Stop by Ye Olde Falcon Pub in Davie on Tuesday and Thursday nights and you just might witness a performance by Journey, the Red Hot Chili Peppers or maybe The Killers. Well almost.

It's not another karaoke party, but a new barroom fad -- Rock Band nights.

Liana Minassian and her friend, Lauren Pedic, both 23, were at the pub recently trying their best to mimic the Beatles' I Want You (She's So Heavy).

With hard plastic controllers that vividly resemble Fender Stratocasters, Telecasters or even Paul McCartney's violin-shaped Höfner bass, the video game lets aspiring singers, drummers, guitarists and bassists show off their rock-star moves and virtual-musician skills. It is something like karaoke but with instruments.

Focusing on the TV monitor, Minassian and Pedic joined John, Paul, George and Ringo's rooftop performance of the song shown on the big screen next to them. Minassian sang while Pedic sat at the drum console.

Rock Band events are getting popular in South Florida's bar scene. With access to an 800-song repertoire featuring scores of musicians, MTV and Harmonix have managed to take the Rock Band video game system from private homes to pubs, bars and lounges.

Ye Olde Falcon Pub thinks it was one of the first to feature it.

``I come here with friends every couple of weeks or so,'' Minassian said. ``It's awesome.''

Pedic, who could hardly keep up with Ringo Starr's drum, played with a smile as the crowd encouraged her to keep going. Pedic said she is new to Rock Band and is still learning which color goes with what drum pad.

``I've been playing video games for two weeks,'' she said.

A similar scene plays out at Miami's Transit Lounge, which also sponsors Rock Band nights.

FOG MACHINE

With implacable confidence and boyish charm, Ruben Silva, 36, raised his drumsticks to rev up the crowd as smoke from a fog machine permeated the stage. This was Silva's first chance to play the Rock Band console in front of an audience after months of practice. Silva and his band, The Plastic Instruments, performed the classic bar tune Don't Stop Believing by Journey.

``The energy and excitement of playing Rock Band in front of people is so intense,'' Silva said. It doesn't compare with playing online.''

Rock Band Rock Off, a company that provides Rock Band entertainment for local bars and clubs, private parties and corporate events, has handled Rock Band events at Ye Olde Falcon Pub for more than a year.

At the end of the night, Rock Band Rock Off gives away a $25 bar tab to the night's best act. The company also videotapes performances and posts them on YouTube and its website at no charge to performers who would like to share their Rock Band memories.

It works out great,'' said Ray San Anton, 35, who's a Rock Band DJ for Rock Band Rock Off.

Alex Saiz, 25, a regular at Transit Lounge, said one key to the Rock Band success is the integration of instruments to the karaoke formula.

``There are a lot of people who don't want to sing,'' he said. ``Rock Band lets them take part in sharing the embarrassment without having to be the lone singer.''

With Rock Band Bar Nights, a program promoted by MTV and Harmonix, prospective Rock Band participants have a chance to search venues that host Rock Band events simply by visiting the site and typing in their ZIP Code, said Transit Lounge general manager Jerry Pennington, 29. The lounge also receives new Rock Band song releases before they are available to the general public, another incentive to stop by, Pennington said.

Jonathan Castaneda, 27, who works as a Rock Band DJ at Transit Lounge, started using the video game as a form of lounge entertainment about a year ago. Castaneda said this new bar entertainment clearly outperforms karaoke.

``It's like karaoke on steroids,'' he said.

SCORES COMPARED

At the end of their Rock Band performance, Ruben Silva and The Plastic Instruments compared their performance scores.

The scores are on a percent base, up to 99 percent per instrument. Each instrument gets a separate score based on notes played correctly. The players chose from four difficulty levels: easy, medium, hard and expert. Silva scored an impressive 92 percent with difficulty level set on hard.

``This is definitely not my last time here,'' he said.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@