I completely agree with Joe and disagree with the "grumpy" factor.
I grew up in NY City.IN the late 60's and early to late 70's you could go and see live bands 7 days a week ,from late afternoon to early morning.From amatures to pro recording artists,they were all there.
One of the things they had in common was they ALL,repeat ,ALL got paid.In every band I was in,we did out fair share of unpaid charity benefits,or the occasional benefit to help with medical bills or a family displaced because their house burned down
But playing a gig in a pub or club..for free.NEVER.
Joe paid his dues in some of those same clubs as we did.I remember the great majority of bands never turning in a perfect performance.But like Joe says,it was a human performance.I watched the great Joe Morello drop a stick,and recover to finish a solo.That even made it more meaningful to me.
I rather prefer the less than perfect performance,it kind of kicks you in the butt and lets you know that there are real musicians in front of you,playing real music...without do overs and punch- ins.
The quest for the perfect performance has sterilized a great deal of music made today.Programed and computerized.Why not just turn on the tape,and let er' rip.A few punch ins ok but obsessing with perfection...................keep it.
Now all those venues want free music,and it's tougher and tougher to make a living at it,because plenty of younger bands buy into the free music thing and will cut your legs out to actually lose money playing for free.For ego or exposure or both,while the venue owner makes all the cash.
I've said it before and it bears repeating.If you play for free(especially amatures) all the time,you're just making it tough for musicians who want to do this for a living,and are good at it.
Music is NOT free.There's always a price associated with it's performance in a studio or live.
Steve B