I had never been to a karaoke outing, but I had always known that I didn’t understand the draw of going out with friends and singing songs for them (or others). It all just seemed pretty awkward to me. I mean, there’s a reason we all do our singing in the shower, right?

But then I finally went out with a small group. We went to the Rock Box in Seattle and had a room built for seven people. It delivered on all of the awkwardness, but not in the way I expected.

Turns out it’s about 50 times more awkward to be in the room and not participating than it is to be there participating.

What I also didn’t consider is that when you go out for karaoke, there’s actually little interaction with your friends. Someone is always singing and everyone else is being quiet(-ish) and trying to figure out the next song to attack.

All-in-all, I don’t see the draw…