Sing-Sing has led the way in this latest nightclub concept to hit the city. It is based on the popular karaoke clubs in Japan and the American versions such as Sing-Along that have started popping up in New York City and resort towns in Florida.
"I think this could be really big in Philadelphia," said Stephen Starr, co-owner of the Bank, who has run a number of nightclubs in the city since 1978. "This type of setting allows people to be interactive with their entertainment, which they are finding out can be a lot of fun.
"It's a great alternative to paying $15 or $20 to go see a regular concert. This way, it's $5, and the audience has so much control over what kind of entertainment they get. They are the entertainment."
On a typical night at Sing-Sing, which opened in May, the talent level ranges from ready-for-vinyl to ready-for-ridicule.
At the beginning of the night, the audience is usually filled with a lot of shy people, and getting the first person up is the hardest part. That's the job of emcee Chuck Nice, who divides his time on stage doing stand-up comedy and persuading people to get up and sing.
If he has to, Nice will do a song or two to get things going.
"I'm not a very good singer, but that actually works in my favor," Nice said. "That way, people say, 'This guy is a joke. Let me get up there. Where do I sign up?' "
To get things started, Nice also has been known to bring everyone in the audience on stage for the first song. Once the ice is broken, he said, most people overcome their shyness.
Starr, who has showed up often at the new club, noticed the same trend.
"You can hear people on their way in, and they're saying there's no way you'd ever get them up on the stage," Starr said. "And then a little while later, there they are up on the stage. Almost everybody has a bit of ham in them. Sometimes, it just takes a little more to get it out of them."
Like a few drinks.
