Students Show Off Their Talent During Karaoke Night at the Student Union
Students were given the opportunity to sing karaoke with a live band on Friday, August 31 at night in front of the Student Union. Sponsored by UIS Student Affairs, this event was a free way for many students to put themselves out of their comfort zone and have an experience that many have not had before. For an hour and a half, students and even some faculty members performed some of the most popular songs ever.
This karaoke night was like any standard karaoke night but with a very unique twist. There was a live band there to perform the music for the singers instead of having a digital recording played over speakers. This small twist led to an exhilarating feeling of being the vocalist of an actual band, as opposed to simply singing over a karaoke track. An outdoor stage was built in front of the Student Union with lights and speakers set up on it. The band consisted of two guitarists, a drummer, and whichever student decided to be the vocalist. The man who announced every performance also signed people up to perform.
Students who choose to perform could choose a song from a list of around 150 different songs. Once onstage, the band would start playing behind them and the lyrics were displayed on an iPad in front of them. The night started off slowly, due to many people being nervous and embarrassed to put themselves in front of a crowd and sing.However, after a few brave souls went first, students started signing up to sing songs from artists such as Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Counting Crows, and even a superb performance of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” near the end of the night.
Standard karaoke has grown slightly stale, but a live band performing the music injects freshness into an old idea and makes it much more interesting. Live Band Karaoke keeps an older form of entertainment unique, and the students that participated in it were met with a night of fun and joy. More often than not, students try to stay in their comfort zones, and this event was a great way to step outside of those comfort zones without receiving negative judgement.
