Well I only played on stage once but for me it was about being selfish. I just wanted to have the most fun that I could and I knew being nervous wouldn’t be any fun.
I felt as prepared as I could have been from practicing. I also decided that being nervous would only F up my playing. So I didn’t allow it. We had some acts before us that were really good and that’s when I got a little scared but ultimately I think if you are having fun the audience can feel it.
I think I was more nervous about my tone than my playing since it was a house amp/system.
I don’t think the audience can enjoy it if you let nerves get in the way.
I haven’t played on stage yet. That said, I find myself doing a lot of public speaking as part of my job. As a natural introvert, no matter how many years I’ve been doing this, anxiety needs to be dealt with each and every time.
So I have two things to recommend.
Reframing. The physical feeling of “anxiety” and the feeling of “excitement” are awfully similar. So reframe the feeling of anxiety as excitement. Focus on the excitement. Tell yourself how excited you are to play for this crowd. I got this from an interview with Bruce Springsteen where he talks about doing the same thing before shows. It does help.
Drugs. No, not those. My doctor prescribed a beta blocker (propranolol) and it works wonders. Take it about 30 minutes beforehand, and you can feel those physical symptoms of anxiety start to release their hold.
I practice without glasses as my close up vision is perfect. But need them to see more than about 10ft. I remove them when I play live and the audience becomes a blur.
just a few tips to share-
once you start playing don’t stop- mistakes happen move on.
its not a race- no award for finishing first
treat it like its a job-dont go to work stoned or drunk, and falling off the stage sucks!
enjoy your self- remember you are doing something you love sharing music with the crowd
THIS is super important if yer gonna be a working band… it was why my band broke up… drummer / guitar ( lead ) was always 6 sheets to the wind… ZERO consistency … sucked.
This is the secret sauce of every performer ever.
