I think three opinions combine to influence me - my own opinion of my music, the audience (& here I would also include any fellow performers) and the client - probably in that order.

At the risk of catching Diki's wrath, I'll follow Russ's statement that all opinions are valid on this post. So, yes, my own opinion is most valuable because I feel I am the best judge of my abilities and choices. I am very self critical and if I feel I've done extremely good or bad, I'll be the first to acknowledge that. Also, I believe I have a good feel for what the audience wants/should hear, and I'm usually right.

The audience (and fellow performers) also influence me. If they are not reacting positively to my music, then I need to change that. If I'm calling the songs, then maybe I need to share the input for a while.

Lastly, the client's opinion obviously matters a great deal, but it's not the final word (unless he's threatening to fire me on the spot). The client is usually not a super knowledgeable music person. He/she is paying for you to entertain an audience he/she is hosting. How many times have I (you) been hired to play a certain genre of music, but quickly find out that the guests want no part of that music. That's where the audience and my opinion step in.

I would certainly like to think that peer opinion is of the utmost, but as we all know some people are constantly negative, some always positive and some just plain ol' insincere. I don't want a friend to tell me that 'that was great' when my experienced mind tells me 'it sucked'.