NYC | Sing Us a Song – 10 miles behind me

My friends and I have decided that the new Friday night is at Sweet Caroline’s Dueling Piano Bar in Times Square (46th bt 6th & 7th Avenues). Two piano players and one drum player perform song requests from tourists (and the occasional New Yorker). The song slip tells them what you want to hear, the amount of money you give with the song slip tells them how badly you want to hear it…and if you don’t like a song they are playing, you can request a new one with a higher bid. The first time Mendy and I went to Sweet Caroline’s, we were apparently in the wrong crowd with the lowest payments for songs being $20. This time, people were requesting songs for $2, so we were actually able to participate (and, in some cases, dominate).

In addition to the song costs, there is supposed to be a cover charge, but the people on the street and the website say it is $20, the people on the phone when you call say $10, and we didn’t pay anything somehow. There is also a two-drink minimum but they don’t seem to enforce it and the drinks are not badly priced and really strong. Like, really strong.

Don’t pay money to hear the following songs – they will obviously be requested by someone at some point in the night:

“Sweet Caroline”
“Don’t Stop Believing”
“Summer of ’69”
“Living on a Prayer”
“Sweet Child of Mine”
“Piano Man” or ANY Billy Joel

My favorite moments from this past Friday night…

Walking into the bathroom with Nicole before the show started and being confronted with four Russian women waiting and “being good friends” while their one friend was in one stall. Coming out of the stall to see three of the women pushing the other one OVER the door of the stall where their friend was so she could open the door. Seeing their friend (who they are *such* good friends to) asleep with her head (ick) on the toilet seat.

Passing a request sheet to the piano players during someone’s (stupid) request of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” with a note saying “Wake me up when *this song* ends…”

Earning a free shot for being the loudest “Whoa oh oh”-er during “Sweet Caroline”. (BTdubs, earned a free shot last time for this too. Don’t worry ’bout it.)

Interrupting a group from Boston’s song request of “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” with a higher bid for “Empire State of Mind” just to show them which city was cooler.

Mendy waiting about an hour to hear his request of “Crazy Beeyotch” (yes, I just censored my blog) and having them play the song ten seconds after he leaves to go to the bathroom and finishing before he comes back.

Their interpretation of “Back that Azz Up”…

Paying $4 to hear “Whip my Hair”, the piano players not knowing it, acting like they didn’t know how to play Justin Beiber, and eventually settling on Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”. They begged the whole time for people to outbid Nicole and me to play a different song, but everyone loved it a little too much. Either that or they actually believed me when I was asked how much I paid for it and I yelled “$4…$17…$17,000!” which no one could outbid.

Walking out to Times Square after the show and deciding to take a horse and buggy back to our apartment instead of a cab, because “why the heck not?” Hearing the driver say it was $17. Learning that he said $70, not $17. Taking a cab home…