I think that there's a difference between shelling out $25+ bucks to see
the Chieftans in a concert hall and stopping in at your local coffeehouse
or restaurant which books local acts. Now mind, I'm not saying that
tickets prices should be directly proportional to the attention paid the
performer. :) I do, however, think that if you've been booked by a
restaurant, bar, coffeeshop, charity function, etc. to simply add some
nice ambiance while people do whatever they came to the place to do (eat,
drink, talk) then you should not expect everyone's attention to be focused
on you at all times. It's one thing if people came specifically to see
*you*, it's another if they came specifically to the *place*.
But then I prefer not to be the center of attention when I play. Makes me
nervous. :)
Kirsti S. Thomas
kst@paul.spu.edu