Karaoke through Rose-colored glasses
By Ty Hughes
A rose is a rose by other any other name. It was Saturday night, and I was looking for something to do. I wanted to find a rowdy karaoke crowd enjoying their favorite pastime, sit back, sip a tall, cold brewsky and be completely entertained. Rose was firing up the karaoke system out at the Lakewood Bar and Grill in Tacoma, so I hopped in the truck and headed Southbound.
By the time I arrived around 10:00pm, Host Rose had the bar totally packed with wild and crazy thirty-somethings – just what I was looking for. Even though everyone wanted their chance to sing, the rotation still allowed plenty of room for newcomers.
The scene was completely chaotic at the Lakewood that night, something that Rose has become used to here, especially on Friday nights where, according to Rose, they usually run a rotation of anywhere between 10 and 25 singers Wednesday through Saturday. But Fridays are by far the most consistently busy of each of their four weekly karaoke nights.
Shawn took the mic and did his part to get the crowd going. And Kevin, a Lakewood regular who was fixin’ to move to San Antonio, jumped up and sang his signature Journey tune for all his buddies. They were all so sad to see him go, they pitched in to buy him a brand new guitar to remember them by. Kevin was absolutely floored by the gesture, having only lived in the Pacific Northwest for four and half years.
Kat and Danielle joined in a duet singing Here For The Party, working the crowd into a real frenzy before Chris, also a Lakewood regular, decked out in his Irish green garb and scarf, performed the ever-popular Irish Drunken Lullaby. His friends all gathered around the karaoke, raising their glasses in appreciation of Chris’ age-old Irish drinking anthem. What an amazing night of fun!
A couple of Rose’s biggest fans would take her by the hand, leading her to the dance floor where they spun and twirled her around, kicking up their heels. Rose looked the part with her cute little pigtails and short shorts, holding the attention of all the boys in the room. We watched Rose literally grow up as a karaoke host since she began at the Lakewood just a couple short years ago. Today, she’s vivacious and bubbly as a host. She loves what she does and still bartends several days a week, spending upwards of 60 hours a week at the bar.
She hosts an exciting night of karaoke at the Lakewood Bar & Grill every Wednesday through Saturday, and really knows how to ignite the crowd and make everyone in the room feel important and welcome.
The singers at the Lakewood bring a wide variety and range of music to the mic. Everybody really gets into the karaoke, which has become a real mainstay here. Joe got up and sang She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.
Eugene got everybody’s attention by blowing his whistle into the microphone before his song started and then whipped out a harmonica to accompany him through Tuesday’s Gone. What a treat that was.
O-Love, and all his buddies, toasted Ashley, the birthday girl who turned 32 that night. Tacoma rap sensation, Boogie, got up and performed as only she knows how. Chelsea and Jen eventually teamed up singing Shoop.
Check out the Lakewood Bar and Grill soon. Seems like they’re always giving away some big huge prize by way of their pull tabs. Right now, you can win a full-sized quad-runner, which is parked just inside the front door, just by playing pull tabs!
Soon they will be holding Evergreen Idol Contest qualifiers – a perfect opportunity for South Sounders to qualify for the $1000 grand prize and open for this year’s big name band. Get in now, get in early and sing your way to fame and fortune. Watch for details to come and plan an evening of excitement at the Lakewood Bar and Grill; 7505 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA – (253) 582-9195.
