The Truth About Overcoming Stage Fright…
It sucks. It will always be there, unless you take on controlled substances to fight it, which will only lead to bigger problems, so don’t be stupid. I still suffer from stage fright, yet I’m somehow going to write a blog telling you how to get over it.
First, the obvious and practical stuff, since most of you are reading this because you’re freaking out about a performance coming up and you’re hoping for answers, not philosophy. So…
No caffeine, junk food or sugar. Obvious? Good. Not obvious? Well, try doing something that makes you nervous after a triple espresso and let me know how it goes! I’ve done it…and couldn’t set my bottled water down on the counter without looking like a speed freak.
Do a google search on bananas fighting stage fright and you’ll find lots of info. I’ve tried it once and I can’t say it worked, but the number of articles on the subject is compelling and you should get more fruit in your diet anyway.
Exercise is a good habit in general for fighting nerves. Running several miles the day of the performance might be overdoing it, but what do you do when you’re nervous? You move around more. Get it out of your system, go on a hike the day of the gig, maybe an hour…not a long one.
Prepare your performance pieces to the point you want to throw up just thinking about them. Then practice them some more. Again, this probably won’t cure anxiety, but remember your body is a powerful machine that works beyond what you tell it to do in many cases. Like breathing…you can hold your breath, but you can’t decide to stop breathing permanently–the body eventually takes over your willpower to survive. Prepare well enough and you’ll be surprised how well it comes through for you under pressure.
Now that we’ve got the physical suggestions out of the way, let’s talk about the mental ones. My personal frustration with performance anxiety is how uneven it can be. Performing with a band gives me butterflies, but I’m excited to get out there and do it. Sweaty palms are a pain and I might screw up a solo or two, but I can generally hold it together well, even crack jokes to the audience. What killed me was taking on the open mic circuit, testing my Ztar with some quirky tunes. Just THINKING about doing an open mic solo performance pumped anxiety into my chest. I finally went to Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Saturday afternoon, completely freaking out. Got up on stage, started the first tune and…
The Ztar’s midi jack decided to break on me, creating all the wrong noises.
The bartender starts clapping to get me off stage, the host returns to the mic and says, “Well, that’s certainly MY worst nightmare!” Christ, just kill me now!
BUT…nobody wanted to kill me. In fact, they were all sympathetic, not to mention curious about my Ztar, really looking forward to what I was going to do with it (back my car over it, the current thought in my mind). I left after having some nice conversations and returned a few weeks later to play my two song set, no problems.
Well, there were some problems. My hands still shook, the anxiety was brutal. But as I continued playing up to four open mics a week, I stopped stressing out thinking about the performance days in advance. I started getting nervous only on the way to the club. Later, I would only get nervous just before I performed, and I’d get up there and bust out the music properly without my hands shaking.
My theory about conquering anxiety? You need to take the mystery out of performing.
I bought one of those Tony Robbins courses ten years ago (before you give me crap about that go look in your closet–the same course is probably there. Not to mention the guy still commands several hundred a person for live appearances!) and he talked about the fear of pursuing goals and dreams, the fear of failure. He had an acronym…
False
Evidence
(that)
Appears
Real
I think he elaborated (or was it Anxiety for Dummies? As you can tell, I’ve done some research.) on how GOOD anxiety could be if it protected you from danger. You know…you can run faster scared than the guy chasing you can run angry. Or if you come home from work and see a giant tiger in the room (which happens to me every day) you’d better be scared–your life depends on it! But humans have a tendency to apply reactions in the wrong situations. Like feeling as if you’re about to fight the tiger when you’re going out on a date…your life isn’t in danger taking someone to dinner–hopefully! But sometimes your body puts you in that fight or flight mode and makes you feel as if there IS danger.
As performers we feel this stage fright, the feeling of danger where there isn’t any. Realize there is no threat to your health in doing what you love. Don’t fight stage fright. Telling yourself to “not be nervous” has never worked for me and I doubt it has for you. You’re already nervous…it’s like asking a headache to go away. But acknowledging that your body is trying to trick you into being terrified of playing music when you LOVE playing and want to share your talent with the audience? Well, I’m not going to say it instantly cures anxiety, but I’ve found something comforting in embracing that thought. It helps more than you might realize. I need to credit Claire Weeke’s book Hope and Help For Your Nerves with turning me onto this concept. Your body is going to do what it’s going to do. Let it and do your best to focus on the gig.
Don’t forget that there’s always a fantastic rush when you finish performing, the success of getting through it, appreciative applause of the audience. I usually want to do my set over again, now that I’m warmed up, but alas, I can’t. And those times when I blow it, like the pro figure skater crashing on the ice in the Olympics? Hey, I’m not going to brainwash myself into being happy about it, but there’s rarely a time in those situations where I didn’t learn something. Prepare the piece better, DON’T drink that triple espresso, etc. Every bit of experience you get teaches you that much more and chips away at the “mystery” that causes the anxiety. So get out there and learn!
These are all my own opinions, of course. Can’t expect what works for me to be the same for everyone else. And this is hardly an academic research paper for my graduate thesis, so I’d love to hear other opinions on how YOU deal with stage fright if you’ve got them. But hopefully I’ve offered something helpful. 
I like this essay; just keep going with your music. The incident with the bartender speaks more to the bartender’s attitude and lack of tact, as opposed to your level of preparation. Strings break, amps go haywire, music blows away; whatever. The rule is, never make musicians look bad onstage. That’s just out of line, in my opinion.
Turning to the subject of your essay, I also avoid caffeine before performances; I drink way too much coffee anyway. I breathe through phrases, and tune out whatever I was practicing at home. That said, there’s always going to be some excitement / jitters going into a gig; it goes with the territory.
A lot has been written about the autonomic nervous system, and the classic “fight or flight” response. I say, a few shots of adrenalin aren’t so bad. These things remind us that we’re still alive.
Good luck to you!
James Armstrong said this on August 7, 2008 at 10:02 am
Yeah, I was pretty angry at the bartender for doing that, but when rocked through my set a few weeks later he offered up the compliments, which balanced things out.
I like a little adrenaline going into a gig, but the solo ones tend to be more challenging, particularly special event gigs I only do once or for a weekend. By the time I get relaxed in a gig like that–which isn’t much–it’s over. But like I said, I finally logged in enough experience that the idea of simply performing isn’t so terrifying anymore.
keithmoore1 said this on August 7, 2008 at 10:06 am
Great post with great pointers. two other points I’d like to add is a) do not take a nap before a gig, it will shut down your brain and b) don’t think of the expectations of others when you perform. You are to critique yourself, and your own level of detail and skill and perfection will come through as well as you have prepared. Which cycles back to one of the good points here, know your routine and have a good one. No ones expectations will be a concern then.
The Low Down said this on August 7, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Yeah, stage fright.
Another interesting subject you’re putting out there.
I have two non-musical examples that apply I think. Public speaking and when I was racing motorcycles. I found that practice absolutly helped on both counts, so that the act of speaking your piece or riding your bike was mostly automatic. The same goes for performing. The key for me was to APPLY that nervous energy to the task at hand, use the heightened awareness to my own benefit.
On the music front, I tell myself any mistakes won’t actually kill me, and amazingly, I survived! I also notice that I’m often the only one who noticed I screwed up anyway.
Dave on bass said this on August 7, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Stage Fright,
Look off into nothing and be consumed by the music. As long as there is another person in the room you should be able to lock into some energy. Never think you are above the crowd or that they are relying on you totally to entertain them. Crowds I think want to be involved and feel you while you feel them. Can’t go wrong at that point. That’s my advice!! I’ve never been hit by tomatoes or flipped off! Also thats pretty cool to get all those intense emotions before a show -better to be alive than
cold as a fish!
john smith said this on August 7, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Before I go up on stage to perform I always remind myself that most people in the audience just want you to not suck. They want you to have fun so they can have fun with you. And most of them wish that they could be up on stage and do what you do.
muddywood said this on August 8, 2008 at 6:02 am
Thanks! I have really awful stage fright. I tend to combat it by singing everyday and working on it, but when I do get overcome with nerves I tend to go off pitch. I will try your tips.
belinda said this on August 8, 2008 at 9:17 am
Great posts here! As typical as it sounds, a shot or two of tequilla helped me relax before I went on stage. Of course, knowing your music cold helps tremendously as well. Also, bring a close friend to the show and make eye contact. A smile goes a long way. Also helps to connect you with the rest of the croud.
scott said this on August 8, 2008 at 9:41 am
I appreciate the comments ya’all. Makes me feel a little less crazy in the stage fright department…though maybe I should just embrace the fact that I went crazy a long time ago and go with it!
keithmoore1 said this on August 8, 2008 at 9:44 am
Great blog.
I’ve played well over 1000 gigs, been in about 20 theatrical performances (in college), and suffer(ed) from almost paralyzing stagefright. I agree with all you and others have said and think I can add a thing or 2.
In one of my first acting classes I had an awesome teacher who addressed the idea of stage fright, and what he said really hit home. He told us that if our heart is racing, hands and knees shaking, sweat beginning to form on our brow - don’t fight it. Embrace and celebrate it. It’s our humanness, our vitality, our energy - and it’s gift that we can channel to enhance our performance. In many ways intense fear can give us an edge on the next guy who’s blessed to not have to deal with it. That energy can be transformed into “presence”, and can really help us to shine and do our absolute best on stage. The fear can be an edge that works for us, not against us. In my experience the shows I’ve done where I was most confident and relaxed were probably my worst. When I’m a mess of fear, I am way more focused and put out a whole lot more.
It helped me to also know that one of the worlds most talented and respected actors, Sir Lawrence Olivier, and many other great actors and performers had to pretty much be pushed onto a stage. I read a bit about Olivier and thought it inspiring that on countless occasions he almost couldn’t muster up the courage to step out onto the stage. One time after a performance that he knew was phenomenal he beat the crap out of himself and went into a depression because he knew he’d never be able to live up to that again.
Last note is while I know this puts some people off, I found miracles really happen for me when I take about 5 minutes before a performance to say a prayer of sorts to what I consider to be “god”. I offer myself to the powers that be and ask that good energy, love, god, whatever you want to call it be able to flow through me and the audience and that I may be granted the ability to get out of my own way and be used in the best manner possible. If that means that I vomit and then collapse on stage so that one kid might be inspired from witnessing that you can survive such a thing and be inspired by it - so be it. I leave it in the hands of the powers greater than myself and ask the ability to simply give it all I’ve got.
Joe Nerve said this on August 8, 2008 at 10:41 am
Lots of wonderful stuff here, and also in the replies.
I’m not a stage performer, and never was, but I’ve learned over the years that nearly all nervousness, performance anxiety, panic attack — whatever — is provided to us through our Unconscious (Freud called it “Subconscious”
mind. I’ve also learned that the Unconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between something we’ve done and something we’ve vividly imagined. So if I’ve got a meeting scheduled to ask a banker for a business loan (sometimes a million dollars or more — I’m a builder), I practice my speech in front of a mirror a couple of times, then close my eyes and imagine the meeting, step by step. When I get there and DO it, I’m remarkably calm. This might well work for stage performance also. Thank you to all you performers — we who comprise audiences appreciate you.
Doug said this on August 8, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Got curious and I found another blog about stage fright here: http://kensson.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/overcoming-stage-fright-an-anecdote/
Read the comment below, about a guy meeting football couch Tom Landry, who showed visible stage fright when he had to give a speech to a small group of people. Pro football Hall of Fame–and he’s nervous! How cool is that?
keithmoore1 said this on August 8, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Got a response from Rocky Garza…
—–
I once suffered from stage fright , even after I had played on stage SEVERAL times without having so much as the “butterflies” . It just came on one day all of sudden it seemed , I would get so scared that I felt like I had rubber bands for legs . I was terrified that I was going to pass out on stage with everyone watching . I would sweat like crazy and I felt like I was breathing through a straw . My heart would feel like it was going to pound right out of my chest , I dreaded every gig even though I loved being on stage . I would turn my back to the crowd and stare down at the floor for the entire 30 or 45 minute set . I finally went to a doctor and found out that I had a panic/anxiety disorder . He prescribed me an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication (at the time I think it was Paxil). After about a month on meds , my stage fright went away . I stayed on meds for a couple years and eventually weened myself off of them . That was about 10 years ago and now I am on stage for 2 to 4 hours a night , 2 to 4 nights a week !! I’m not saying everyone who suffers from stage fright should go get on anti-depressants , but they might want to check into what is causing their troubles first . This is just my experience in this matter .
——–
If your anxiety is that bad then yes, seek help. But with the heavy rotation of drug commercials on television and doctors happily prescribing them “to see what happens” I’d make sure multiple opinions are sought, especially since so many of these anxiety drugs have wildly varying effects on people (speaking from a bit of experience I might blog about later). I think for most people, the key to overcoming anxiety is to simply confront it head on and realize–like the above posts support–that your audience actually supports you.
keithmoore1 said this on August 8, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I played in a rock trio for a decade as the vocalist/guitarist. Our music was very high energy heaviness, so the obviously the crowd is supposed to be pumped up to see this type of music. You approach your butterfly’s just like a sporting event. Find someplace to let off a little of the steam, to vocalize at stage volume, to open your throat. On the opposite end of the scale, treat it like a form of meditation. Still, do some vocal exercises, at least some ohhhmmmmsss. On stage, if you’re facing at least a hundred or so people, blur out your vision and consider the audience as one. Find a spot to concentrate at eye level, and allow your self time to feel time…don’t force it thinking “these people want me off the stage fast”. Once you get used to the routine, it becomes something you just can’t enough of and then you can branch off and pick out people in your audience to ‘touch’ or adjust your posture.
mark said this on August 12, 2008 at 6:09 pm