@BlogKCTomorrow night KC gets its second dueling piano bar when Howl at the Moon opens in the Power & Light District. Springfield-based Ernie Biggs opened in Westport last year. Judging by the lines out the door on the weekends, Ernie Biggs seems to be quite popular.
It will be interesting to see if there is enough demand for two dueling piano bars, just as it will be interesting to see the effects on Westport of competition from all the taxpayer-subsidized bars opening in the Power & Light District. Hopefully the new nightlife district will grow the entire market and not re-arrange the existing one.
Well I want everyone to do well, but Westport has been their own worst enemy the last 10 years. If they die, it will be self-inflicted.
Visited Ernie Biggs a couple of weeks ago and it was a great time. A little cramped, but fun anyhow. I hadn’t heard of the new piano bar and haven’t visited the Power and Light district yet.
Howl at the Moon is at many cities across the USA. It provides solid entertainment in an organized sort of fashion. Plays great, popular tunes and not the snooze fest of many piano bars. Typically, the bachelorette and birthday parties head there for the group seating and special attention they get. I think its a great addition. The cover in Chicago was $10 – wonder what it will be in KC.
I’m not sure what will happen to EB, because I think Wesport draws its own crowd, but if people give it a chance they’ll prefer HATM if the company brings in what they’re known for (talent). I was at EB once and it was more of a shouting match than a duel. *yawn*
There are two cities I know of that have two DP clubs. I heard Little Rock, AK has two clubs on the same street. By all accounts they are both doing well.
Chicago has two clubs. HATM is downtown and Sluggers is on the north side in Wrigleyville by the ball park. Both have great talent and offer a decent cross section of talented performers.
Hopefully KC will do the same.
The thing is Dueling Pianos Shows fit every demographic. It’s just up to the audience to decide how much or how little they want to participate. When good performers know how to “work the room” there will be success no matter what the location.