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1st Rotation: Host - Bob - Mary - James - Alice Once Alice has sung, and there are no other requests except those remaining from these first four vocalists, we consider the rotation closed and start a second rotation. Let’s say we get no new vocalists wanting to sing in the second rotation, so again we have Bob, Mary, James and Alice sing in the same order they did the first time around, with the host singing a song to mark the end of the rotation and the beginning of the next. This is how things look so far: 1st Rotation: Host - Bob - Mary - James - Alice Once Bob is in the pole position, it’s best to always keep him there because it reinforces to the audience that there is a rotation and it’s being maintained. When people see the host sing followed by Bob, then they know it’s the top of a new rotation. Sometimes the host will be asked to sing with people during a rotation so watch for Bob. Now people are starting to turn in requests and we have John, Julie and Tina who want to sing. The host will usually try to integrate the new vocalists into the rotation by calling them up after every other song. Continuing with the example from above, the Host will begin the next rotation and then call up Bob to kick it off again. After Bob, John, one of the new vocalists, can be added. Then Mary sings again, then Julie is added, then James sings again, then Tina is added, and then Alice sings again. Now the rotation looks like this: 1st Rotation: Host - Bob - Mary - James - Alice A new vocalist was added every other song. Now, we start a fourth rotation keeping the same order as above, but this time, while John is singing, two more people turn in request slips. Gina and Barb are added as soon as possible so they can sing their first song without having to wait forever. Since John is already singing, Mary’s song is probably already loaded in the machine, so the host will most likely add Gina after Mary and then add Barb after Julie. So the next rotation will look like this: 1st Rotation: Host - Bob - Mary - James - Alice While this looks horribly unfair to Alice who used to be the fourth vocalist of the rotation (excluding the host) and is now the ninth, remember that it takes just as long to get back to Bob in the next rotation as it does to Alice. Things turn a little more complicated If Mary wants to sing a song with Alice. Since each time you sing counts as a turn in the rotation, if Mary and Alice want to sing a song together, one of them will get moved out of their position in the rotation and placed next to the other:
4th Rotation was: Host - Bob - John - Mary -
Gina
- Julie - Barb - James - Tina - Alice There are dozens of other permutations, but basically it’s follows the same principle. When people decide to sing together after having sung separately, the earlier vocalist usually gets moved to the later vocalists position. Because your show hosts have been trained to follow the rotation without exception, please do not attempt to beg, plead, whine or complain about getting “bumped up” in the rotation. Bribes have been tried and failed. We have the most fair and balanced approach to rotating people through the Karaoke loop and it would not be fair to everyone else if one person was able to “cut in line” if you will. And we’ve heard all the excuses. We realize and appreciate that sometimes we have so many people singing that it can take as much as two hours to get through a rotation. That really is a long time to have to wait and we hate making people wait, but it really doesn’t matter how late you arrived for the show, how drunk you’re getting, how tired you are, how much fun you will be, how soon your family has to leave, how important a person you are, how much money you have, how much you complain or even how amazing a vocalist you are. The rotation is our bible - which keeps things fair for everyone- including you. We have to please the ENTIRE audience, not just you or your friends. We trust you understand this and can give the other vocalists the same respect they'll give you when it's your turn. Below are just some of the funny or lame excuses people have tried to use to get “bumped up” in the rotation: I'm a friend of “Pat” and he/she said I can sing next. (“Pat” doesn’t run the show) My girlfriend/boyfriend is awesome - let her/him sing next. (Ability doesn’t make you better than other people) I have to go home. (Right now? Is it on fire?) I can sing that song so much better. (How rude is that!?) I'm leaving in 10 minutes. Or I have to catch a plane/train/cab/limo. (Oh, I'm so sorry you don’t have time to stay) I have to go to work in the morning. (Then why are you out drinking so much tonight?) It's “Pat’s” birthday - please let them sing. (A birthday doesn’t make you better than other people, either. I'll bet everyone in here has a birthday) I have to leave for another Karaoke show. (This really won’t help you) I own this place, or the club owner said I could sing next. (The club owner is paying me to run the show. They do not micro-manage my rotation. They can't possibly focus on who's sung and who hasn't because they have to deal with people whining to them about the kind of stupidity you're demonstrating) I need to sing now so I can start drinking. (I didn’t know the two were mutually exclusive) I have finally had enough to drink and I have to sing before I get too drunk. (Too late) My friends dared me and if I don't sing now, I never will. (I dare you to wait your turn) My manager (or a talent agent) is in the audience and wants to hear me sing! (Sorry, your manager just signed a deal with the person before you) I'm drunk and I don't know what I'm doing. (Obviously) I spend a lot of money in this club. (Until you can spend as much as this show generates, you wait) If I don't sing next, I'm going to the club down the street and taking all of my friends with me. (Fine, by the time you get there and they let you sing, if they do, you could've already done your song here and kept drinking) My relatives are in town visiting and they're leaving to go back home tomorrow. (If they love you, they can wait a little bit. Since they're visiting from out of town, it'd be worth the wait to hear you sing. Besides, the same may be true for others in the room) I'll give you a tip! (I’ve been offered $100.00 and turned it down, beat that and we’ll talk) I signed-up hours ago and you haven't called me up yet. (Hours [plural] is unlikely. However, if the rotation IS that long, then everyone else has been waiting just as long as you) I signed-up last night and you never called me up to sing. (Only if you put in a request too late into the night or were too drunk. Remember, you must be at least this sober to take this ride) We're all here together and we want to sing "Love Shack". (Oh, like that’s never been done. Hold on, I'll get my camera) I'm trying to get this girl's/guy's attention and want to impress them with my singing. (Are your other attributes that unimpressive? Impress them with your patience) I'm old and can't stay up any later. (“Old” is a state of mind - I had a 97 year old man come up and sing and he waited until about 1:15am before he even turned his request in and he didn't sing until almost 2:00am) Nobody will know. (EVERYBODY will know! It's amazing how many people pay close attention to the rotation during a show. Vocalists usually know who preceded them and who followed) |
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