Gig anxiety dreams

Keefy

I’ve been playing live a long time (45 years) and I rarely feel nervous about playing stuff right -  when I do make a mistake I’m able to play through it and/or laugh it off. I get more anxious about practical considerations like venue access and parking, and (being an organised sort of chap) I often use Google Street View to sus this out beforehand.

I’ve always been a vivid dreamer, so naturally my concerns have spilled over into to my dream ‘life’ so that I frequently have gig anxiety dreams. Scenarios include:
- Left all my kit at home;
- No strings on guitar;
- Amp won’t work;
- Kit stolen from car;
- Guitar headstock snapped off.
In more sophisticated versions I have the wrong instrument e.g.
- Being counted in for the first number of a big band gig but I’m holding a sax; 
- Turning up to a gig with a trombone - fortunately I have been double-booked so I graciously agree for the actual trombone player to do the gig.

Last night was a new one - turning up to an audition having completely failed to even look at the numbers I’ve been asked to prepare. I try to redeem myself by volunteering to sing Folsom Prison Blues but no-one seems to know it, or be willing to give it a try (it’s not complicated). As time goes on, more and more band members turn up until there’s about a dozen of the buggers, and I’ve already decided that it’s not going to work for me financially with gig fees split so many ways. Finally the female singer gets in my face (literally nose-to-nose) and unleashes a vitriolic rebuke for wasting their time.

So does this happen to other people or am I just weird?

ScreamingDave

Wow, that’s detailed!

my gig anxiety dreams are more muddled, but I’ll be on the way to a gig and keep getting delayed.  By the time I’m there we’re setting up with the crowd coming in, then I realise I don’t know any of the songs.  

These types of dreams are really common. I used to have the same dream as an actor, same setup but instead of not knowing any songs I don’t know the play

Supportact

I definitely have anxiety dreams, but none so far involving gigs. Mine aren't even that interesting.  Normally involve some piece of admin I've forgotten to do. My subconscious is evidently quite plain.

Open_G

I’d never remember them if I did have gig related dreams I’d think but I do find I have negative dreams about things going wrong in my day job. Not content with spending a quarter of my life here it invades my sleep state too. 

Neilybob

Wowsers that's detailed.

I can honestly say I don't remember any of my dreams. 

relic245

Are you anxious in any other areas of life? 

Often specific anxieties like this are a symptom of a more general anxiety. 

I used to suffer from terrible (general) anxiety. Thankfully I don't these days but  I do have periods of life where I'm more anxious. When this happens it shows up in my gigging world. 

It's not dreams for me it's when I'm driving to a gig thinking I've forgotten something.  To the point that I have a checklist and even when I've checked everything off that it's gone into the gig bag, then checked everything into the car I've still been known to stop the car 3 or 4 times on the way to a gig to make sure I've got my guitar. 

Keefy

relic245 said:

Are you anxious in any other areas of life? 

Often specific anxieties like this are a symptom of a more general anxiety. 

I used to suffer from terrible (general) anxiety. Thankfully I don't these days but  I do have periods of life where I'm more anxious. When this happens it shows up in my gigging world. 

… 

No, I’m not much of a worrier. By the time I’ve carefully prepared everything there’s little left to worry about! But I’ve always had bizarre and detailed dreams - Mrs Keefy is frequently amazed when I attempt to recount them to her.

I’ve recently had a couple of bouts of horrible free-floating anxiety though, which is completely different and a new thing for me at 63. It’s not about anything, it’s just there, like the mild depression that I occasionally have when I wake up in the morning but that wears off during the day. I recognise it now so that I know it will pass soon enough. Anyone who suffers from anxiety longer-term gets my full sympathy as it’s a truly horrible feeling of dread that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I tell Mrs Keefy if I’m down at all, and I feel like that’s helpful although I couldn’t really say why.

Btw these dreams are not a problem, in fact they can be quite entertaining. I just wondered if other people experienced similar, which clearly some do.

ESBlonde

No dreams but I'm always prepared and carry too much gear. As a former sound guy I carry problem solvers, a simple tool kit, spare cables of all sorts, enough lighting in case there is none, spare mics and a good powered wedge/PA cab.
I want the gig to go well even if others won't make the effort.

HAL9000

Yes, I have quite vivid dreams in which I’ve arrived at gigs without a guitar, or with the guitar equivalent of a clowns’ car where bits fall off in a spectacularly comedic way (usually in front of one my guitar heroes).

Keefy

ESBlonde said:

No dreams but I'm always prepared and carry too much gear. As a former sound guy I carry problem solvers, a simple tool kit, spare cables of all sorts, enough lighting in case there is none, spare mics and a good powered wedge/PA cab.
I want the gig to go well even if others won't make the effort.

Me too, I have spares and spare spares.

Snags

I'm now anxious because I distinctly remember typing out a long reply to this which is nowhere to be found. 

Supportact

ESBlonde said:

No dreams but I'm always prepared and carry too much gear. As a former sound guy I carry problem solvers, a simple tool kit, spare cables of all sorts, enough lighting in case there is none, spare mics and a good powered wedge/PA cab.
I want the gig to go well even if others won't make the effort.

I'm the one in our band who does this as well (apart from the lighting). Our singer/acoustic guitarist didn't even bring a jack lead to the last gig, and didn't mention it until we were about to play. Unbelievable.  

ESBlonde

Supportact said:

ESBlonde said:

No dreams but I'm always prepared and carry too much gear. As a former sound guy I carry problem solvers, a simple tool kit, spare cables of all sorts, enough lighting in case there is none, spare mics and a good powered wedge/PA cab.
I want the gig to go well even if others won't make the effort.

I'm the one in our band who does this as well (apart from the lighting). Our singer/acoustic guitarist didn't even bring a jack lead to the last gig, and didn't mention it until we were about to play. Unbelievable.  

Yes I work with a former pro nashville singer/songwriter. Never has a working cable or one long enough, had the same strings on for at least 4 years! Insists we use his ancient PA Carisbro amp (not even XLR inputs) and I have to patch everything to get a working system fir everyone.....ARRGGHHH!

Keefy

A corker from the early hours of this morning:

In real life I play in 2 tribute bands, (let's call them Band A and Band B ). Band A has a gig soon at an arts centre in a nearby town. 

I dreamed that I was actually doing the gig with Band B. When I parked up in the venue car park, I realised I was the wrong end from the stage doors, but in trying to drive my car to the correct spot I somehow ended up on the outskirts of a different nearby town, and then on a street that became too narrow to drive down. I managed to reverse out onto a mini roundabout without crashing and found my way back to the venue. I loaded in my kit and then took a wrong turn into the bar area, where there were a couple of dozen former work colleagues who ate up an unwelcome chunk of time with cordial greetings. I found the band, who had been unable to set up because of technical issues and the nightmare attitude of the venue staff. I then couldn't find my kit, but once located I shouted out OH GOD NO! because I thought I'd brought the wrong pedalboard. Turned out I actually had the correct board, although I'd forgotten my volume pedal (essential for one Band B number). Having got my stuff to the stage area, I twice had to ask a small girl to get off the stage. She then proceeded to start painting something on the stage with large quantities of cream paint, at which point I went ballistic. Someone then explained they were doing face painting, so I apologised.

And that was the dream...

Sporky

In my dream last night Jennifer Aniston kissed me and told me I was forgiven. No gig though, sorry. 

Keefy

Sporky said:

In my dream last night Jennifer Aniston kissed me and told me I was forgiven. No gig though, sorry. 

She may forgive you but I don’t!

digitalkettle

Sporky said:

In my dream last night Jennifer Aniston kissed me and told me I was forgiven. No gig though, sorry. 

Friends with benefits?

Sporky

I told Lady BMcH about it and she said "I'm not sure she's your type". So I don't think I was in trouble. I'm still not sure what I'd done that required forgiveness. 

Littlejonny

Yes yes yes - I have gig dreams/nightmares all the time - been having them since I was a teenager. Usually it involves the audience waiting while I try and set up my gear, but there's too much to set up and nothing works. The dream never gets to the point of actually playing anything.

rze99

Never

Littlejonny

I should add that like @Keefy ;in real life I am pretty relaxed about performing and equipment too. This is probably because our brains are dealing with it subconsciously for us while sleeping!