Youtube used to be fairly aggressive about pulling copyrighted materials off the site. These days, it seems they are more likely to have an overlay ad to assist you in purchasing the tune from an online vendor. I'm not sure if they've gone through some sort of licensing contract with ASCAP to do this. The local bar that has cover bands through on a regular basis pays them a fee, so why shouldn't Youtube. Even so, it would seem that a performance the owner doesn't want published or sold shouldn't be.
I'm sure there's a fine line there, too. Regional and local bands would kill for enough people to see their videos for a following to develop. The publicity and exposure are plenty of payment to them. Fully established artists, on the other hand, mostly want to get paid for their work in cash, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I do remember seeing all sorts of videos of people screwing up, getting into shouting matches with fans or otherwise embarrassing moments. Often, these would be up for a short period of time before being pulled.
So, what it eventually comes down to is who is responsible. If you want to enforce a no cameras/no recorders policy, then do so. Some may slip through anyway, but is anyone even trying to enforce the rules at shows these days? After that, it should be on the Youtubes of the world to ensure they can identify the posters of content. If copyrighted content is put on their site, it should be a no-brainer to identify the publisher and go after them. It shouldn't be necessary because people should respect the rights of others, but what are you going to do? It's a surprise to me how few videos end up on Youtube when you think about it. How many people go to concerts that only a couple videos find their way to the web.
I'd also say that everything in a performance is, by definition, meant for public consumption. I think what you mean, though, is that it isn't meant to be stored and replayed as part of a permanent record. There's good and bad in Allan's attitude about that. Everyone worth anything wants to give their best when they step out on the stage. Over the years, I'm sure there have been special nights when everything was clicking and songs soared beyond the norm. It's hard to live with the performances that follow and don't equal or exceed what has come before. On the other hand, that's the nature of improvisation. You'll live a sad life if you can't wrap your brain around that. I can't imagine playing where I couldn't enjoy a set for that moment in time and appreciate it for what it was. I might as well be digging ditches. As long as you didn't step on stage unprepared or planning to give 80%, there's never anything to apologize for. Put out an extra encore if it makes you feel better about the value you've given your audience. Stepping onto the stage at the start of the night with the plan to be better than ever is always a great thing, but leaving at the end of every night feeling dissatisfied can't be good. It happens on occasion, but sometimes you have to be satisfied with a great performance. They can't all be magical, or none of them would be.
