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Did I screw up, or am I a hero?

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So every year at my neighborhood pool, there's an adults-only party. My band played it a couple of times. The beer, wine and liquor always flow freely at this shindig and things can go a little sideways…

This year they hired a cover band, who handed out song lists at the beginning of the night so people could come up and sing one. I can carry a tune and there were a couple of Rush songs on the list and there's no bigger Rush fan than me, but I don't sing with my band and I had no intention of jumping on-stage at this party. Until…

A neighborhood guy who I don't even know got up there and sang some song which I don't remember, and it wasn't so good, but whatever. Everyone's having a good time. Then he stayed up there, consulted briefly with the band, and they launched into "Tom Sawyer". So I move close to the front of the stage 'cause this is gonna be cool.

But right from the first line of vocals, he's screwing it up. Badly. Off key, not in time with the band. I'm looking at him, we make eye contact, I'm mouthing the words in time, trying to get him back on track, and it's not happening. And I'm thinking to myself, go ahead and desecrate the Cranberries or Sublime or 'Brown-Eyed Girl', but not Rush. Not on my watch.

So after "the river…", I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild. This guy and his wife, however, did not.

Several minutes later, he saw me and said "not cool", pretty forcefully. I apologized. He wasn't having it. Then, a few minutes later, his wife comes charging at me, calling me every name in the book, saying I embarrassed her husband because I'm "a professional", etc. And then they both stormed outta there, flipping me off.

Thinking about it later, if someone had done that to me, I probably would have been pretty pissed. Then again, I wouldn't have been butchering one of the greatest songs in rock history. So, I'm dug in – sorry not sorry, as a massive Rush fan with some liquid courage, I did what I had to do.

Am I am heel or a hero?
"Nobody's Hero" lol

Seriously though, no you don't let people butcher Rush tunes. You did the right thing. More power (windows) to you.
 
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I understand your displeasure with the way he was butchering the song, for sure! I think that would've been a lot for me to take also. However, the real you needed to shine through in this situation. As bad as it sounded, that's the best that guy could do at that point in time, obviously. I would've just let him finish the song and when he came down off the stage, give him a high-five and say "nice job". I know that's not being completely honest, but I think it would have been the appropriate thing to do in that type of situation. I can't point the finger at you. There's a possibility that I may have done the same thing. Wait, no… I'm a terrible singer!
 
So every year at my neighborhood pool, there's an adults-only party. My band played it a couple of times. The beer, wine and liquor always flow freely at this shindig and things can go a little sideways…

This year they hired a cover band, who handed out song lists at the beginning of the night so people could come up and sing one. I can carry a tune and there were a couple of Rush songs on the list and there's no bigger Rush fan than me, but I don't sing with my band and I had no intention of jumping on-stage at this party. Until…

A neighborhood guy who I don't even know got up there and sang some song which I don't remember, and it wasn't so good, but whatever. Everyone's having a good time. Then he stayed up there, consulted briefly with the band, and they launched into "Tom Sawyer". So I move close to the front of the stage 'cause this is gonna be cool.

But right from the first line of vocals, he's screwing it up. Badly. Off key, not in time with the band. I'm looking at him, we make eye contact, I'm mouthing the words in time, trying to get him back on track, and it's not happening. And I'm thinking to myself, go ahead and desecrate the Cranberries or Sublime or 'Brown-Eyed Girl', but not Rush. Not on my watch.

So after "the river…", I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild. This guy and his wife, however, did not.

Several minutes later, he saw me and said "not cool", pretty forcefully. I apologized. He wasn't having it. Then, a few minutes later, his wife comes charging at me, calling me every name in the book, saying I embarrassed her husband because I'm "a professional", etc. And then they both stormed outta there, flipping me off.

Thinking about it later, if someone had done that to me, I probably would have been pretty pissed. Then again, I wouldn't have been butchering one of the greatest songs in rock history. So, I'm dug in – sorry not sorry, as a massive Rush fan with some liquid courage, I did what I had to do.

Am I am heel or a hero?
Total narcissistic heel move on your part. It wasn't about you, but you made it about you.
 
People at parties indulge in this kind of thing to have FUN. Your little demonstration of talent went against that whole process. It isn't an audition. It is a party. Tom Sawyer isn't a religion - it is one of many tracks played for the entertainment and FUN of the party goers. Consider if your girl friend / wife was up there belting out 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' and his wife pulled the same exact stunt. How would you / she feel remembering that it is a community party for FUN - not a talent show.

If I were there I would think your behavior was a response to your not being asked to play again this year. Or maybe a response to the current band being funner for the crowd than your band was. I wasn't there but things to ponder.

I vote dick move.
 
If you have to ask, you already know the answer (right).

Perhaps it was just the opportunity to be in the "Limelight"...you know, you probably felt that living on the lighted stage was approaching the unreal, at least for those that think and feel. You found yourself cast in an unlikely role, ill-equipped to act, and with insufficient tact, there were no barriers and therefore you did react.

:D
 
About 10 years ago we used to play at a local animal club three nights weekly. This club had an organizational hierarchy. The ruler was a super nice guy and was in charge of entertainment. He paid us well and was always supportive. We lucked out and had a halloween on a Friday and the club threw a halloween party. He came in dressed like Elvis. He came up and asked if he and a couple friends could do a couple songs. We agreed, it was supposed to be fun.

We played Hound Dog and a couple more Elvis tunes for him. He started with a wireless mic and was grunting into the mic while he danced around the audience like Elvis. The crowd went wild. It was obvious to us onstage that he couldn't sing so the guitarist and I backed way off our mics and quietly sang the song-- very low-- so it would seem like he was singing the songs. You could barely hear us and we were in the shadows onstage. At the end, everyone gave him a rollicking cheer. They thought he sang and loved his dance and enthusiasm.

People do karaoke for fun. They're not there to exactly produce a Rush song, maybe they want to sing poorly a song they loved in high school or something. At that time it's best to let them have their moment in the limelight. I know I already posted but I've seen things like this happen and I can't stress enough how much it bothers me. Peace.
 
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What is a "local animal club"?

And, I guess, are there regional or internationals?
If you have played professionally for a while you most likely would have come across some 'animal clubs.' Moose, Elks, etc. And yes, they have 'regional and international.' There are many local chapters throughout the U.S. we played for years while travelling. These groups provide many public services and provide employment for bands.
 
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