Wilson´s Lounge
Despite the recent departure of Shirley, the usual host, Wilson´s still gets our vote. The host is important for moving the night along smoothly, and Shirley was most genial, but a good karaoke night´s nothing without the ringers. You only want to laugh at a drunken version of ¨Me and Bobby McGee¨ for so long before you´re desperate for a spot-on ¨Silent Lucidity.¨ And the fact that it´s a farmer-tanned, balding, down-on-his-luck type doing the impressive Queensryche impression is surprising. And awesome. We´ve heard equally inspiring versions of ¨Mustang Sally,¨ ¨Paradise by the Dashboard Light¨ and similar karaoke staples. All from the kind of regulars most people avoid locking eyes with while gliding pass them as they hunch over the bar. The crowd at Wilson´s proves you´re never too old to want the rock ´n´ roll dream. Nor, apparently, do you need years of pricey training. Just an appreciative audience and a welcoming venue. Wilson´s has both.
Wilson´s Lounge, 3030 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-895-4219.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.