Played a wedding once at a fancy country club. Prior to coming into the reception hall, all the guests were having drinks in the adjoining lounge.
The Maitre D' (a real showman) told me he wanted music to start the second he opened the grand double doors to let everyone in. He opened the doors. We started playing...guests swarmed in, put down their drinks and began dancing.

I guess the Maitre D' had expected the guests to come in and sit at their tables. But, most were on the dance floor. He came up to me and made this request: "Can't you play something they can't dance to?"

I felt like asking him if he could serve them something they couldn't eat.

Eddie ... happened many times ... guests drinking at the cocktail hour as if there wasn't going to be an open bar for the next 5 hours ... even when we were playing bossa novas as the guests came into the reception room, they would be on the dance floor doing any Latin style dance they could ... even if they couldn't ...

Great line about serving something they couldn't eat ...

I had my share of the same annoying people. As the years went by I matured and learned what they were trying to do. Some just wanted to be important. I always had a second occupation, I selected the fun places, and avoided the annoying ones.
John C.

My friend from Russia has the best idea. “It also makes sense to combine gigging with other occupations, of it works out better”.

Yes, I'm sure we've all had to deal with annoying people, especially those that interrupt you to talk to you while you're playing/singing. As much as I hate it when people do that, I accept that i's going to happen, and I tend to think it just a way that some people actually show their appreciation and acknowledgement of your music.

On another somewhat related point, that's one reason I prefer style play over pre recorded/sequenced tracks when performing live. When someone has the need to speak to you while you are performing, you can at least just kind of vamp and stop singing if necessary.

Actually to most your a DJ in their eyes so coming up and talking no matter what your doing is normal to the majority of audiences in small gigs as you are on the floor at their level for easy access.......you'd have to be on a stage or in a concert venue to alleviate that...otherwise it's requests, chit chat, questions,drunks, drink spills, bumps, & annoyance all night long.

Instant law suit comes to mind...

Nah! I use a Havahart electric fence to keep the squirrels off my bird feeder. It puts out about 800 volts, but very low current and in one second bursts. I rigged it my stapling four strips of brazing rod on my railing just beneath the feeder. The zap sends the critters about 5 feet in the air, they land on their feet and wonder what hit them. They only do this once of twice, then never approach the feeder again. You can always tell when there's a new guy in town - WHAM! I've had people inadvertently touch the wires, they said it was more scary than hurtful. No problems.

All the best,

Gary