[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Did a gig last night and while we were setting up, a woman came up to the stage and said, "I hope you guys aren't going to play too loud." I really wanted to fold up my stuff and leave.

Often when that's the first comment that you hear, you spend the rest of the night getting yelled at by someone because one to two people complained that the music is too loud. Fortunately that didn't happen last night. It was a great crowd. We played quietly while they were in line at the buffet and while they were eating. After the meal people started dancing and the volume went up a bit and everyone seemed to love it.

What was helpful is that we knew what to expect going in. Years ago I played drums in a classic country band. We had a regular gig at a small restaurant/bar. Our instruction were that the volume had to be such that the people sitting next to the band could carry on a conversation. I brought a 16" bass drum (standard is 22") a snare, and hit hat and I played with brushes. That was easy. But when you have a crowd that wants to dance and you've got a few people that want to sit at a table and have a conversation, you'll hear complaints all night from the small minority.

I played a country club a few years ago. Again, quiet dinner music during dinner and a bit louder for dancing after the meal. We got complaints all night long that the people in the next room were complaining about the music. There were thirty or forty people dancing and having a great time in front of us. During the break, I went into the room where the people were complaining. There were four people nursing beers. Why the manager was so concerned about those four people and didn't see that we were making the majority of his people happy is beyond me.