It’s a late Wednesday night when Bob Putz takes the stage at Starbusters Bar & Grill, 930 Pappas Drive. Tonight is karaoke night, and Putz is the first performer of the evening. The crowd erupts into applause and cheers as he begins to sing.

“Go Bob!” they yell as he paces back and forth to his rendition of “Mini the Moocher” by Cab Calloway.

To some, he’s Robert F. Putz, an NIU alumnus and DeKalb resident. But to everybody at Starbusters tonight, he is known as “Karaoke Bob.”

“Karaoke Bob’s the most popular person in here tonight,” booms the voice of the disc jockey at the end of Putz’s performance. “Let’s hear it for the only man in town with the first name Karaoke.”

With a six year record of frequenting Starbusters for karaoke every week, Putz has acquired a reputation for his entertaining and consistent performances, as well as a following.

“I really don’t recognize my popularity,” Putz said. “But I guess I’m better than I give myself credit for.”

DJ Kevin Hoakland sees it a bit differently.

“Bob is an icon around here,” Hoakland said. “People come out just to see him.”

Starbusters owner Nick Tsiftilis believes that karaoke has an irreplaceable spot in the DeKalb community.

“I’ve been doing karaoke here since the beginning,” Tsiftilis said. “It’s a different kind of entertainment. It allows people to come and be a star.”

And Putz is not the only one who’s starring at Starbusters tonight. The bar has a tradition of welcoming their new employees by having them karaoke, and often the song chosen for them is meant to be embarrassing. Tonight, new employee Brett Donatille is on stage singing “Nothing At All” by the Backstreet Boys.

Donatille was a former bar back at Starbusters, and was re-hired as a bouncer. He admitted the song wasn’t one of his favorites, but he couldn’t help but have a good time on stage.

On the same Wednesday night, there is a different kind of scene across town at Andy’s Lounge, 317 E. Lincoln Highway. In a smaller, intimate atmosphere, bartenders are serving up alcohol and people play pool in the corner.

Natasha Maczko, 21, just finished her version of Pat Benetar’s “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and is a karaoke regular as well.

“I come here every Wednesday,” Maczko said. “I love the atmosphere. It’s really fun. I also love the people.”

Maczko is not alone. Wednesdays can be the busiest night of the week for the establishment and Andy’s manager Charmaine Kroll believes the karaoke, as well as the alcohol, helps.

“It’s always busy on Wednesdays, because it’s fun,” Kroll said. “It’s always a good night [because people] like to sing.”

As she says this, there are 10 men clustered around the microphone, raucously singing “You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party” by the Beastie Boys. Karaoke is now in full swing at Andy’s.

While Starbusters and Andy’s share the heavy flow of karaoke-loving patrons on Wednesdays, Mango’s Frozen Custard, 890 Pappas Drive, provides the service on both Tuesday and Thursday nights. In a tented area outside the store, people gather during late evenings to sing their hearts out.

“It’s a good time,” said 22-year-old undecided major Stephanie Smith. “But sometimes it’s harder to get up the nerve to sing at Mango’s than an actual bar, because they don’t serve alcohol.”

At Starbusters, Hoakland noticed the overall willingness of customers to get on-stage and sing increases drastically when they begin drinking.

“At the beginning of the night, I have to bribe people to come up here,”

Hoakland said. “But once they get the alcohol in them, it’s a whole different story. It’s like liquid courage in these guys.”

The exception to this pattern is none other than “Karaoke Bob,” who does not drink due to a borderline diabetes condition.

What gives him the courage to get up there any way?

“It’s very simple,” Putz said. “I do the best I can.”