Steve, I'm sorry you had such an experience. I think I can relate as I have had, so far, only one bad experience as a piper. Once, when I showed up for a pro-bono solo piping gig at a grade school that was hosting an international fair, the teacher who hired me kept mentioning how disappointed she was that she couldn't get E. J. Jones (a pro piper from Clandestine), who played at the event the prior year. That much I could take; although, her candor surprised me. Thankfully, that was before I started playing.

I played for 4 straight hours (from 10am to 2pm), taking requests and playing my heart out with very small breaks and no lunch. When I finally started packing to leave, she came back to me and said how much she liked my playing, but that I had been hired to be there until 4PM, which would have meant another 2 hours of playing. I was worn out and told her so and left guiltlessly. Now, I know why E.J. didn't come back.