Steel guitar players are often perceived as boring to watch. “Why don’t you smile? “You look bored.” “Why are you so serious?” “What is that damn thing, anyway?”
It’s hard to be entertaining when you have to keep your eyes on your hands, and when your arms and legs are locked into the “playing position”, and so you might appear somber and preoccupied.
Classical musicians often come across the same way, but, hey, they’re playing “serious” music, and patrons of the arts don’t expect them to cavort around and grin while rendering La Valse de l’Adieu. I guess “The Bottle Let Me Down” isn’t considered quite that profound, and the audience expects a little showmanship, huh?
You’ve probably noticed that nobody on the dance floor ever plays air steel, but patrons of the arts don’t play air cello, either.