KS - Barrie

Day two - tonight the Karaoke Superstar machine rolled into the Kozlov Centre in Barrie. It was a smaller crowd than Monday night in Peterborough, and much less enthusiastic. Barrie - what's goin' on?!

(At the judge's table - Ben, Maria, me - behind is Evan) 

Evan Duran hosted the show with 8 contestants who gave us an interesting mix. A couple of dark songs that were challenging songs to sing, a couple of well-known songs and a bunch of worship songs, some of which our judges didn't know.  How many times do we have to say "pick the right songs! It's a LIFE competition! Stay with the format!"

At the judges table was Ben Davy, Maria Lopez and myself. Ben is the pro; but Maria - it was her first time with KS. Her critiques were awesome! As we deliberated after the show and picked our favourites, one thing came up with almost all our contestants tonight - stage presence - it was very shallow. Most contestants seemed very timid and seemed to hold back their talent, which made for a softer performance.

(Evan on stage with one of tonight's performers.) 

For those singers who move to the semi-final round - remember: pick songs you would hear on LIFE, and work the stage! Don't be shy! If you're a performer, let's see your stuff! 

Next stop is tomorrow night at Huntsville Place Mall. Showtime is 6:30.  My friend, and former Ascension bandmate Charles West from Port Sydney will be sitting next to me at the judge's table!