Karaoke in White Rock

On Friday night, my husband, a couple friends and I went to The Sandpiper Pub in White Rock as our first "Let's Try Something New" night. I found the place by googling "karaoke White Rock". The website looked inviting and it boasted the best fish and chips. This proclamation hooked my husband from the get-go. (www.sandpiperpub.net) I wanted to get a better feel for the pub's energy so I called them to ask a couple questions. The girl who answered was full of pep. I told her I'd heard that they had karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays and she said "Yes! It's the best place to karaoke! We start at 9 o'clock!"
"And what kind of music do you have?" I asked, a little hesitantly.
"Everything!"
So, Friday night rolled around and my husband and I practically skipped to the car, waving goodbye to my mother-in-law and daughter who returned our waves with their own excitement at having some alone time together. I read my daughter's shrieks of laughter as, "Go have fun, Mommy! You deserve it for the being the best mom on the planet!" Somewhere deep inside me, though, I know she was really saying, "All right! Mommy's gone and Dadi's going to give me cookies!"
The drive to White Rock was short but splendid. The day had been beautiful and held the promise of a pretty sunset. The Sandpiper Pub is located right on Marine Drive - prime location for watching the day give way to night.
We parked along the street just a few feet from the pub and were greeted at the entrance by exhaust fumes and the deafening roar of motorcycles - lots of them. The four of us looked at each other but decided to go ahead with the plan...
And we were so glad we did! The people were friendly, although not usually the type of crowd we'd find ourselves surrounded by. The decor was typical pub but with a bit of a marine flair. The food was good - we shared a huge platter of Nachos Supreme, I had a veggie burger and the hubby had...yup, fish and chips!
At 9:08 pm I glanced at the empty dance floor, the large TV screen above it begging, "Please select a song" and I thought, there's no way anyone in here is going to sing anything. I was wrong. They sang. And they sang it all. From country to rock, duets to (God bless 'em) solo numbers. And guess what? No one was super fabulous, but everyone was having a good time - singers and audience.
"You gotta do this," my husband announced. To seal the deal he grabbed a 3-ring binder of songs and handed it to me.
I spent close to 45 minutes reading every single song title. The girl I had spoken to on the phone had not lied. They had every song I had ever heard of and a million more.
Sensing my hesitation and knowing that if I did not get up and sing I would consider the night only half experienced, my bold and self-sacrificing husband suggested a duet!
Twenty minutes later we found ourselves on the floor, eyes glued to the screen, singing (shrieking?) When You Say Nothing At All by Allison Kraus. Love that song and though it may not have looked like it, I really enjoyed myself!
The crowd was great, and even offered us polite applause when we were done.
We joined our friends at the table by the window. I exhaled and then drew a big check mark in the air. We all laughed.
Karaoke at a pub packed with strangers. Check.
What's next? Stay tuned...