The trio frustration

So I sort of had my first real DC rock club experience (of this century) last night. The cell phone era even behooves the performers themselves to constantly check their shit it seems. Even before performing, i saw someone hand their phone off on the way to a cameo bit, giving instructions before checking the mike. And when you're in a small room, even with rock club PA, to have people talking full volume right in front of the stage at the beginning of the set no less, it makes me think..why bother.
As much as I like cool electric guitar blasting through a half stack, I don't want to be lugging that shit up narrow stairs, up n' back n' in n' out n' back to the apartment, for a 35 minute set. Everything here is shorter, ends earlier.
Well I wasn't able to make up the meager work hours lost the other day, but I got through it without significant distress, unconsciously it seemed OK to show up at 630 am and finish at 2. Here I am, all day to kill, who's first???