Karaoke

I got my first taste of Shanghai nightlife on Saturday. First stop was a club called Richy where an American DJ called Shadow was performing. It quickly became apparent that the venue had done nothing to limit the size of the crowd. Packed in with probably 1,000 others in a bar that was built for about 300, we tried to get close to the stage. Wondering what would happen if there were a fire, we reversed course and headed for the exit. "No crowd contol. That's very Chinese," one of my friends said (Chinese nationality, and had grown up in both countries).

Nearby, there was a karaoke bar called Party World. Despite the amusement park name, Party World was actually on the second floor of a luxury hotel (marble floor lobby). Groups could rent private karaoke suites (think Lost in Translation) for the evening and hotel staff would hustle in monitors, speakers and microphones. Most songs were American favorites although there were a couple of Asian selections.