As my drummer likes to say "we want you to enjoy the show...not be part of it!"
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As my drummer likes to say "we want you to enjoy the show...not be part of it!"
I was exposed to drinking at a young age. Most people drink to have fun and enjoy the good time, and are ok to be around. Others, drink and get violent and upset. I learned to stay as far away from these people as possible. I think they drink because of other issues in their lives and there is no reasoning with them at all. It's way deep psychological stuff that may require years of therapy before this person even recognizes he has an issue. (I have seen people view video tape of this kind of their own bizarre behavior and still deny it's importance.) I don't really think they pay you enough to really deal with this in any depth. Like others have said, play a few 70's tunes collect your pay and move on.
I would love for the OP to update us on how this turned out. This has been one of the most entertaining threads I have read in a while.
If you need to hire people to say they like the songs why would you play them in the first place?
I've had the opposite, Playing to an empty room and had the owner come up and want us to play there regularly because we were great? Ended up doing a New Year's Eve party for big money. Played for 3 or 4 people and a bunch of empty chairs. 
Wasn't much fun
Wasn't much fun
Cause a drunken ass on stage arguing with the musicians and keeping them from planting isn't bad enough.....
That's a tough one. I would learn a few more 70's covers and play them when the owner asks. If the manager gets sore over playing 70's music, tell him to take it up with the owner.
This.
Have a stock of 70's covers. If you bust into the 70's whenever he asks for it, that will probably placate him. If it doesn't either learn 3 sets of 70's or find a new gig.
I did not read the thread but I will state that we categorically refuse to play when there are more than a handful of people are still eating dinner. We're there for the drinking crowd that either lingers or arrives afterwards. If the owner is too dumb to understand that, then those gigs can be written off as a waste of time. Hire supper club musicians for that segment of the evening, or pay us more to adapt to that restriction on top of the full evening of bar sets they expect. Some owners are great, but others are total newbies when it comes to booking live acts. Cut them some slack once in a while, but don't let them treat you like an indentured servant for the measly pay they dole out (I don't need the money and I'm not about to get lectured or threatened as if I do) . Whew...done..sorry about the rant.
Why can't you placate him with a couple of your own 70's favorites. "Ziggy Stardust" and "Walk on the Wild Side" Comes to mind. Or wake him up with "Suffragette City"! 
There are definitely 70s songs that play well to younger generations as well (thanks Guitar Hero/American Idol/The Voice, etc.). Finding these options might appease both. That way you "might" appease the drunken owner, while still learning new material that will play well at other gigs.
Later
Rob
Later
Rob
Played a show where the owner came running up to us after we finished the second set screaming that we finished one (1) minute short. So we went back to the song we finished the set with, played the chorus for exactly one (1) minute and stopped. We finished the night and never played there again. He called us asking us to come back, we were always busy, imagine that. Life is short and music is to be enjoyed, so don't play for crazies. Keep the groove.
Been there, alcoholic owner ranted about our set (blues and blues rock). We'd played that club 3 times, playing the same songs, and the club had great business as people from other bars/clubs travelled to hear us. In the middle of the 2nd set, said owner comes up to me after we'd finished a song and says don't play any more blues or she's going to cut us off. I told her we weren't quitting in the middle of a set and to talk with me on our next break (2 songs later). She goes apesh** and begins a tirade center stage (with the crowd booing her and heckling her to get off the stage and let us play). I tell the guys to take five and in private told her she had a) received a list of approximately 9 sets we know and let HER choose 90% of the songs from the list, b) heard us play the same songs 2 weeks earlier, and c) if she was serious about us stopping, we would be glad to pack it in, of course collecting our full pay per the contract (that she fought signing, but I don't play without one after being burned before). Well, she goes off and says she wants us to start playing other songs (that we either don't know or don't like) and finally I'd had enough. I walked from her onto the stage and apologized to OUR crowd (the bar never drew big weekend crowds) and said due to the management we were calling it a night and began tearing down. Well, now she REALLY gets irate and before we know it the law is there. Fortunately a friend videotaped the whole confrontation and the cop said he thought my idea for taking our money and leaving was a good one. The crowd was rapidly filing out and said owner saw her $$$ falling. She tries to backtrack and be my buddy but by that time we already were halfway tore down. Long story short, she tried to stiff us and we said "ok, good luck on hiring other musicians here" and packed and left. She called the next afternoon and said she'd been too drunk and to come get our check - which I went and got and then said good luck. Drunk owners SUCK!
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Have everyone in the band chip in for a bag of coke, that way he'll spend all his time in the bathroom or back kitchen instead of on stage.
