Most of us have witnessed a favorite DJ struggle on an “off” night. Having the responsibility of creating the party for everyone else is no simple feat, and although the DJ lifestyle is extremely enviable, the pressure they’re up against must be impossibly stressful, too. Erick Morillo, long time house legend, is obviously not dealing well with that pressure, after a recent debacle in Boston ended abruptly with him being carried off the stage, completely wasted.

That ability to be “tuned on” as a performer isn’t always easily accessible — despite what people demand, it’s not an “on/off” switch, you can’t always expect the “press play” magic, because DJs are humans too. But the crowd’s demands are infinite, and as soon as you screw up, everybody’s ready to pounce.

Erick Morillo’s recent gaffe at Ocean Club in Boston is a reminder not only of the extreme elements in which many DJs exist, but also how cruel “fan” mentality can be. We saw recently how performers are held accountable for their level of inebriation with Skream’s SXSW Boiler Room incident, where he was admittedly “clearly smashed” and not up to par.

Erick Morillo’s situation is of course a bit more dire, especially since it’s a recurring issue that’s not only degrading his skills, but completely preventing him from fulfilling on gigs. The last time I personally saw him was at EDC Vegas in 2012, when he mysteriously disappeared from the decks after about 20 minutes of his set. At the time I never thought it could have been because he was too wasted to keep playing, but now I wonder…

The irony is obvious. People go to clubs and festivals to dance and, 9 times out of 10, engage in moderate to excessive drug use. DJs, however, are exposed to the party monster non-stop but must manage to be “above it all,” or at least that’s what we want from them. It feels like a bit of a double standard, but of course that’s why they’re getting paid/worshipped.

Just as the fan/performer dynamic can be a beautiful exchange of energy, it can also be an extremely greedy, selfish one. That’s what came to mind when perusing recent posts from fans on Morillo’s Facebook. I’m not saying this to excuse his irresponsible behavior, but reading through people’s comments made me think about how commodified artists can become, especially when they reach mega star status. The comments vacillate between harsh judgments like, “You’re a disappointment. Stop booking shows if you can’t fucking play them,” followed by praise like, “YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!” and well-wishing: “God be with you …. We’re praying for you ! Because your STRONGER than this.”

It’s unfortunate that someone like Erick Morillo can spend so much of his life cultivating his art and making people happy, only for many of them to quickly forget all of that as soon as he screws up. Hopefully he’ll win this battle, and in the meantime, let’s have some empathy. After all, we’re not robots.