First Aid Kit for Performance Meltdowns
A lot of us have been there. The show ends and we feel awful - all we can do is think, "Wow! I really blew it" or "Omg, that show sucked" We feel like the biggest failure in show biz and swar that we will never climb onto a stage again.....Yikes! This makes me so sad to think about. And I get it! I once had a moment when I bought both the LSAT book and another about how to get into a top law school.... Then? Somehow I got over it. .... Whew! So I've compiled an emergency kit for you, just in case.... so you'll know what to do, if you ever find yourself feeling that blue....
1. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
The Meltdown process usually starts at some point during the show. You miss a note, forget a lyric, break a string, struggle with sound and yikes! the spiral begins....
Move On. Do not let that moment keep you from keeping on. It's generally less than a few seconds of your show. As soon as it passes, the audience moves on and it's helpful if you do too. Bring yourself back into the emotion of the song and focus on that. Let it go!
Also, the anxiety will often bring tension to you body. Focus on your breathing, this will help you to relax and help to bring your energy back to the present moment.
2. PERCEPTION
Often the audience doesn't even notice what we may perceive as a disaster!
Remember that most of the time we are our worst critics. Don't let yourself spiral into that space of believing that all the audience heard and will remember is your tragic performance. Oftentimes when we think we had a 'bad' night, our fans enjoyed the show! They often hear & see us in a more positive light than we see ourselves. So learn to silence thou inner critic.
If he tends to follow you around? Check out this post.
Contrary to what you may feeling in that moment - there is no way the entire show sucked :) Take a moment to focus on the moments that went right and what you did well! Celebrate the little victories.
4. Allow yourself to Make PROGRESS
Performing is hard, it's a skill and it's an ongoing process. Think about what may have thrown you off balance... Perhaps you need to get more comfortable with that new song? or you realized that you need a different angle for your mic stand? etc, etc whatever it is. Take a moment to figure it out. Assess the issue and make that correction for your next show Allow yourself to keep learning - That's progress and building your craft!
5. Be a PRO
It happens to the BEST of us
Even the most seasoned artists have stage mishaps. I've even seen this happen on the Grammy Awards a few times! I remember one Tori Amos concert when she came onstage and the mics weren't playing in the house. It took them 15 minutes to fix it - she came back onstage, made a joke and rocked on. There are So Many variables that we cannot control in a live show setting.
Sometimes things don't go according to plan. Often there's nothing you can do to prevent mishaps. But you can be a PRO ! Don't let yourself get rattled or be hard on yourself after the fact. When disaster strikes and the show must go on, all you can do is Do Your Best in that moment. And don't focus on the bad part! Celebrate that you were able to keep rockin' in the midst of the storm!
So Remember your 5 P's: Prevention, Perception, Positivity, Progress & Pro!
And Rock On with your fabulous self!
Embrace your Light and Keep Shining
PS The Milli Vanilli Mishap
I remember a huge Arista Records event in the 90's with Milli Vanilli on the bill (remember them?) They came on stage ready to rock and someone blundered and started the wrong track! Note this was Before the secret was out..... They held their Milli poses until it was fixed and did their thing. OK, if they can pull it off & still rock? I have no doubt that you can too. ;)
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