The story was long, meandering, outlandish and it honestly wasn't that good... but it was being told in a captivating way. For some, it was a fascinating disaster in motion, for others, it was the delight of seeing the teller's contagious joy.
For the rogues, it was the perfect distraction.
The bard wasn't even aware he was part of a heist crew; all he knew is bad things kept happening to bad people when he was in town, which was... good?