3 Jam Band Songs That Are Actually Good for Karaoke

On the face of it, you might not think jam band songs would make for good karaoke choices. Jam bands are known for their long, extended tracks that are buoyed by improvisation, solos, and much more. That doesn’t always make for good karaoke tunes—you know those songs that need to be both fun to sing and crowd-pleasers for the bar.

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But that’s just what we wanted to explore below. Perhaps to the surprise of many, there are actually a few good jam band songs that make for great karaoke sing-alongs. Indeed, these are three jam band songs that are actually great for karaoke!

“Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band from ‘Crash’ (1996)

Dave Matthews Band might be the best-known jam band today. Why? Because they were able to be both an improvisational group live and a commercial group in the studio. It remains a terrific balancing act for a group that has enjoyed myriad No. 1 albums on the Billboard Top 200 and also enjoyed selling millions of tickets at their live shows. And it’s their love song “Crash Into Me” that is perhaps their best-known track to date—perfect for karaoke.

“Casey Jones” by The Grateful Dead from ‘Workingman’s Dead’ (1970)

This song is great to sing at a karaoke event for multiple reasons. People love The Grateful Dead. Jerry Garcia’s voice isn’t particularly hard to mimic. And the song from the legendary jam band is all about getting wasted. Well, that’s at least what it sounds like to a drunken room of karaoke fans on a Wednesday night in your favorite dive bar. Yes, give this one a whirl and watch the room light up.

“That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker” by O.A.R. from ‘The Wanderer’ (1997)

While this track is on the longer side, it is still a rollicking good time during karaoke. It’s one of those songs that can get a whole bar swaying like the hull of a ship. If you’re around the right audience—one that knows this track from, say, their college days—it’s a terrific one to sing. After all, who doesn’t love a great tune about poker?

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