I have twice recently played sans sound system, and in trying
to be heard, broke 2 picks and one string from playing extra
hard, also found my hands cramping some from the tension. The
caller in both instances did have a mike, but the presence
of adequate sound re-inforcement makes the musicians' job so
much more pleasant, and less tension, that i would not play
agian without amplification in such circumstances.
Where is the dance you play for? The dance I play for regularly
is in Chico, CA, and the one i ws sitting in at was in Sonora,
also in CA. AT the chico dance i usually play bodhran, which
is not so necessary to have a microphone, but the nite the
sound system did not show, the guitarist also bailed, so I
was recruited to fill in...