@MGN,,,so what was the outcome, did you play for nothing that night ? Maybe by him telling you they couldn't afford paying was his chicken s--- way of letting you go.

I can appreciate the being too loud part in one sense because when I go to a place / bar that has music, I like being able to talk with the person at the table with me and not having to lip read or keep saying,, huh, what did you say, I didn't hear you.

But that's just me, i'm old.  

People go out to places just because a particular band happens to be there.  If in the past you drew a crowd then it goes to figure that the crowd will only continue to grow each time you play.  I would suspect he had another band coming to play for less money in which case he should be sued. I am not a proponent of suing but it's get me mad when people do this sort of thing.  I have had the same type of thing happen to me where I drove for quite some distance to repair a piece of equipment only to be told when I got there they didn't want to get it repaired now, then to see the dozer operating later on.