This weekend: Live dueling pianos

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Fights are welcomed at the Barrel House piano bar, 729 New Hampshire St., but not the kind of duel that’s going to give you a black eye. The bar starts the weekend with dueling pianos.

The event consists of two accomplished pianists playing on two baby grand pianos on stage. The audience requests songs while three pianists do a two-person rotation on the pianos every hour. Sometimes the third player will join in and play another instrument such as the guitar, drums or saxophone.

Alex Akers, co-owner of the Barrel House, says each pianist must know how to play at least 400 songs, but the talented ones know more than 1,000 songs. From Beyonce to Frank Sinatra, each pianist knows a variety of songs from every era imaginable.

The atmosphere is always energetic and interactive during the event. “It’s completely comical, good music and lots of fun,” Akers says. The pianists sing, dance on the pianos and invite the audience to participate with them. You can even embarrass your loved ones by doing a birthday song request where the pianist will invite that person on stage and play a song for him or her.

Live dueling pianos offers a musical performance that is unique to the downtown bar scene in Lawrence. The event is every Thursday through Saturday and runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

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