If you haven't heard,
Universal CityJazz is no more. Gone are the days of double
checking that I didn't type
CityWalk
when I actually meant CityJazz, or wondering if the venue was open or closed as
I walked by it, because there was no one ever there.
Now you can catch a
Rising Star in the space at Universal CityWalk, where once upon a time you could
see a big band, blues or jazz artist on the stage in the beautiful space. Why,
after the whole big band/swing movement fizzled out, the folks at
Universal
didn't book this space for more music acts and make it a popular music venue is
beyond me. The place is big enough to easily serve as a mid-to-large-sized venue
bringing more acts that play
The Social or
Club Firestone to the Universal-area
and maybe attract more indie artists to Orlando.
Alas, that is not the
case. But the new concept seems like an interesting gimmick that definitely
works well for a theme-park atmosphere: karaoke with a live band. Rising Star
invites patrons onstage to sing for the audience, but instead of an audio
recording to back up the vocals, there is a live band. Plus, there are backup
singers (to cover up those of us less-talented vocalists) and a couple of emcees
to keep the entertainment moving on and off the stage. One of the emcees,
D-Nasty, could have toned down the theme-park exuberance a level or two. The
high-fives
heading to the sky like a (you guessed it)
rising star he gave the singers after their songs had me sinking in my seat out
of the pure embarrassment of witnessing it. As my friend
Trevor put it, looks
like D-Nasty attended the same
Rick Dees school of cheese where
Ryan
Seacrest studied.
Well said, Trevor.
The second emcee had more of a tried-out-for-a
couple-of-boy-bands-but-Lou-was-already-in-the-hole ambience. More low-key and
not overshadowing the singers, which made the performances a lot more enjoyable.
At the beginning of the evening, there were a lot of theme-park employees out
supporting the new club. So when they went to sing, there was definitely a more
polished feel to the performance compared to the usual slurring to "Friends in
Low Places" you get at most karaoke joints.
By the second half of the
evening, things started getting interesting with my friend Tod's rendition of
"(You Gotta) Fight for your Right (to Party!)," that had people jumping out of
their seats dancing. The true breaking-in of the joint, though, was executed by
Trevor when, during his rendition of "What's Up" by
4 Non Blondes, he spliced in
a rant on politics and sports that had management and staff clapping and
cheering him on. That included D-Nasty, which had me almost doing a Rising Star high-five to
the host, but sanity ensued (thankfully).
This is not the first time this
concept has been attempted in Orlando.
Voyage on 17 W. Pine St. in downtown
Orlando has found success with its
Rockstar Karaoke night, again karaoke with a
live band. The sound system and number of songs gives Rising Star a bigger
advantage, but the lack of closeness with the audience is a con.
At the
end of the day, it's a neat concept. They only offer 60 songs to choose from,
but those cover the gamut and are karaoke faves. They have over-the-top hosts,
slightly pricier drinks and a $7 cover charge, but it's a theme-park and tourist
destination. I'll take the not-so-polished, karaoke with grit joint any day of
the week, but overall, this is still a fun place to bring a bachelorette party
or friends visiting from out of town.
Rising Star is at Universal
CityWalk in Orlando. Go to
universalorlando.com
