A trombone player and an accordianist get a New Years Eve gig as a duo. At the end of the evening the social secretary of the club rolls up, drunk, and says "Lads, can we book you now for next New Years Eve?" The two musos go into a huddle and then reply "Yes, but have you got somewhere we could leave our gear until then?"
On a serious note, about 25 years ago when I was doing a solo act I was booked by an agent to do a club for NYE. The Social Secretary disappeared before the end of the evening and when I went to get paid the barman handed me the money, but only half of what was on the contract - "That's what he left for you". I made the barman sign a piece of paper that stated what had actually been paid to me. In the weeks afterwards, the SS didn't respond to polite requests, so I took him to the Small Claims Court. He paid, in cash, the day before the case was due to be heard in court. I refused to play that club again. I reckon he''d tried the same trick on other acts in the past but they hadn't been as persistant as I was prepared to be.
Ray