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Six Fun Event & Wedding Ideas

Over the years, we’ve played a lot of San Diego weddings, corporate events, and parties. If you’re struggling to find ideas to make your next bash unforgettable, look no further – here are some of the best we’ve seen:

Themes
This one might sound obvious to some, but you can’t beat a good ol’ theme party. Whether it’s a rock star theme, a 1920s flapper feel, or a Woodstock music festival – people love to dress up. Pro Tip: make sure you put the word out well in advance so people have time to shop for their outfits.

photo boothPhoto Booth
Most of the parties we play these days include a photo booth or a step-and-repeat, and those things stay busy from start to finish. A photo booth can produce party favors for your guests (that you don’t have to put together) and can also serve as a way to commemorate your event online. Today’s photo booths have taken on a completely different look – green screens, props, flipbooks, and more – making them a great option for your next event.

Performers
We’ve seen lots of performers over the years – groups that can warm up the crowd for a band are great. Performances have included traditional Chinese dragon dancers (think Chinese New Year parade), synchronized swimmers (for a poolside party), hypnotists, and acrobatic / juggler / variety performers — they can all spice up your event and make it more memorable.

Other Specialists
One wedding we attended had cigar rollers – how cool is that? Hand-rolled cigars while you wait! Another corporate event featured an artist who was etching commemorative wine glasses with names and short phrases. Caricature artists are always a hit, too. Although we haven’t experienced it, we’ve heard about henna tattoos at some weddings – another great idea!

food truck event photoFood Trucks
We played a backyard party last year for Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian that featured food trucks. We also played a recent party in Beverly Hills for a large retail company that included the In-N-Out Burger truck, a Sprinkles Cupcake truck, and more. Double-double animal style for everyone, please!

Music
Ok, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention live band karaoke as a way to spice up your next corporate event, wedding or birthday party. But really, where else are you going to find entertainment that is truly interactive? If you’re a bride, imagine the memories of having Dad on stage belting out Journey like he was back in high school. Or Grandma doing her best Katy Perry impression. Seriously, we’ve seen some awesome family moments on stage with us over the years, and those moments will live forever.

So there’s our rundown of just a few interesting and different event ideas. What did we miss?

More Holiday Karaoke Fun: San Diego Reader

When one of the most respected and widely read publications in San Diego first called Rock Out Karaoke to play their staff holiday party, we were certainly excited.  I mean, these are some of the most influential people in the region: writers, editors, bloggers for the San Diego Reader — they all have opinions and they have the forum to share those opinions.  We knew we would have to make a great first impression.

Our friends at the House of Blues set us up in the Delta Room, a private space that is great for these types of events (probably holds around 100 people comfortably).  It’s got a lot of great seating (read: cushy couches) and, of course, has its own private bar.  On this particular night, Reel Big Fish was playing in the music hall, so the party guests had access to that concert as well.  From what we can tell, they all opted to stay close and rock out with us instead.

We cranked up the volume and it was on!  Talk about a karaoke crowd – these guys pulled out everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Proclaimers, complete with props and costumes!  The free-flowing open bar helped warm up their vocal cords, and by the end of the night everyone was singing along.  I think it’s safe to say we NAILED IT, but of course we couldn’t have done it without help from the fun-loving staff from the Reader.  Many thanks – and we hope to see you all again next year!

Rock Out Karaoke is San Diego’s most dynamic and interactive cover band, combining the raw power of a live rock band with the fun of karaoke, where individual singers take center stage with the live band! Complete with lyrics displayed on a monitor in real-time with the music, nothing is missing from this unique karaoke show!  Call us today, and let’s talk about how we can make your next event one for the ages.

san diego karaoke competition

PB Idol Karaoke Finals!

After eight weeks of preliminary rounds of the only live band karaoke competition in San Diego, we’ve narrowed it down to eight finalists who will now compete for the crown of PB Idol!

Finals night is Saturday, April 2nd at 9:30pm. Contestants will slug it out on the legendary stage of the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach, CA.

Of course, we’ll have time for the audience to take the stage with us for some good ol’ live band karaoke. Be sure to arrive early to get on the karaoke sign up list.

Since we’ve had such a great run of preliminary rounds, we’re expecting nothing but A game from our 8 finalists – one of whom will take home the title of PB Idol.

Best wishes to all of them: Jessica, Katrina, Amanda, Lou, Ugh, Ryan, Samboa, and Hans. (Note: reigning champion Chris won his round, but is unable to compete in the finals – that means we’ll have a new champ this year.)  Bring your best vocals and a San Diego cheering section, and we’ll see you on Saturday!

Update:  And your PB Idol 2011 winner is…. Ugh!

Top 10 Karaoke Songs

Top 10 Live Band Karaoke Songs

We see a lot of top 10 lists out there these days.  Things like – top 10 worst karaoke songs, top 10 ways to get fired, and top 7 Tips for Rocking the Stage with a Live Band.  We’ve been playing San Diego’s best live band karaoke show since 2006, so we thought we’d create our own top 10 list of tunes that get chosen most frequently.  Our list is far from scientific; just a record of the most popular songs chosen at our weekly live shows and private event gigs.  Behold, the top 10 most popular live band karaoke songs:

10.  Plush – Stone Temple Pilots:  Early 90’s grunge wasn’t limited to Seattle.  In fact, many people don’t know that STP built a following right here in San Diego (at least according to the stoners who wrote the STP entry in Wikipedia).  We hear a lot of great Scott Weiland impressions at Rock Out Karaoke, so this one kicks off our list.

9.  Santeria – Sublime:  Another Southern California favorite, you simply can’t go wrong with a little Sublime karaoke.  Santeria gets the entire crowd singing along with you.

8.  You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette:  Nothing says, “I love the 90’s” more than AM’s first single from the 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.”  That’s right, sister.  Just let it out. Once upon a time even former American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi rocked this song with us at a private event.

7.  Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi:  Rock Out Karaoke fans love this 1987 Bon Jovi/Sambora-written tune that starts with the windy acoustic intro, crescendos into a face-melting guitar solo, and ends back on the signature riff.  Anyone with the moxie to tackle this one is frequently rewarded with lots of praise from the crowd.

6.  Use Somebody – Kings of Leon:  Not all of the most popular tunes are “oldies.”  This 2009 smash hit from Tennessee family band Kings of Leon has gotten lots of radio play and gets lots of love from those who take the stage with us.

5.  Before He Cheats – Carrie Underwood:  American Idol’s fourth season winner, Carrie Underwood, found a hit with this tune about smashing headlights and slashing tires. Guys, watch out for the girl who sings this one…

4.  Rebel Yell – Billy Idol:  This 80’s classic by sneering, spike-haired rocker Billy Idol is what Rock Out Karaoke is all about.  Raw, real, intense rock and roll, led by an energetic frontman from the audience.

3.  Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar: like Billy Idol, this one is a staple of our song list and gets lots of love by fans young and old.

2.  Sweet Child O Mine – Guns N Roses:  Another great rock anthem that lets our karaoke singers really unleash their inner rock star.  This tune has been on the ROK song list since day 1, and it’s no wonder why people choose to belt it out week after week.

1.  Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey:  There are two types of people in this world.  Those who love Journey and those who are liars.  This crowd favorite is guaranteed to get the entire bar singing along with you.  We’ve seen many a bachelorette/birthday groups rock this one and capture the attention of everyone within earshot.

So there you have it, sports fans.  The top 10 most-chosen tunes at Rock Out Karaoke.  We certainly hope to see you on stage with us soon, rocking one of these songs or one of the other 190-some-odd (and counting) songs on the list.

Honorable mention goes to the following great songs as well: Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash; Alive – Pearl Jam; Love Shack – the B52s; and Possum Kingdom – the Toadies.

Weekly Shows

Take the stage with a real live band and unleash your inner rock star. Every Thursday night you’ll find us at 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach (710 Garnet Ave) from 8:30pm til 12:30am.

Email us to join our mailing list to get weekly updates!

For a complete listing of all our shows, take a look at our Gigs page.

Looking for the best in San Diego Karaoke & San Diego Wedding Bands? Check out our special events options!

Rock Out Karaoke is San Diego’s most dynamic live music performance group, combining the raw power of a live rock band with the fun of audience participation, where individual singers take center stage with the live band! Complete with lyrics displayed on a monitor in real-time with the music, nothing is missing from this unique karaoke show!