It's not just weddings. I did an upscale house party this week. Guests were mostly 60-70 yrs of age. As guests arrived I played the S970 doing "Cocktail" music, easy for the guests to meet and greet. Thirty minutes in the host told me to "pick it up...this is a party". From that point forward it was all original hits by the original artists...a mix of 60's RnR to present. Steely Dan was about as mild as it got. They responded best to things like the Stones & Stevie Wonder for oldies to Blurred Lines, Uptown Funk, etc for contemporary hits.

This was an ritzy country club audience....no requests for ballroom music. I did sneak in Sway by Michael Bublé and that was about as Big Band as it got. So, there I sat, programming, pushing buttons and analyzing crowd response. No vocals. No playing the arranger. Just using the USB MP3 function. At the end of the night I was asked by several people for business cards. Even the caterer asked for a few cards. The host was happy and put a tip on top of my fee.

These kind of jobs are not the fun that I get from playing and really entertaining a responsive crowd....but its the way things are going, and it pays the bills. Tony said it best: "We did the best of times...."

Eddie

One more thing:
The Assisted Living jobs are altogether different. They want LIVE entertainment. I can't imagine DJing these folks.
Eddie

Don
I agree these days it's a large "show band" with DJ or a DJ with lights, video screens and "party motivators " working the crowd all night. I and friends of mine lived thru the changes and saw the demand for our small groups disappear. The midrange catering halls died too. It's either full blown extravagance $$$ or a small inexpensive thing at the local VFW or Elks hall. As you said we were lucky to have had our time.
Ed
I was in that position many times and wondered why I bothered to bring the keyboard at all. I'd start the night with some live stuff and maybe sprinkle in a few live ballads or whatever later on. My little DJ system got more use than my keyboard. Some of my most fun gigs were cocktail hours on piano. Really got to play! And people loved it.

Tony, I haven't done a wedding in more than 20 years, at least a young person's wedding. And, I would rather not do them at all. All of the keyboard players around here are working private parties, VFWs, American Legions, upscale Restaruants, animal clubs, and the senior circuit. A few do weddings, mostly for older folks, and at very high end halls. These players are much younger than we are, play the current top 40 and they keep the young people on the dance floor. They play music that I would never consider playing. But they ARE YOUNG! If someone were to ask they for Moonlight Seranade they would have to pull out their I-phone. As for having a single singer, most of the bands here only have a single singer - it's just the way things are.

Now, for the past two decades or more, DJs have garnered the wedding industry, and that's fine with me, and most of the other musicians in my area. IMO, wedding jobs tend to be a PITA. They're demanding at best, and I'm being complementary.

Yes, we played during the best of times,

Gary