14.
ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN Sadie Barbie, a senior from Free State High School, sings Eminem's The Real Slim Shady" at the Burger Stand's weekly karaoke night.
Lawrence karaoke culture draws crowds at Burger Stand
KATE MILLER
@_Kate_Miller_
It's 10:15 p.m. on a Wednesday at Burger Stand at the Casbah, and it looks pretty much like expected — a few people taking advantage of $5 burgers, others finishing up their last rounds at the bar.
But as the clock ticks closer to 10:30 p.m., an entirely new crowd starts to trickle in, making its way past the bar and up the stairs to the second floor. The regular crowd is a mix of high schoolers, college students and recent graduates, and established townies. They're all here to do one thing — sing their hearts out
for karaoke night.
Karaoke culture is a staple in Lawrence, with karaoke nights occurring across town six times a week at various locations. Many people who attend karaoke night at Burger Stand at 803 Massachusetts St. also attend other karaoke nights during the week, and the Burger Stand's karaoke draws between 35 and 150 people per week.
"Karaoke is sort of a common language," said Chris Hoffman, host of last week's Burger Stand karaoke night. "A lot of people come out to laugh with people and laugh at them as well."
Hoffman was one of the first hosts
who started karaoke night at the Burger Stand five years ago. The hosts purchased their own karaoke materials to bring once a week, the same materials used today.
However, while the karaoke materials have stayed the same, the people haven't. A good deal of the business is driven by college students during the year, and Hoffman said it's a "rite of passage" to see so many come through the doors and eventually graduate over the years.
The attendees aren't the only ones who have changed over the year. The Burger Stand almost closed down
SEE KARAOKE PAGE 15