I'm sitting here at the tail end of the worst migraine headache ever. I am so thankful that I didn't have a gig today.   But I can't help but wonder what I would have done.

So far, thank my lucky stars, I've never had to cancel a gig for an illess. But what if I woke up with a severe migraine on gig-day? Is it as simple as phoning up the organizer and saying I'm sorry but the show's off? Are there costs involved? Would I owe anyone anything, legally or morally? What about the backup musicians and sound person who have been counting on doing the gig? Should something about illness or emergency cancellation be written into every gig agreement? Many gigs are casually done by word of mouth agreement, not on paper. Or by email. One doesn't like to think, let alone want to talk about the possibility of cancelling, when one is setting up a gig.

What are your ideas? What are your experiences? Is a contract necessary for every single little gig?

~b.w.