Do you still get nervous before a gig?

[stratovani]

I never get nervous before a gig, and it wouldn't matter to me if I was playing in front of 10 or 10,000 people, it's all the same to me. The reason, I think, is because I try to be as well prepared as I possibly can. My set list is at the ready, with the first note I play for each song (very important!), my gear is in good working condition, I have ice cold water nearby, fresh batteries in my wireless transmitter, earplugs clean and inserted properly, a sweat towel at the ready for when I need it, picks in my pockets, and most important of all, every song well rehearsed and ready to be played. I get into position, next to the drummer on the hi-hat side, he counts off the first song, and we play Tom Petty's Listen To Her Heart, first note being an A. For the rest of the gig I'm on autopilot.

Preparation, Practice, and Perseverence. The Three P's. That's how you beat stage fright.

 

[Floyd Eye]

No.

 

[Thrash3r]

Every time, I'm fine once we're on stage playing but that ten minutes hanging around waiting to go on, I feel like just grabbing my stuff & leaving.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

I get nervous about the trip to the gig. What if I get in an accident and can't make it to soundcheck on time? What if I can't find the venue? What if I can't find parking? Once I'm parked and I've got my stuff inside, I'm no longer nervous.

 

[Eater_of_Birds]

Im super nervous up until the first notes played, then im all good.

 

[iriegnome]

I don't know how many of us has actually played in front of crowds numbering into the thousands. I have played stages with 5,000 people in front of us. It is a rush and more. Being a headliner for a regional festival that draws 1,000 people is really cool as well. Nerves are never part of it. Once I step on stage (for our music) the crowd is on stage as well (jam band) and we play together. Up until getting on stage, it is all business (did I do my wrist stretches, do I have enough soda and beer to last the first couple of songs, where's my vicoden, chocolates at the ready, is my hair good) all those kinds of things

 

[funnyfingers]

Short answer is yes, it's normal I think and even the pro's do. I have never played to 10,000+ people before but can only imagine. But usually after one or two songs I am just in a groove and it does not bother me as much.

I really can't imagine the pros being nervous. If someone is nervous after 1000 shows, they need a little help. They would probably be suffering some kind of anxiety and much of their life not playing gigs is probably affected as well.

 

[heynorm]

Even with 8-10 dates per month, after 45+ years of playing still get butterflies before a gig, like last night filling in once-a-month with the house band at a local blues jam.

 

[RedMoses]

If you dont get nervous it's a problem...

 

[stratovani]

If you dont get nervous it's a problem...

Not really. It all depends on your disposition. We're all made differently. Back in the 1960s the Hockey Hall of Fame goalie for the Chicago Black Hawks, Glenn Hall, would get so nervous before a game that he would throw up before going out to play. On the other hand, somehow I just don't see Alex, Geddy, or Neil getting that nervous before a gig, considering how many thousands of times they've gigged. Me, I just don't get nervous before a gig. That's just the way I'm made.

 

[Misty Mountain]

I don't have time to be nervous before the gig as I run the sound as well and there's too much to do to have the luxury of being nervous. Now, when one of the songs I sing is about to start, that unsettles me a little bit as I have always been unsure of my singing abilities, but once I start I'm fine.

 

[IGotGas]

Gigs no

Studio work for a major artist yes

 

[funnyfingers]

Gigs no

Studio work for a major artist yes

I guess I have a different feeling about nervousness... When I did get nervous, it would never be beforehand. I just didn't have that feeling. When the gig would start I would be nervous and it would physically affect me. I can't imagine being nervous while recording for a major artist. Notes just would be missed. I guess nervousness is a loose term.

 

[AusExp]

Ive been playing for 30+ years and still get nervous before a gig. I have a lot going through my mind. Will the guys get there on time, will the system perform properly, etc etc. Nothing wrong if you get nervous before a gig, even some of the biggest stars still get nervous.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Every gig, I just can't wait to get up and play.

There might be some tunes that are a chore and that I don't look forward to, but overall, playing for an audience is a blast.

 

[BritFunk]

My Friends,

Im super nervous up until the first notes played, then im all good.

Not so much these days as I used to. I'm working with four different groups, and they range from bar-band country to some very jazz-inflected folksy original stuff, so I shift gears to go between groups fairly often.

90% of any pre-gig anxiety or jitters that I feel have to do with a new venue, new crowd, equipment breakdowns, or such. In all of the groups save one, I trust the others guys 100% to hold their stuff together - I am truly blessed to play with some world-class musicians. These guys bring out the very best in each other and in me, and trusting them the way that I do makes the gigs way lower-stress than they might be otherwise.

----
Kurt

 

[Picktastic]

A little usually but not too bad. I'm actually really netvous right now, about five hours before a gig, because our guitarist was unusually sloppy and unfocused at our last practice. Usually we sound pretty tight but if we sound like our last practice we are gonna embarass ourselves!! Aaack!

 

[frankieC]

I've been playing for 45 years, and prior to the first show at a new place (new people), mostly out of town gigs, I get nervous. It usually lasts through the first few numbers, then I'm fine.
It's the anticipation of playing before a crowd that you're not sure will like your type of music.

 

[vince a]

I've been playing for 45 years, and prior to the first show at a new place (new people), mostly out of town gigs, I get nervous. It usually lasts through the first few numbers, then I'm fine.
It's the anticipation of playing before a crowd that you're not sure will like your type of music.

Ditto . . . even the 45 years . . .

 

[Lucky Strike]

Elvis was nervous before his concerts... Never got over it. I suppose it's not something you just get over. As for me, I'm less nervous when I'm well rehearsed and confident I know what I'm playing. When songs are thrown at me I get nervous..