Karaoke Night

Last night I went to my first karaoke party. Once on a family reunion vacation, when all the cousins of my kids’ generation were teenagers, we went to a karaoke bar and the kids did some singing. But I had never been up close to a karaoke machine before. Now this wasn’t a bar, it was a private party, which is a lot different. No one had to get up and sing by themselves (and only a few brave souls did). Most of the group was willing to get up in groups of 2 (or 3 or 4 or 6 or 8), and there was a TV turned towards the “audience” so that we could all sing along. So for the most part, everyone who stepped “onstage,” whether good or bad, was completely drowned out by the crowd singing at the top of our collective lungs. Add to that enough alcohol to make even the most uptight person relax, and the result was the most stress-free night of karaoke I can imagine. I even got up a couple of times (with a group, of course), despite a neurotic fear of public performance. I think karaoke has a reputation for being a nerve-wracking, anxiety-filled endeavor, but if you rent the machine for your next party, and just call it a group singalong (with “song leaders” at the mic), I suspect everyone would gladly accept the invitation and a fine time would be had by all.