Jon - I expect that is why some MCs don't intervene in the way Dave describes, but I'm not sure it would have that effect. Or rather, I think the more laid-back MCs probably alienate just as many floor-singers, just not in the same way.

With a bit of distance, I can say that last Thursday was almost a pretty good night - the renderings of One Too Many Mornings, Hattie Carroll and Highway 61 were all excellent, as were Mississippi, Buckets of Rain, Show You My Love, My Back Pages, Don't Think Twice, Lay Lady Lay and Percy's Song, and there were only a couple of really poor performances and a couple of really inappropriate choices. It just shows how a few duff performances can sour the taste of an evening (particularly a long evening).