Stagefright/Anxiety/Imposter Syndrome
- Thread starter Chris Johnston
- Start date
Hey guys, apologies for the delay in the update. The gig went great! Had it's usual mishaps and mistakes that live brings but overall I feel like I prepared as much as I possibly could've and did the best I could've done with what I had on the night. It was a small show to around 120 people, but the place was bouncing from start to finish. It was my first time using the Helix live and without an amp, going straight into the PA and using in ears - I could hear my guitar so much better, which made for much less mistakes. I could also hear my backing vocals much better too, although they seemed to slip down the mix as the night went on.
I was completely calm on the day right until our walk on track hit and it was like this massive boulder of nervous energy was right in my stomach, it wasn't dread though, it was like sheer anticipation - as we were opening with Silent Disco and that features me, playing the intro on my own, so I really didn't want to accidentally slip on the first thing the crowd would hear - thankfully I didn't!
The one thing I know I messed up intro wise was the SHY intro, because at that point in the set I was drenched in sweat! And I was like 'Well, my guitar feels like a bar of soap right now, so alternate picking arpeggios is going to go down a treat' -Playing that intro felt like eating soup with a fork haha. What surprised me is how I reacted to it, like usually that would ruin my night, but I treated it like a positive mishap. Like 'next time I'll get it'. This part of the gig actually made me think in real time 'How on earth does SYN manage to keep a hold on his techniques live when the lights are so brutal AND perform at the same time!?' @Syn Gates - Any advice would be amazing!
I still felt that my playing wasn't as calm & controlled as I'd have liked it to be, but that's after 2 years away from that live buzz that can make me a bit heavy handed/overexcited, so I'll just need to get accustomed again. But overall, a fun night, that I probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't followed the advice on here. Thanks guys! (P.S @Radu-Cristian Perde I peed a lot & @Brian Haner Sr. I brought my Fuck You in buckets)
I was completely calm on the day right until our walk on track hit and it was like this massive boulder of nervous energy was right in my stomach, it wasn't dread though, it was like sheer anticipation - as we were opening with Silent Disco and that features me, playing the intro on my own, so I really didn't want to accidentally slip on the first thing the crowd would hear - thankfully I didn't!
The one thing I know I messed up intro wise was the SHY intro, because at that point in the set I was drenched in sweat! And I was like 'Well, my guitar feels like a bar of soap right now, so alternate picking arpeggios is going to go down a treat' -Playing that intro felt like eating soup with a fork haha. What surprised me is how I reacted to it, like usually that would ruin my night, but I treated it like a positive mishap. Like 'next time I'll get it'. This part of the gig actually made me think in real time 'How on earth does SYN manage to keep a hold on his techniques live when the lights are so brutal AND perform at the same time!?' @Syn Gates - Any advice would be amazing!
I still felt that my playing wasn't as calm & controlled as I'd have liked it to be, but that's after 2 years away from that live buzz that can make me a bit heavy handed/overexcited, so I'll just need to get accustomed again. But overall, a fun night, that I probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't followed the advice on here. Thanks guys! (P.S @Radu-Cristian Perde I peed a lot & @Brian Haner Sr. I brought my Fuck You in buckets)
Congrats Chris! You are officially a badass!Hey guys, apologies for the delay in the update. The gig went great! Had it's usual mishaps and mistakes that live brings but overall I feel like I prepared as much as I possibly could've and did the best I could've done with what I had on the night. It was a small show to around 120 people, but the place was bouncing from start to finish. It was my first time using the Helix live and without an amp, going straight into the PA and using in ears - I could hear my guitar so much better, which made for much less mistakes. I could also hear my backing vocals much better too, although they seemed to slip down the mix as the night went on.
I was completely calm on the day right until our walk on track hit and it was like this massive boulder of nervous energy was right in my stomach, it wasn't dread though, it was like sheer anticipation - as we were opening with Silent Disco and that features me, playing the intro on my own, so I really didn't want to accidentally slip on the first thing the crowd would hear - thankfully I didn't!
The one thing I know I messed up intro wise was the SHY intro, because at that point in the set I was drenched in sweat! And I was like 'Well, my guitar feels like a bar of soap right now, so alternate picking arpeggios is going to go down a treat' -Playing that intro felt like eating soup with a fork haha. What surprised me is how I reacted to it, like usually that would ruin my night, but I treated it like a positive mishap. Like 'next time I'll get it'. This part of the gig actually made me think in real time 'How on earth does SYN manage to keep a hold on his techniques live when the lights are so brutal AND perform at the same time!?' @Syn Gates - Any advice would be amazing!
I still felt that my playing wasn't as calm & controlled as I'd have liked it to be, but that's after 2 years away from that live buzz that can make me a bit heavy handed/overexcited, so I'll just need to get accustomed again. But overall, a fun night, that I probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't followed the advice on here. Thanks guys! (P.S @Radu-Cristian Perde I peed a lot & @Brian Haner Sr. I brought my Fuck You in buckets)
Fuck yeah brother!!! I am so glad to read all this! I am looking forward to be at one of your shows one of these days!! If you have any video, please post them for us to see!Hey guys, apologies for the delay in the update. The gig went great! Had it's usual mishaps and mistakes that live brings but overall I feel like I prepared as much as I possibly could've and did the best I could've done with what I had on the night. It was a small show to around 120 people, but the place was bouncing from start to finish. It was my first time using the Helix live and without an amp, going straight into the PA and using in ears - I could hear my guitar so much better, which made for much less mistakes. I could also hear my backing vocals much better too, although they seemed to slip down the mix as the night went on.
I was completely calm on the day right until our walk on track hit and it was like this massive boulder of nervous energy was right in my stomach, it wasn't dread though, it was like sheer anticipation - as we were opening with Silent Disco and that features me, playing the intro on my own, so I really didn't want to accidentally slip on the first thing the crowd would hear - thankfully I didn't!
The one thing I know I messed up intro wise was the SHY intro, because at that point in the set I was drenched in sweat! And I was like 'Well, my guitar feels like a bar of soap right now, so alternate picking arpeggios is going to go down a treat' -Playing that intro felt like eating soup with a fork haha. What surprised me is how I reacted to it, like usually that would ruin my night, but I treated it like a positive mishap. Like 'next time I'll get it'. This part of the gig actually made me think in real time 'How on earth does SYN manage to keep a hold on his techniques live when the lights are so brutal AND perform at the same time!?' @Syn Gates - Any advice would be amazing!
I still felt that my playing wasn't as calm & controlled as I'd have liked it to be, but that's after 2 years away from that live buzz that can make me a bit heavy handed/overexcited, so I'll just need to get accustomed again. But overall, a fun night, that I probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't followed the advice on here. Thanks guys! (P.S @Radu-Cristian Perde I peed a lot & @Brian Haner Sr. I brought my Fuck You in buckets)
The way you played your mishaps off is the best way to. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has slips. Just start fresh the next time and be better for it. I also feel like going live on twitch or youtube helps with the nerves.
Thanks man! Here's hoping one day we get to fly the pond to play - I know we'd all love that! I'm sure there'll be video somewhere. I'll post it if I find it
Similar threads
- Question
