Ebbie, alcoholism is indeed a pitiful thing...any addiction is pitiful and it is sad to see someone try to escape reality in anyway...

But the use of alcohol is not by definition an abuse of alcohol.

I am surprised that the overwehlming consensus is that one drink is the start of a steep decline to an alcohol induced coma on stage.

The band I play with does get paid to play, we play regularly and we have drinks when we play. Maybe the difference is that we play in a pub...but generally, the people who enjoy us enjoy the craic as much as the music...We make jokes, we interrupt songs, we talk alot...and it has never been a distraction, it has only added to the show.

Perhaps I have a very basic different idea of what a show should be...I loved seeing Kiss in concert, I loved seeing Shane McGowan, I loved seeing U2, I loved seeing InOBU and his group as well and on and on...I'm not saying they all drank alot but they all gave me something live that I can't get on a record.

I'm not condoning shoddy playing, but if the performer wants to play a song differently or mix it up some, it shows that he is not lipsynching or sleepwalking. Why do we have to treat perfomances and jam sessions as totally different entities. Play. Laugh. Love. Hate. Live a whole life in the course of one song and worry left about whether the 2nd note in the 11th stanza was perfect pitch or well-tempered...and order me a Guiness while you're at it