I read this thread two times, thought about it today while scrubbing down the boat and cleaning up the cabin from last week's trip and something immediately came to mind.
First and foremost, people want to be entertained - period! They really don't give a damned if it's live, DJ, KJ, or OMB with a guitar or keyboard - they just want to be entertained, and they want to hear the music they enjoy. The younger crowd tends to want ear bleed volumes, and rarely dance. The older, more conservative crowds want volume levels that are a bit more comfortable so they can dance. Then, there is a group that wants, for some strange reason, to sit at a table with a glass of booze and talk. The older ones tend to talk to each other, while the youngsters sit there and text.
Will arranger keyboards soon become a thing of the past? I seriously doubt it. But every six months of so Donny brings up this same, old subject in an attempt to stir the waters, often quite successfully. And, as noted by others, the same old crew chimes in with pretty much the same statements.
A couple weeks ago, I stopped by The Union Hotel near Port Deposit, Maryland, a popular spot for the bikers on the weekends. Nearly every Sunday, 500 plus bikers arrive to show off their sporty choppers, custom bikes, three wheelers, etc... The restaurant only has about a dozen tables, each of which seat 4, and the bikers rarely go into the restaurant. On Saturday nights, they usually have a local band, many of which are talented. Take a look at
the band list. Now, the one thing that every band seems to have in common is incredibly high volumes - EAR BLEED! They tend to do the same thing that nearly every DJ or KJ I heard does. When the crowd fails to respond, instead of trying to determine why, just crank up the volume. Sound familiar. This mentality, IMO, is insane, but what the Hell do I know?
While sitting at the bar and listening to one of the bands a few weeks ago, someone came up to me and asked if I was the guy that used to play at the American Legion in Perryville and Havre de Grace, to which I responded, yes. "Wow, I thought I recognized you. How come you're not playing here - everyone would love you." I explained that first and foremost, I don't play for $150 a night, which is what the pay scale averages at this location. I also told him that I recently retired and was spending my free time sailing out of Perryville. He said if I ever decided to reconsider and come out of retirement, I could have a job at this location every Friday night if I wanted.
Gary