I have to say you haven't spent much time in the trenches. Or in fact you are a drummer. One who hangs out with musicians.
Not very long 'in the trenches'. Just long enough to hear that drummer joke 5000+ times. Thankfully I have a job.
You don't have 3 or 4 drummers and 3 or 4 bass players at the same gig. You have a rolodex of musicians who can fill in. You only have 1 drummer and one bass player at a show.
I have never been in a successful money making band that only had 1 drummer.
So.... Not so much a band, more a solo project with some hired help with a view of making some money.
IMO, if your bass player and drummer are consistently not showing up, you are in a shit band.... That's the whole point of the band.
Since the Beatles have been around, there have been countless bands who have had kept the same members, and had great success. If you gauge music quality on the ability turn artistic expression into $$.... We could list some of the great rhythm sections we have had in rock music since the Beatles...... that would take some time.
guess what I am saying is of all the people that hang out with musicians. Drummers are the least reliable for various reasons.
Thats a good one! Lol! Hangs out with musicians...... Did you hear about the drummer who finished highschool????? Tell me about it!!!
And you need to have a number of them in your rolodex if you want your band to be known as a dependable band that doesn't cancel gigs.
Once again, I am not sure you are making a point other than you have never played with a reliable drummer, the kind that makes a dependable and stable band.