Karaoke vs. Piano Man

Joke: What do you call a pallbearer in Oklahoma?
Answer: A Karaoke

Today was a last-day-of-the-cruise, and with that came the passenger talent show, staged at 3PM in the Main Showroom. It’s usually pretty well-attended, by the curious and the bored, and especially those giving moral support to performing friends.

As a rule, the singing performances are Karaoke-accompanied. Anybody needing help from a real musician has to specially request it. And so I’m occasionally asked to help out, usually with people who have gotten used to my accompaniment in the piano bar.

There are certain Karaoke nights on the ship, up on Deck 12 in a disco-like room called the Crow’s Nest. I’ve frequently lost a portion of my audience to these Karaoke events, perhaps a microcosm of what happens on land. Some people like both styles, they sing with me and then go participate in the Karaoke upstairs.

Experienced Karaoke singers settle into certain predictable songs -- they know what the key and arrangement will be for, say, “New York New York” or “Crazy” or “Living on a Prayer” or whatever, and they have probably shaped their performance by first singing along with the original recording.

However, Karaoke is very unforgiving to the inexperienced. There have been many who have done fine with me, only to fall on their face in Karaoke. This of course is because I can make instant adjustments of key and tempo and other idiosyncrasies of the singer. Most recently a fellow named Philippe knocked ‘em dead in the piano bar with his version of “16 Tons”, and then had a miserable time of it in the Crow’s Nest.

I’ve always been prejudiced against Karaoke, and especially the “Karaoke-meisters” who run the show, in bars and lounges, bumping real musicians out of a gig. It’s a very old complaint after all this time, along with the similar complaint against DJs. So Lord Give Me Patience to Accept the Things I Can’t Change. And if the truth be known, a Karaoke track can crank out more effective rock or country accompaniment then a guy at a piano.

In today’s show was a an 81-year-old lady with a marvelous voice, and a very engaging stage manner, walking around from table to table as she performed “Cabaret”. She’s done it a few times in the piano bar over the past few weeks, and it brings down the house. She was the last scheduled singer in today’s show.

The tune requires much change of tempo, stops and starts, and a freely sung section which required that an accompanist LISTEN and respond moment by moment. No Karaoke machine will do that. This lady got a huge applause, as she has all through the cruise. In recent years she had retreated from live performance. She’s been in her glory the past two weeks, which never would have happened if her only option was Karaoke. It’s been a satisfying situation for this pianoman, one more reason to love the job and the life.