But that's precisely the point, Dave... The thing the audience sees should be YOU, not a head peering over the laptop, etc..

Hopefully, your audience is there to SEE you, not just listen to you! And yes, it isn't JUST your hands - but that DOES have a certain amount to do with it. When Elton sits so they can see him, well, no-one expects him to be a karaoke act. He's a headliner. They paid a lot of money to see HIM (not his red piano and a head sticking out over the top!), but they won't for one minute think he isn't playing.

But us..? Background or foreground music in a bar, yes, we DO compete with karaoke acts, and players that basically fake a lot of their music. Everything we do to SHOW our audience that they ARE listening to us, and not to tracks helps avoid the 'k' word.

And, to be perfectly honest, if your audience doesn't give a tinkers damn whether you are or are NOT playing what seems to be coming out the speakers, why bother playing at all? Any gig I play at, if I don't think they care in the slightest, I'll go play somewhere where they DO. If all they want is canned music, I've got better things to do than pander to that!

To be frank, I don't know how anyone that gives a rats about their art would want to be playing for people that honestly could not care less whether you are karaoke or not. It's a living, I guess, but not one I'd want to be making. But enjoy it, if that's who you want to play for...