Why do live bands place clear plastic or glass shields around the drum set?

I see it all the time, even in church, in the last few years.Why do live bands place clear plastic or glass shields around the drum set?
This helps to mic the kit. Especially if you don't have alot of drum mics laying around. If you isolate the sound, you only need one dynamic range mic in front to get the kick drums. When you are behind the kit, the only thing you hear is the kit. This is why you'll see a monitor or two by the drummer, so he can hear everyone else, or at least the bass and vocals. The rest of the band uses ear plugs to ';protect'; themselves from the drums. Roy H is right on the money.Why do live bands place clear plastic or glass shields around the drum set?
They act as sound shields. Drums can drown out the sounds of the guitar and bass, making it hard for those playing them to hear what they are playing, and vice a versa with the drummer needing to hear what he plays.
Mainly to keep the drum sounds from entering into the vocal and instrumental ';mikes'; This makes the ';mix'; easier to balance - ask any sound engineer.
the ';sheilds'; are there to protect the rest of the band from the drummer. If you played in a live band then you would understand, 'onest.
Some drummers are such wild animals that they need to be caged at all times. Otherwise, they might attack the first person they see that has a beer in their hand or is a hot chick.
nope they don't.....


well at least famous bands don't
drum heads are expensive to replace would be my guess...





ahhh yes, I guess those all make sense too :)