I remember when Dead on the Deck was free. That was when I was 19 or 20, and there were like 50 people who showed up. I was the annoying college kid shouting out songs for them to play and they actually played them sometimes back then. They also used to play at Juanitas for free on Thursday nights.
It got busier and busier over the years and in 2019 or 2020 they made it $5.
Personally, I’m cool with the increased cover charge. It’s supply and demand in action. The band needs to get paid, they’re up there every Wednesday for over 10 years, I’m sure that as they age life continues to become more complex and difficult to make those Wednesday night shows every single week.
Getting them an extra $2 per head could be enough to keep the series going another 5 years. Good things don’t last forever, unfortunately.
Increasing the cover will also make it more people who are there for the music rather than the social hour. It will shift the crowd older, and older people have more money to spend on booze and tip the bartenders, who are also out there every week dealing with the hippie social hour.
