Raise the Barr Entertainment

James really went above and beyond for our wedding! He provided us with an extremely detailed questionnaire and made sure to go through every detail fo that questionnaire with us. The reception music was perfect and had everyone on the dance floor for the entire time, which was our goal! The day would not have been nearly as successful as it was without his hard work and dedication.

We are so glad that we found James for our wedding. Since booking, he was consistently responsive and organized. On the day of, James was the best mixture of professional/fun and the music was exactly what we wanted. I would absolutely recommend his services to anyone looking for a DJ.

AMAZING! AMAZING!! James read the room so well, he played what we had discussed and mixed in crowd pleasers! Our wedding was a huge dance party, and James was the reason why! So thankful for how he asked us every step of the reception if we were ready and kept us up on what was next in the timeline so we didnt have to think about anything!

James! James! James! We got married a month ago today and every time we talk to someone that was at our event, they talk about how much fun they have. I truly believe the DJ plays such an important part in this type of event. I told him I wanted a huge dance party and he did NOT disappoint! I changed a couple things in the middle of the reception (like omitting some of the dances and games) and told him "lets just dance"!!! Without asking questions... He totally went with the flow and came through strong! My husband and James it off so well too! We could not have asked for a better DJ! HIGHLY suggest to all couples.

James was absolutely phenomenal and we can't recommend him enough! Music is something we are both very passionate about, so finding the right DJ was super important to us. We wanted someone that not only knew what they were doing, but that fit the right vibe and could set the right tone for our big night.  Enter James Barr - the only DJ we would have wanted at our wedding! James was just on it from the word go. Before we'd even booked him he had planned a faux itinerary to help us better visualize our night after we said we weren't really sure what to do when and how to make everything fit. He listened to all our ideas, answered all our questions, and took a ton of notes on what we did and didn't like. By the end of our first meeting, we could tell not only that this was our guy, but that we could easily be concert buddies with James too. Come wedding day, when the bridal party arrived at the end of a cocktail hour, there was no mistake that James had already set the tone for the night and that everyone was relaxed, excited, and ready to celebrate! We just couldn't have asked for more.  James helped us get everything off our bus, made sure every single member of the bridal party was good to go, hyped up our guests, and really kept the night moving! He never made us feel rushed, but he kept us on track, he made sure we (the bride and groom) both ate and had something to drink, and he even delivered cupcakes to us when he realized we hadn't had any yet. All on top of making sure the sound was top-notch and the music was perfect.  He played all of our musts, avoided all of our must-not's, and even joined us on the dance floor! Our guests adored him, and people who truly do not dance got out on the dance floor to shake their tail feathers because it was too much fun to miss. We are so grateful for James. He helped make our night the perfect celebration - and we recommend him to everyone who asks!

I can't recommend James enough. He is vivacious and gregarious and pays attention to every detail. Our guests and family all loved him, and he provided a top-notch soundtrack for our wedding. On top of being a wonderful DJ, we also hired him for his wedding coordinator services, and he did not disappoint. He was on top of everything and helped manage our other vendors while doing what he could for my wife and I during our day.

James was such an awesome asset to our wedding day. I can’t begin to describe how much we loved him DJ-ing our big day. I chose James because he was professional, classy, and responsible, while at the same time being out going and extroverted! He was a pleasure to work with. He helped me with our day of wedding timeline, worked with the limo driver and came out to greet us as we arrived at the reception. He did an amazing job announcing the wedding party and he kept the party going as we moved effortlessly from toasts to dinner to dancing! I got so many compliments from both my young friends who loved the party as well as my grandparents who loved how he MC’d! I highly recommend James!!! He is so affordable as well and worth so much more!

I would recommend Raise The Barr Entertainment 100 times over! We chose this company for DJing our wedding reception based on the glowing reviews on The Knot, and James definitely lived up to the hype. We had a general idea of the music genres we wanted, but were unsure on the specifics. With James helpful recommendations, we were able to solidify our choices and he carefully selected songs to curate the perfect selection for our event! So thankful for his expert opinion and professional, fun, & upbeat performance at our reception. Pick Raise the Barr Entertainment for your next event, you will be beyond grateful that you did!

Wow, James with Raise the Barr Entertainment is awesome! Our wedding guests are not dancers so we gave James quite the challenge but he made it a super fun night we will fondly remember. His expertise ensured our wedding ceremony and reception was timely and went smoothly. He even retaught myself and our nieces the chicken dance :)

We had to find a new DJ less than a month before our wedding and we took a chance with Raise the Barr. It was such a great decision and he was a great DJ!! He worked with us on all of the little details we wanted for our wedding. He did a great job keeping the music going ... even with an older crowd that didn't always dance. He was energetic and very wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend him.

I found James Barr online as I was searching for a DJ for a neighborhood, end of school year party and I’m so glad I found him! James’ communication prior to the event was great and his response time is always timely, which was important for me as I worked to plan this event. The day of the event, James showed up timely and well organized, but the best was his DJ’ing and interaction with the crowd! Being a neighborhood event, there were a bunch of kids and he was beyond interactive with them! He played music that appealed to both the kids and adults alike and he was the life of our party! The day after the event, I had several neighbors comment about how awesome the DJ was and their plans to use him for future events. Overall, I would highly recommend James for any event and I really hope to use him again in the future!

We absolutely loved having James for our DJ! He provided great advice for song choices and scheduling. He is friendly, knowledgeable, and energetic. I would highly recommend James to anyone looking for a DJ!

James was amazing! I can't tell you how many people have come up to me after the wedding and complimented him! He helped us with everything from the timeline of the day, to picking songs for different parts of the ceremony, to even making sure our drinks were full! He kept the dance floor full all night! Callan and I were so thankful to have him as part of our big day!

James is incredible! We would give him a 10 star review if possible. He coordinated our day so well. He made sure we were happy and stress free. He fit in with our crowd so well. All through our planning process, he made sure to answer all questions. We got tons of great suggestions from him that we used. He has so much knowledge and experience. James strives to make sure he pleases the bride and groom. He brought life to our reception when needed. I cannot say enough good things about him. You will NOT regret using James.

James was an amazing DJ for our wedding and reception. He communicated well and was very organized throughout the planning process. We had live music during our ceremony, and he provided all the microphones we needed and connected them to the venue's sound system. The reception was amazing! He played every song we requested, kept things moving throughout the night, and his personality kept our guests engaged. Everyone had a great time dancing. It was more fun than we even imagined it would be. We highly recommend hiring James.

We hired James Barr, owner of Raise the Barr, as the DJ for my daughter's wedding reception. He went above and beyond to make the celebration a huge success. James spent several hours discussing the bride and groom's wishes in advance. He had every one of their songs ready. He understood their ideas and lead the reception perfectly. Rather last minute, we asked James to coordinate the sound for the wedding ceremony as well. We had a pastor and several live musicians who needed mics. James arrived early and managed the hotel's sound system and his own equipment professionally. Many guests commented on what a wonderful DJ he was. The photographer also told us that James is always great to work with. I highly recommend Raise the Barr.

James was very professional and accommodating to our ALL of our needs! He made sure everything was perfect the day of and if there was anything he could do to make anything less stressful he was on top of it! He genuinely cares. Not to mention I replanned my whole wedding and he made sure to make it work for us! James made a very detailed timeline of the day and it made the whole night go super smoothly. All my guests raved about how great the music was and how wonderful James did! ( I agree!!) He did everything we asked and more! Cant thank you enough for being apart of our day! I would highly recommend Raise the Barr for any future Brides!

James did a great job helping with our rehearsal dinner and DJing our wedding. Whether in person or over FaceTime, James made the planning process easy. We provided a few of our favorite artists and he made great playlists for each element of our day. He put together a great playlist for the reception as well, starting with some oldies and building up to current music. The party never stopped and everyone had a blast! We highly recommend Raise the Barr.

James was great to work with from beginning to end! The first time we met with James we knew he was the guy for us. He is very detailed in his work and even helped plan our timeline. He provides good suggestions and is extremely flexible. We threw a few changes at him the day of the wedding, and he was easily able to adjust. We used James for our ceremony and reception music and going into the reception I was extremely nervous for the music and making sure that everything was perfect. I brought this up to James and he did nothing short of making sure everything was just as I envisioned. His communication is great and really does play all the best music!! Would highly recommend James for any occasion!

JAMES! Holy moly. What a fantastic human being. From our first meet with James we knew that he was the right person for the job. He kept the reception moving, incorporated song requests even when I sent them SUPER last minute (seriously, you rock), I have never laughed so hard due to some of the Shoe questions that were asked, and the cherry on top of all of this is that James LITERALLY saved and released a hawk that was in our reception venue. He is so responsive to e-mails and made the entire process a total dream. THIS IS YOUR SIGN, James is the ultimate choice!

James did a fantastic job at our son's wedding! The set up was flawless, and he was incredibly flexible and was able to make the night flow so smoothly. Professional yet fun! It was an awesome night!

James was FANTASTIC at our wedding this past weekend. I was planning from a distance and he was super accommodating by doing our meetings over the phone. He asked lots of great questions (things I hadn't even thought of!) and I felt totally confident going into the day that he had everything handled. He helped with our ceremony mics as well! He coordinated with our string ensemble to smoothly transition during our cocktail hour and really kept us moving for the reception. He really helped make our day perfect. We highly recommend him for any event!!

James was AMAZING! He brought the party and helped the whole night flow so well. He has great ideas and helped our vision come to life. Great to work with!

10/10. I don’t even know where to start. James has a charisma and talent that can break through ice, get people laughing, and even make church people dance. His entertainment ideas made our night exactly what we wanted it to be: FUN. Everyone loved his hilarious guest scavenger hunt; it set the tone for the entire evening. I can not recommend Raise the Barr enough. He took all our wishes and formed them together to create an unforgettable evening.

To put this simply, James was absolutely amazing and well worth the cost to book him for our wedding. Do you need someone flexible? James. Do you need someone who can entertain your guests with humor, games, kickass playlists, and have that "Hollywood" smile? James. Do you want someone who will go above and beyond to help create an atmosphere that exudes fun? James. I have no doubt that there are great DJ's across KC with varying costs for booking, but if I held another event that needed a DJ I would book James without hesitation.

I would highly recommend Raise the Barr Entertainment to anyone looking for a phenomenal DJ! James really goes above and beyond to make sure that your big day is perfect! I appreciated the time he took to get to know us and what was important to us on our wedding day. His attention to detail ensured that our reception stayed on schedule and we were able to spend the majority of the time celebrating with our guests! James kept the dance floor full and he did a wonderful job combining our requests with his expertise! We are so grateful to James for helping to make our wedding perfect!

James was a pleasure to work with. At our pre-meeting I couldn't believe how we'd say something vague like "I kind of want some 'happy' music" and then he could turn that into specific song suggestions! That helped a ton. Also, on the day of the wedding he wasn't just there to play music - he kept us on schedule, kept everyone engaged and even pulled off a game we requested and our guests loved it! He did all this professionally and enthusiastically. Fantastic energy and I'd definitely recommend him to others.

We so enjoyed working with James! In our first meeting, he was so helpful with suggestions and helped with the timeline of the whole reception. We gave him suggestions of what we wanted and he nailed it! We got multiple comments on how great he was and I would most definitely recommend him. WORK WITH JAMES!

James absolutely KILLED it this past weekend at my wedding! He is so organized, knows exactly the right flow of things, and got the dance party going the entire night. If you want someone who you can rely on, James is your guy! He even asked our opinion on things throughout the night which I really appreciated. thanks for being SO awesome!

I am in the wedding industry as a planner so I have worked with James a couple of times. But this time I was the Mother of the Bride. James was great! He knew the questions to ask of the bride and groom to ensure they had a personalized experience. The dance floor was full the entire night and all the events of the evening were accomplished without a hitch. James is a great MC of the evening. The dance floor was still full at last call and people did not want to leave. To me that is the mark of a great party! James is my first recommendation for anyone needing a DJ!

I was in love with the music at my reception! My family loves to dance and the music makes or breaks a party and man the music made my reception perfect! We had people dancing from the very beginning to the very end. James did a wonderful job and my husband and I couldn't have been more happy. We will recommend you for everything. Thank you so much for making our day that much more special.

James was INCREDIBLE! From the very first meeting to the day of the event. He was very attentive to everything we wanted. Our first time meeting him we instantly felt at ease, like he had everything under control and would help our wedding be a fun success. It was very important to us that the reception was filled with music we loved, moved along at a good pace, and had an easy going fun vibe. James absolutely helped to create this at our wedding. He was able to “guide the show” so to speak, without being overly “showy” like I have experience at other weddings. Everyone commented on how wonderful he was, how great the music was, and how he was probably one of the best DJ’s they had seen at a wedding. He really matched the vibe of my Husband and I, our wedding vision, and then delivered. What I appreciated most about him was that he was so attentive to details, and so incredibly respectful. Both of my parents had passed away and I wanted to do dances to honor each of them. During all the prep, he made sure to clarify how I wanted things communicated, what the flow was, the songs, so that he was fully prepared to provide what I wanted in the way I wanted. I thought this was simply amazing. He took care of both our ceremony through until the end of the reception and made the day so easy and fun. Truly, one of the best DJ’s out there, in every way!

James was so easy and fun to work with. From ceremony to cocktail to reception, he made everything flow so well. Our guests loved how he kept everyone entertained and having a great time. He is so willing to work with any budget and make sure you have exactly what you want. Down to earth and very cool guy! Best vendor at our wedding by far.

James did such a good job!! He is very detailed and knew all the right questions to ask to make sure the day was perfect. He was professional, punctual, and fun. James made such a good addition to our special day. Highly recommend.

James had our dance floor PACKED! We put a lot of trust in him... the theme to choosing all of our vendors, was "not our day jobs, but it is theirs" and let's just say James is GREAT at his job! He is very detailed-oriented in communication prior to the event, even taking time out of family vacation to let us know he'd respond as soon as he was home! All of the planning and attention to details made for an easy evening for us. MULTIPLE people have told us it's the most packed they've ever seen a dance floor. My husband (still fun to say!) and I made an effort to stay on the dance floor so others would, but James made us want to be there. From Motown to Pop to Country to Y2Ks, he has it down. Thanks, James, for making our evening so memorable. PS - He even has the K-State fight song ready to roll. Happy planning everyone!

James was awesome from the first initial meeting and all the way through our wedding day. He responded quickly to all of our communications and was easy to work with. We had some very specific music needs for our wedding and he did an awesome job incorporating our own playlists with the typical popular stuff. Ultimately we told him our primary goal was to make sure people were having a great time on the dance floor and he did just that. James was professional the entire evening and did a great job. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to any of our family and friends.

James was great to respond to any questions, emails and meeting requests that we sent. He gave us a fair price and we appreciated how he addressed every concern that we had. On the day of the wedding, he arrived right when he said he would and got set up in plenty of time. He was always very prompt and arrived to everything when he said he would. In the end, there were a few things that happened on the wedding day that shouldn't have... James addressed the crowd in the microphone and asked if we had people serving dinner or if they should be released for dinner. That's something that James probably should have known and not made a guess at while speaking into the microphone. We had a coordinator who probably gave him that information and I'm pretty certain we'd discussed it at past meetings. My husband and I selected all of our own music for the ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner and we gave James quite a few good ideas of what to play during the reception. He didn't need to be super engaged during the reception since the play list was already created, I understand that. But, guests told me that he was watching a soccer match on his phone throughout the majority of the reception. Overall, we very much appreciate James for being a part of our day, but there were a couple of less-than-perfect things I thought I should share.

James absolutely went above and beyond for us and our wedding! He helped pour champagne and he made sure i was happy no matter what. We didn’t have a whole lot of people who danced BUT he made sure that the bride and groom had the best day of their lives. And we did! The photo booth was an awesome incentive to get extra pictures and our whole photo book is filled with amazing memories that no one would have captured had it not been for the that (even though there is about 20 of just our daughter lol) We wouldn’t change any detail of our wedding day for anything. It was completely perfect and James absolutely took the cake when it came to being our DJ. He was phenomenal and made our special day even better! And he’s an awesome friend to have and if we ever have another big event come up we will definitely be using him as our DJ and anyone who needs a DJ, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND James and Raise the Barr entertainment. Also he’s pretty good at picking songs for karaoke and has a really nice voice if y’all need him to sing! Love Jeff & Samantha Hefley

James was AMAZING. He made our day run smoothly and it went perfectly. We gave James a list of a few songs and gave him free range on the dinner mix and dance party mix. He KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. We now consider James a good friend for the hard work and pride he takes in his art and that he is so easy to talk to. He knows what he his doing. I would book James NOW for your event before he gets booked up. This guy is the real deal! Thank You James for being there every step of the way. Keep being you! Thank you!!

My 50th birthday party was more like a 21st. Is 50 the new 21? It is if James Barr is at your party! I can't wait to have James back for our next occasion! We are already dreaming up an excuse for another party, but really who needs an excuse for fun?! James Barr is professional from email number one to the last song of the night and of course, super fun and talented! I can't imagine a better person to have providing music and energy to your special night!

Raise the Barr went far above and beyond our expectations of what any wedding DJ could have done or been. Not only did James help us pick the best music to make our wedding magical and original, he also helped plan and organize the ceremony and reception in Telluride, CO. We are a couple who had to plan our own wedding and without James, being as amazing as he is, we would have been able to be as relaxed as we were on the wedding day because we knew he was taking care of everything. Words cannot explain how appreciative we are to have had someone like James (Raise the Barr) DJ and help organize/plan our wedding! YOU'RE LITERALLY THE BEST!

James was INCREDIBLE! He was responsive to all of our needs, questions, and concerns throughout the whole process. He mixed up song selections in the most amazing way and was so great about following our wishes! We could not have asked for a better DJ.

James is seriously wonderful! He kept our party going and was so accommodating to all of our needs including going back and forth between two huge barns! He MCd the whole time and kept us and our guests informed and on schedule. He even came out to the limo to check on me right before the ceremony started. On top of being so amazing he is very affordable! I don’t have one negative thing to say about him and we are so happy we found him!

James was AWESOME to work with!! We were really worried about not having a wedding planner or coordinator, so we really needed guidance when we were planning out the timeline for the night. James spent hours on the phone with us planning for every single detail. We told him the types of music our crowd would enjoy and he kept people on the floor all night. We have a very specific tradition (the Wedding March) and not only did he execute it perfectly, but he got videos of the event! If you need someone to act as an MC to direct your guests, James is your guy. All in all, if you are picky about your DJ, go with Raise the Barr!!

James was absolutely amazing to work with. From the first meeting when we met he was on top of all wedding details from songs, to how to pronounce us as a married couple, to what he should wear to not clash with the wedding party. He was fun to work with, very outgoing and made our wedding day run smoothly. Any time I had a question or song change, James responded to my email within an hour of it being sent. The day of the wedding, James came up with our timeline and made sure everything was on time and that the other vendors were doing what they needed to at the correct times. We did not have a wedding planner so having James guide the night and other vendors was extremely helpful. At the end of the night, our wedding venue informed us that James was the best DJ they had had in a very long time. He played a wide variety of music and even took song suggestions. We had guests of all ages dancing the night away. I have gone to many weddings where guests quit dancing around 30/45 minutes before the end of the night and that was not the case for ours. James had all guests dancing until the very end of the night and people were even sad they had to quit dancing. I would STRONGLY suggest James as a DJ for weddings and cooperate events. He is truly amazing and so much fun to be around and work with!

We absolutely loved working with James! He made our wedding reception go off without a hitch and kept everything moving along! He was able to read the crowd (more than the groom and I ever could) and made our celebration even more amazing! Highly, highly recommend him to anyone who is getting married! Thank you so much for everything you did for us!

James was absolutely amazing. My husband and I had only a shaky tenative plan for our KS wedding reception (the main one out of state), and coming off our wedding and IN reception we were pretty exhausted and ended up changing around our event like 5 times, but James was a great sport and helped a lot. He even read the main part of our unity candle ceremony with no prior notice or practice. i would absolutely recommend him to anyone—If he could handle our rather thrown together reception, he can handle any reception. He was very friendly and professional throughout.

James is a great host and ran our reception perfectly. He was flexible throughout the entire night. He helped us provide karaoke for our guests, which they loved, and even sang with some of our guests! I was lucky to find him!

James was awesome! We hired him to DJ at our NYE wedding. He was always willing to work with us on our needs and wants when it came to a wedding DJ. He kept the party going and everyone having a great time! Cannot say enough, I would recommend him to anyone!

James was Great! His responsiveness and customer service was second to none. He is extremely personable and was willing to alter the way he does business to make sure our party was THE BEST. Our party was for our business in our home for over 100 people. We wanted great music and karaoke. He provided excellent entertainment for everyone! He knew what songs to play because he asked appropriate questions prior to the event and followed up repeatedly right up until the event. He knows how to run an excellent business catered to what the client wants. He is listening! The whole next week we were told how much fun everyone had and that would not have happened without James being so awesome. Thank you, James!

James, the owner of Raising the Barr, was an amazing DJ, MC, entertainer, and host. He was organized and responsive. We loved his ideas and the game he played at the reception.

“James is incredible. He made our wedding day run so smoothly and went above and beyond. We had the best time and he kept everyone on the dance floor for the whole night. He accommodated my extremely picky and eclectic tastes in music—he is a true professional and knows what he is doing. I would wholeheartedly recommend James to anyone!“

In a day full of highlights, James was absolutely no exception. James was unbelievably responsive, enthusiastic, and an absolute pleasure to work with. We were lucky with all of our vendors, but James stood out among all of them. We couldn't be happier with the service provided, and we absolutely give James our highest recommendation. James went above and beyond to accommodate all of our requests, and even went outside of his normal comfort zone to give us everything we wanted. He was willing to do whatever it took to give us the best ceremony/reception possible, and he was 100% successful in doing just that. We can't say enough good things about James!

James is the BEST! He did an amazing job at our wedding. All of our guests could not stop talking about how great he was. Hands down the best DJ!

James was AWESOME!! The whole reason our ceremony went so smoothly was because of him! Our vows were misplaced so during the awkward 5 minutes it took to find them he jumped right in and started playing music AND even ran to go help look for them!! All of our guests couldn't stop talking about how fun our reception was because of the games he played and his music selection was PERFECT! He made sure to play songs that everyone liked and could dance to! We could not have asked for a better DJ!! Plus the photo booth he brought was a huge hit! We HIGHLY recommend him!! We've been to a lot of weddings and events and in our opinion, there is not a better DJ in the KC area!! Thank you James for helping make our day so perfect!!