How many people get the chance to sing onstage with a band?
About 30 students got to do just that the evening of Sept. 28 in the newly renovated Observatory.
The band, consisting of Gerry Finn on electric guitar, Jeff Pearce on bass guitar, Dan Louch on drums and Chris Taylor-Munro as vocals, had a focus on the students.
“It’s not about us, it’s about them,” said Finn in an interview with the Times during a break in the Rockstar Live Karaoke show. “We try to cut out big instrumental parts in songs, so we cut out parts of American Pie when someone wants to sing it,” said Finn.
The band offered participants a full catalogue of songs, though students could choose from others. There is also a website that has a full list of songs for singers to select.
“When we started, we had 150 songs and we’d have a song book,” he said. And because he’s memorized so many of them, the cost is his memory.
“I don’t know my postal code,” he joked.
And although Finn has had a lot of practice, many the students who stepped up to the microphone were first-timers.
Brandon Armstrong, a medical device reprocessing student, was the first to grab the mic to sing Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).
“I enjoy the song. It’s fun to sing,” he said after his rendition.
The band’s music ranged from old school rock, to new pop music, including The Killers’ Mr. Brightside, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, and Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold.
A number of students had participated in the karaoke event before.
“I may have done it a few times. I’ve been coming since the first time they were here,” said Stephane Richard, a business administration alumni.
While they were clearly having fun, nobody went up for a second time, although some students said they wanted to.
And while there weren’t any embarrassing moments at the show, Finn and the band have had their share of quirky moments.
“The idea of control on stage is naïve,” said Finn. “Most bad experiences have been related to equipment breaking. I’ve had singers pass out on stage before. Things you can’t predict will happen…They’re unpredictable, but I don’t colour it (as bad),” said Finn