Ernest, I guess you'd better not take in a show by Arlo Guthrie more than once. I was invited by a friend to one of Arlo's shows and like you, he was bothered by the fact that, in his words, Arlo's show had not changed. He had seen Arlo on two previous occasions and based his comment on the three shows.

I say, what ever works, use it. If the same line gets a laugh or a groan, why throw it away? Until you manage to come up with a better one, use what you've got.

We can't all be the perfect entertainers that every critical listener would enjoy. Neither should listeners expect to find such abilities at their local venues. Such talents are rare and not often shared in such humble spaces. Many talented folk often find those willing to help them to perform to a larger audience beyond their local scene.

It takes time for the fruits of our musical endeavors to ripen. Some will mature early and some late. Some will have many varied talents and skills and others just a few. You hope in vain if you think that every person's goal is the same and that every skill level can ultimately achieve equally. They can't. Just like you can't expect grass to grow as tall as trees or every bird to fly. It's the differences that make us all unique and special.

Some are comforted by the sameness they hear and see. Look at the poularity of the traditionalist musical movement. Where so many only wish things to remain the same. They are against differences in instrumentation in traditional bands. They long to hear what has already been played before by those who are deemed as the originators of their particular movement. They reward those that can closely approximate or imitate that which has already been played and aren't interested in anything different or new. Some of the more radical of this philosophy even demonize you for playing the note in the wrong place. It seems a little like musical hell to me but they find it heavenly.

But, as is the way of all things, the opposite is just as true. There are those that yearn for the very edges of musical expression and are willing to break every convention to find that place to play. For every yin there's a yang and the pendulum swings both ways. Personally, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Imitation might be the most sincere form of flattery, but when I hear everone adopting songs from my set list and doing them, allbeit in their own way, in the same venue, instead of complaining too loudly, I just find some new songs to play. There are plenty of songs out there and if I can't find what I like from what's already been offered by others, I have plenty of my own to sing. Or, I'll write a new one.

If I get tired of hearing everyone playing the same songs from their set lists, at every venue or event, I just migrate to another venue or event. There are even online collaborations that are bringing folks together from across the world to share their music. Try looking for one of those the next time you get too tired of your local scene. This web thing that we are all sharing has something for everyone. Aren't we the lucky ones!