Joe,I have never had the honor of being invited to pay $250 to sing. Let me tell you how it works in my part of the world. Next Friday (Friday week as we in the South say, and also Anthony Trollope) there is a pot-luck musical house party. I guess technically it's by invitation, but anyone can take a dish and listen to the music, and if you want to "perform" all you have to do is pick a 15 minute slot over the internet. It runs the gamut. Among other things there is classical music, some old-time music, a barbershop quartet, and a few "singer songwriters". Some of it is astoundingly good, and I admit last time there was one guy who couldn't (or at least didn't) carry a tune. The same family hosts this party once or twice a year, and it is wonderful venue for music, because everyone there is there to listen, and the hosts have a great sound system and an awesome collection of musical instruments. I don't remember who had sheet music, as it did not make a difference. It's not more rude to shuffle a book of songs while someone is singing than to shuffle the Wall Street Journal. I often take a book of old songs by J. Fingers with me, because some of the songs he collected share a line or to from the songs I know. Neither of us has the "right" words. None of the old songs in that book are Finger's, none of them are mine, and I don't care how well you sing them, none of them will be yours: old songs belong to us all.
Joe I have lots of questions about your weekend. Do you all get together ad hoc and try to sing the same old song, without ever having practiced together? If so, who picks the version you sing, or is that where the book comes in?