Karaoke Night in Valencia

So what better way to import our American culture in Spain than to go out and find a karaoke bar and belt out some classic staples like Sweet Caroline. That's what a large group of us decided would be a fun way to spend last Friday night. The nearest karaoke bar was not really that close to the Colegio Mayor where we are staying so we flagged down three cabs and proceeded in a motorcade to the pub/bar. The taxi ride was very reminiscent of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney World. The driver seemed to think that getting to the bar was some sort of emergency because I could have sworn we drove up onto the curve at one point. When he stopped to ask for directions, he "forgot" to turn off the meter. Despite this cheap tactic to get more money out of us, the total fare was only 8.85 euros. Since there were 5 of us, the cost per person was not too bad.

The bar, as usual in Spain, smelled of smoke and was very tiny for the amount of people inside.
The stage could only comfortably fit 5 people and there were only two microphones. I only think one worked because the singing just turned into yelling at one point. Immediately we requested the DJ to play some American songs by bands like Queen, Neil Diamond, Alanis Morissette and, of course Britney Spears. The first requested song was the bar staple Sweet Caroline. Ryan, Sean, Eliza and, Taylor (from left to right in the photo) did Neil justice in passionately leading the rest of the bar patrons in a rousing chorus of everybody's favorite song to enjoy at any drinking establishment. By the rest of the bar patrons I mean the other members of our group who were busy laughing, filming them or, enjoying the spectacle on the stage or the looks on the local's faces.

The next performance came from Hope and David G (below). They chose the catchy 2003 hit Toxic by Britney Spears; someone every American hopes foreigners associate with the US. The two managed to impress the crowd and never fell behind on the lyrics. At one point, I think the DJ decided we shouldn't be granted our requests anymore; every song thereafter was either someone elses choice or the DJ's. However, that did not stop us from having fun or providing ourselves with entertainment. We think that karaoke night might become a regular event on this trip. I look forward to other small adventures in Valencia that will make this trip worthwhile and memorable.