I am at the point in my 'career' that I am playing mostly one hour senior gigs - NH/AL/Sr. lunches, etc. ... the audiences are looking for 'entertainment' and more and more my competition is made up of entertainers much younger than myself, doing "Neil Diamond" "Patsy Cline" or others 'stars' impersonation/tribute shows, "Dancing With the Stars" routines etc., etc., etc., the more 'flash' the better ... Unfortunately these gigs do not lend themselves to much musical creativity, unlike when I was working restaurants and country clubs ... Most of my 'creativity' comes in trying to create 'backing tracks' of my own, or learning to perform a song in a different style than as originally recorded ...
When I perform with the female vocalist, it is ALL backing tracks, and my satisfaction has to come from the smiles on the audiences faces, and the movement of their lips as they are 'singing' along with me ...