and then decides he doesn't want to sing. His friends are hooting and hollering for them to sing, but the guy isn't moving. I simple start doing a chicken call - bauk bauk bauk. Then sing the song from the Burger King commercial - Big Bucking Chicken - He is Big, he is Chicken. everyone laughs and he comes up to sing.
It always seems to work and because the guy was so reluctant to sing everyone screams and yells for him when he's done. It makes an uncomfortable moment go away. I'm sure there are some cases where you are better off leaving the person be that you have to get a feel for.  :drunk:

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

i use to have an old steering wheel and a shower head that i took to the show with me.  if the crowd was reluctant, i'd make the crack that "c'mon y'all!  i know you wing in the shower!" or "i've even got a steering wheel you can grab onto!  pretend you're in your car!"  i also do the walk around with the mike thing while doing a know song.  you'll always see a few people singing along from thier seat.

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All work and no play make Homer something something

, funny you mentioned the shower, we used to have a shower set up at our show for a couple years - it was off to the side of the stage - basically a steel frame with shower curtain around it, but had the spigots & shower head mounted inside.  Sometimes people would actually use it.  
We also looked into getting a real car front end (no drive train obviously) up to the dashboard & make that the head of the stage - problem was, even with nothing but the front end - no motor or anything else, it wasn't going to be cheap so we nixed the idea.

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

I have never come across a place where a KJ need to get people to sing. The question normaly is when are you ready to start the show? And its asked by the singers.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Depends on the night, on occasion I was the only singer for the first 10-15 minutes before someone put up a slip.  As a rule, I have a minimum 5 singers before I even start.

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

    Start your show with the following line-up.  Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again Naturally". Carpenters "Bless the Beast and the Children", Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey", Breads "It don't matter to me"...  By that time who ever's left will either be Asleep, Dead, or my age and enjoying it  :(   Some of the kid's today are just hard to please.  Put me in an elevator with Muzak, and give me a Bullhorn... and I'm happy !   I don't need the hi-tech stuff





Have you thought about getting a toilet ?  Those aren't too costly !

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

A few good slaps to the head works, most of the time.    

Don't worry.   Karaoke junkies will eventually appear.   If you do it, they will come.    

I start out singing, when it's time to start.   I know 5-600 songs.   I don't wait for other singers, unless there is nobody in the bar.   I won't sing to a bunch of other guys, either.      LMAO   That just seems fruity to me.      :no:   I have already done an hour or more straight, if I had to.   I keep singing til they get sick of it and sing one they want to hear.     It will happen sooner or later.

I tell em' "And for those who cant find a song for themsleves.................I''ll ASSIGN YOUR AZZ A SONG!!"  "You there YOU DONE BEEN AASSSIIIIGGGNNNEEDDD!!!!"

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Yeah i've done that too, if I see someone that I know normally sings that don't have one up, i'll put them up with something I know they normally sings.

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

I said once before, I was taught that I better know a lot of songs.  Different classes of music.  Have done the one hour thing or more.  But after a few years also learned by trying new things that the screen is NEVER blank.  
I would play those fantastic multiplex discs, (Sound Choice, PopHits, Chartbusters,)
with the vocals, to fill in if I had a sore throat or bad cold, (sinus infections, and I think we all have had those).  People are sitting around and want to sing but don't have the courage.  But once they see the words on the screen, with the vocals, and they figure they can sing with the artists.  (Don't realize it really isn't the artist,) but they get a little more courage.  They will come up to get a mic.    Before you know it, they ARE putting songs in.  OR---- you watch the crowd as I always did - and you see a table having fun singing along with the disc.  I would go up to them with a mic, and ask-  "Would you like to try along with the disc?"  Someone usually will say yes.
The rest of the night, they are going through the book looking for songs they think they might want to sing.   Or they ask you "What do you think I'd be good at".  Be honest!  Tell them that they need to sing a certain song within their range.  You heard them, you listened.  What would you think they would be good at?
A great one too - TEQUILA!  You hand someone a mic that sang along in their seat all night.  Walk up to them and say "I found the perfect song for you to sing because I watched you all evening and I know you really want to try a song.  I picked this one out just for you."   As soon as they see what it is, they laugh, go along with you and you just gave them three seconds of stardom.  They will find something the next week.  Guarenteed!

Tequila works good for a first time group sing to break the ice.    I tell everyone to get ready.   Then I tell them that was good, but sing it louder, etc.   See that wasn't so bad.   Sometimes it works with the desired affect.

not being a kj i seldom want any up singing, but every once in a while i'll spot some one in the audience that i think will be entertaining and then i'll go over to their table and I tease them in getting up to sing.  I usually tell them I'm an old man and that i'm dying up there and that i need help here.  works everytime.  I have a lot of fun with the customers. being able to read them is the trick.

                                        Jackson

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Singing just for you