I've had audience members come up during a break or after the gig and compliment me (and I sure enjoy that, obviously). Even sometimes on occasions when I wasn't happy with my playing, and of course there've been times when I think I've played something great and get no reaction. On quite a few occasions, I've had people say how much they like the sax and how much they appreciate hearing it in the band (not sure if that means they actually like how I played it). Best thing is just to enjoy playing the music. It's a bonus when you get audience appreciation, and it's also important to realize you are playing for that audience.
As to getting tired of playing some of your 'tired old licks' keep in mind that those same licks or phrases will be brand new and sound great to the audience members who've never heard them before. That's assuming they are great licks, of course!