Only a few times have I been approached with real criticism, and these were by out-of-work drummers and such saying I was taking their jobs. YES I AM! ... is all I can say.
It does bother me some that a lot of people think everything is recorded, or that "the computer does it". Almost every night someone will ask "Do you have (song title) in there?" Not, "can you play (song title)." This doesn't bother me so much if I remember that the reason they are saying that is that the music is good enough that they think it's a CD.
I also have heard the comments such as "man those computers can do everything now."
Sometimes I take the time to explain how the arranger works. Other times I just smile and keep playing.
Last Saturday night, a young couple sat very near the bandstand, where they could see the keyboard and everything I was doing. They both watched very closely and didn't say much. After a few songs, I turned around and said, "Please don't tell anyone I'm really playing; they think it's recorded". This got a big smile. Turns out one of them was a piano teacher and the other a clarinet player. They were amazed at what I was able to do with the arranger and they were extremely complimentary. I believe they had no idea such technology existed.
I don't think any of this means anything much, just observations from one who is in the trenches every night.
DonM