I think the sheilds' effectiveness at helping control the mix has been pointed out.
There seems to be an auto-resist mode that a lot of drummers have regarding sound guys. I don't know exactly where that comes from, and I'm sure my guesses will only stir the pot.
Drummers do not know how they sound out front, any more than any other player can know how their instrument affects the mix out front.
Unless they physically walk out to the sound board with their instrument on a wireless, so they can hear it. I've never seen or heard of a drummer who can do that. But with an instrument that generates a full frequency range - from sub-kick tones to cymbal harmonics - they tend to complain the most, with no real basis of the FOH issues that may be occurring, such as cymbals bleeing into vocal mics. The person running sound is in a much better position to know what the kit sounds like than the drummer himself. I know that's a discussion that's been made other times, and I don't want to open that specific can of worms here.
But what I'm trying to say is that this resistance to shields would be considered laughable in the real world. You'd be replaced pdq with a team player with less of a selfish, egotistical attitude.
But don't accept shields simply out of fear of losing a gig. Do it because you understand that they won't affect what you do behind the kit. Because you understand that the FOH person knows how your drums affect other players and the mix, and you
don't. Do it because some of the top pros in the business do it without squawking (I've never heard a pro complain about shields!)
Or, my favorite reason: because
someone else gets to pay for them and keep them clean!
BTW, I never did get my shields. If they show up one day, that's fine. If not, that's fine. My gig is playing drums, not making things difficult for the sound guy or the other players.
Bermuda