The World Famous Cats Meow first opened its doors in December of 1989. At the time, karaoke in America was in it's infancy and we were one of the first bars to try out the new entertainment concept. In less than a year, Cats Meow became the largest "on premise" account for both Miller and Budweiser products in the New Orleans area. And in 1990, Pioneer, the audio company that brought Karaoke to the U.S., named Cats Meow "the BEST Karaoke bar in the world". We hold that title today and continue to improve on what was started ten years ago with better service, top-notch entertainers, a clean atmosphere and a whole lot of fun!
Cats Meow is located in the heart of the
historic New Orleans French Quarter. The building is a superb example of 1820's
architecture and offers amenities such as two exterior balconies overlooking
Bourbon Street, and a cozy interior courtyard. We are located at 701 Bourbon
Street on the corner of St. Peter Street, the same street you'll find Pat
O'Briens, and the historic Jazz Preservation Hall.
Visitors-
Over the years,
literally thousands of people have converged on the Cats Meow to enjoy some of
the cultural and musical activities that the club has to offer, and is a
contributing part of what makes New Orleans one of the most energetic cities in
the world. Also, many celebrities have enjoyed some of the nightlife at the Cats
Meow. For example, artists ranging from soul singer Seal to country musicians
Brooks and Dunn, comedian/songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic, Smashing Pumpkins,
Depeche Mode, and N'Sync have visited the Cats Meow, as have software mogul Bill
Gates of Microsoft, actress Tori Spelling, and even Julie and Doria of Playboy's
Night Calls have stopped in to sing.
Aside from the more famous
people that have visited Cats Meow, several national television shows have done
on-site broadcasts from the club. The festive atmosphere of the Cats Meow has
provided some nice backdrops and ambiance for such popular TV programs like "The
Regis and Kathy Lee Show", MTV's "Road Rules" and "The
Grind".
The Concept-
Much of the success of The
Cats Meow is attributed to the concept. Many have tried to duplicate our style
but have failed to add the magic spark that makes us the "worlds best karaoke
bar". The formula is simple. We feature live, mixing disc
jockeys and talented emcee's. The music is always a progressive mix of 50's through
today's hits, classic rock, disco, dance, hip-hop, swing, and Top 40. The stage
is open to everyone for karaoke and it's free to sing. We offer hundreds of songs for guest to choose from, and our staff treats
everyone like a star!. The wide variety of music, the energetic emcee's, and the
unknown of the next karaoke singer make this club the phenomenon it is. The
magic ingredient is our guests. They make the shows fun and different every night.
Another factor that has made The Cats Meow successful is the initiative of the
club operators to maintain a level of quality for all to enjoy. Their recipe for
success is to "keep the action non-stop. Offer good, clean fun for all to have a
great time, and to keep things a step above Bourbon Street."
Bourbon Street Online-
The Cats Meow is the
host for the Internet website "BourboCAM", found at http://www.nola.com/. This web camera is mounted
on stage at the Cats Meow and looks out towards the activities on Bourbon St.
The "BourboCAM" is an ISDN streaming video utilizing the Real Video player. There is also an update
version that gets a new picture every 20 seconds.
We now offer a real time
chat room (Cat Chat) so that you can ask others what they think about
the Cats Meow.