Tuesday Tunes: Can You Rock? (Redux)

So I made my debut at the weekly live-band karaoke competition called "Can You Rock?" last week. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. For starters, I didn't expect the crowd and the lineup of contestants to be so huge. Secondly, I didn't expect 8 out of every 10 contestants to be so talented and well practiced. Thirdly, I did not expect that every other contestant would perform an upbeat, actual rock song. Lastly, I didn't expect that the ultimate outcome of each preliminary week would be determined by "applause vote," essentially guaranteeing advancement to the 2 singers who bring the biggest (and loudest) groups of friends to the competition.

I was impressed with the turnout for this competition, especially given that it was held on a Wednesday night in a not-at-all-central location. A full half (purposefully separated from the rest of the establishment) of a large sports bar/restaurant was crammed full of people waiting to sing, waiting to cheer, or just gawking at the spectacle. I would estimate that at least 20 people took the stage as true "contestants," often bookended by professional artists or the emcee. Twenty people may not sound like a lot, but considering that most mid-week karaoke nights yield maybe 5 or 6 singers, I was surprised by the number.

Of these 20 contestants, I was shocked to find that the majority of them were decidedly well-seasoned singers and performers, and many I suspect should (or maybe are) already be making money via their vocal talents. Again, the "karaoke" part of the "live-band karaoke" description misled me into thinking there would be a bunch of folks just out for a good time, few with actual singing background or talent. I was mistaken, and admittedly, I was impressed with the caliber of performers.

Since I heard of this competition many weeks ago, I had been working on one of my favorite songs from the approved list of tunes that the house band can perform: Martina McBride's "Broken Wing." The song fits my voice well, and as my teacher reminded me, it is a difficult song with a wide range, so it should impress anyone judging a singing competition. I figured it would be a strong choice for a debut attempt at the contest. Wrong again. Of all the performances, mine was by far the slowest and most somber (due to the song's nature), and it was obviously out of place among the up-tempo renditions of AC/DC's "Back In Black," Carrie Underwood's "Last Name," and Janis Joplin's "Me And Bobby McGee." I now know that people take the "rock" part of the competition's name seriously, so any future attempts I make should probably incorporate a bit more edge.

While I had fun performing (despite my still-uncontrollable nerves) and was entertained by some very charismatic local talent, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that the final voting is done by audience appreciation. There are actually two rounds during each night of the competition - one for all singers, and one for the night's 4 finalists. The all-contestant field is narrowed initially by a judging panel (actually, more like random judges sitting in the crowd who never do identify themselves), and the night's 4 best performers sing a second time to determine the 2 winners who move on to the overall Finals. The second "judging" takes place directly after the last of the 4 finalists sings, and the 2 winners are determined by the loudest applause. This strategy would be fine if all competitors were singing to a random audience, but if one competitor has brought 45 of his or her closest friends along, he or she wins by default because that fan group makes the most noise. For such a well-organized and well-conceived event, I thought the "judging" was a bit of a letdown.

Overall, I was glad to have participated, and I may give it another shot during a subsequent week of the competition. Next time I will simply need to bring some material that is a bit more rock-and-roll.