Red Lion Pub — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

I visited this bar for karaoke on a Friday night and am very unimpressed by the karaoke hosts and the way they managed their system:

Here are three issues I had:

The announcer was intoxicated: A rule of thumb for karaoke hosts is to always be aware and able to run karaoke to the best of their ability. After several drinks, the KJ was noticeably under the influence and being rude while interrupting karaoke singers. He may have thought he was being funny, but it came across to me as rude and unappreciative of the singers.

The announcer would interrupt songs with commentary: The KJ would frequently interrupt the singers (on his mic) with commentary and jokes. I found this extremely disrespectful to the singers. It was distracting to the singers, the audience, and made me feel uncomfortable.

The announcer was rude to me directly: During one song, he started laughing and made a comment of “well if you were to do it right”. I know he somehow meant it as a joke, but I was embarrassed and that was completely uncalled for.

At the end of the night, he restated he appreciated me coming out and hopes that I’d return, but as a KJ myself, there are things you just don’t do when running karaoke. Being sober and able to make good judgments, respecting people when it’s their time to shine, and being courteous to those around you are essential. This will be my first and last time visiting the...

Red Lion Pub is absolutely amazing! 🫶 My parents and I love coming here—the atmosphere is always welcoming, and everyone is so friendly. Mary and Jelly are hands down the best since they make incredible drinks and always provide top-notch service. The vibe is perfect for a fun night out, and I can’t recommend this...

Bars ok bartenders are great karaoke sucks it's all about the owner and the host every other song the owner gotta strike his ego and sing can't fall into rotation like a normal kj and don't try singing something they don't like you'll never sing. System is old not updated nothing new from the last 10 yrs do...