Working as a sideman for a star doesn’t pay that well. Pay in the music biz has been in decline for decades. I was a sideman and session player in the late 70s, early 80’s. I made the equivalent of about $55,000 a year in today’s dollars. I lived fine, but pay is way down in the music world unless you are a star.
Pay for musicians in clubs was around $50 a night in the 70’s. You could work 5-7 nights a week. Now it’s around $100, and most bars only use bands two nights a week. The other problem is, to keep up with inflation, pay would have to be about $250 a night.
So, if you can work 20 nights a month (almost impossible to do) you can gross around $2,000 a month. Whoop-dee-do. After gas and supplies you better have a day job or a sugar mommy.
Oh, as I said on another thread, I pack at the clubs because parking lots can get dangerous at 2:00 AM.