This might apply here:
I recall an old Max Roach interview where he said he was partaking in some jazz drum night, and the big stars came out to play and wow the crowd. Max, Elvin, among others went up on stage to show how strong they were to the audience. I'm sure it was a flurry of notes and licks. Then here comes Gene Krupa at the end of it, and all he did was his Sing Sing Sing solo (basically 8ths notes on a floor tom), and the crowd goes wild! Max said that was a great drum lesson that night.
I think (if everything else in the band is equal) great drummers know when to play above the audience and when not to. If the songs are grooving and people are dancing and drinking, then you're doing your job and you're good. If you can go over their heads for a bit, and continue to make the audience dance, drink and have a good time, then you're still good!
One of my biggest lessons was when I figured out why my band kept getting fired from steady gigs. Musically, we made ourselves happy by "experimenting" with tunes, when the audience just wants to hear the 3-minute version so they can stop dancing at the end of it. Once they stop dancing, they stop drinking, and the bar isn't making money. Why do you think DJs are so popular?
I think the modern drummer gets really caught up in working on his craft. And sometimes that's a good thing. We can always have better polyrhythms and better grooves in 17/16, but the key to success is to know when to forget everything and make everybody feel good. If you're at a Greek wedding that means grooving in 7 and 13 alot. If you're in Alabama then you better not stray too far from what Butch Trucks and Jaimo Johnson played in the Allman Brothers! And everything in between.
I would say that since the audience is what pays you, then thats who you play to. If an artist is paying me, then it's my job to make him happy. And really, alot of drummers say "grooving with the band" as if it's an easy thing to do, and everybody can do it. I've been watching alot of drummers on YouTube putting up their stuff lately, and alot of people really need to get the 'grooving' part down. That's really your bread and butter. But do continue to work on every page of Gary Chester's New Breed, or whatever the hard book is today, too!