Opinion | Tokyo 2020: how Japan could have avoided a karaoke Olympics
- Instead of karaoke’s ‘empty orchestra’, the Tokyo Olympics have empty arenas. This might have been avoided had the Japanese government addressed the Covid-19 threat seriously
Many karaoke sets come with an echo feature to enhance the vocals, sometimes even simulated applause. As television cameras pan over Olympic venues with thousands of vacant seats looming above the sporting action, the logic of karaoke appears to have become inverted in the Covid-19 era.
Taking a cue from karaoke simulation, Japanese organisers are providing their own canned applause to soften the hollowness of the empty arena experience.
But there is a striking difference between this immensely popular singing pastime, which celebrates the talents and aspirations of ordinary people, and the current Olympic spectacle – and it’s not the strict prohibition on alcohol in the stands.
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Inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony
One key element of the popularity of karaoke is that it allows everyday slouches and middling talents to feel more like gifted crooners as they perform amid the trappings of glitzy entertainment.