This happens a couple of times a year. I came back from a break and this lady was adjusting a music stand. She had placed music on it and on my keyboard. she had taken my mic out of the holder and placed it on the stool in front of the music stand.

She basically told me, "my son is going to do XYZ" for our family and friends here". She didn't ask, just assumed that, since she is a dues paying member of the club, the "hired help"
(that includes me) would do anything they're told. It (the song) was a damn show tune, completely inappropriate at that time for a quiet dining room with 100 people in it. When I said the tune wasn't appropriate at that time, but that we'd try it later, she got in a huff and went to call the manager.

Another thing that happens even more often; someone will walk up with a little case of some kind (guitar, trumpet, sax, flute....whatever), begin to take the instrument out and start to play at will, without any idea of the key, lead line; whatever. Then, they want to call tunes, which means that they want to play the few they know in the damn country key they learned it (them) in.

You can guess what I do. How would you handle the situation?


Russ (hard-a**) Lay