I personally dispute Newton's theory that say's "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". At the risk of sounding like a pessimist this just isn't the case when it comes to drums, or from what I've noticed most musical instruments. You can slave over an instrument for many years attempting to understand all it's complexities and nuances all the while making improvements, and then find yourself playing in the same type of venues for the same kind of crowds as you did when you first started playing. Like most musicians you never became the world renowned rock star that you thought was possible in your naive youth. But it's not so bad because along the way you did one thing that proved worth it by itself. You developed a long term relationship with your instrument. It happens slowly like in human relationships. You grow to appreciate more and more over time the enrichment that has been brought to your life as a result of the association. And, if your like me, you find yourself thinking how lucky you were to have taken up the instrument to begin with, and how life would have been emptier and less fulfilling without it.

There is another benefit to performing live-$$$!!! If your like most of us your performances aren't making you rich. As a matter of fact you wonder at times if it's worth it. If I was doing it for money alone it wouldn't be enough because it's simply not a good return on the time invested. It seems to be a problem with some weekend warrior bands that invariably one or two of the members are trying to support a family of six with their meager band earnings. This may lead to friction because these guys need to play a minimum of thirty eight times a week in order to do it. Personally I like to have one weekend off a month, and for the rest of the weekends play both Friday and Saturday. It surprises me how quickly these small amounts of money add up. I've set up a separate savings account for nothing but band earnings. I did this so there would be no question on how much I've earned. My wife and I have an understanding that money made in the band is mine to spend how I see fit. I've taken this money and done things with it that would not have been normally possible. For instance two years ago I traveled to England. I spent time both in London, and Liverpool. I figured it took approximately thirty gigs to do it, and in hindsight consider the trip well worth it. One year ago last fall I spent time in New York City, besides seeing all the sites I was able to attend a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman, and an airing of Saturday Night Live. I'm currently planning another adventure filled trip and am putting the gig money aside to make it possible. I was also able to attend a number of concerts in the last couple of years using my band earnings. Some of the bands I saw include The Who, Rush - front row, the Rolling Stones - twice, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, and Yes. So at least for me there's been no celebrity status, and no big money, but there's definitely been some pay-offs that have been most satisfying.