Smile Real Loud

The greatest stage performers make it look easy. Part of the secret is being comfortable with yourself; an audience is comfortable when the performer is comfortable. In fact, talent isn't the main ingredient in a successful stage performer. Case in point: when the Carter sisters had sound troubles at a concert many years ago, and the bass wasn't being heard in the P.A. system, Maybelle Carter, the matriarch and, by that point, a well-traveled and highly experienced entertainer, told the girls, "Just smile real loud!"

This advice is gold for any performer. You see, people hear with their eyes: communication is 15% words, 30% tone and emotion, and 55% what the audience sees. I've learned a lot from time spent on the road and on stages for over 30 years, making snap decisions when something malfunctions. One time in Houston, we expected our gear to arrive at the venue. Our concert was just hours away but, to our horror, only the snare drum and stand arrived--not the whole drum set; everything else arrived as planned. I turned to my brother Jon, and as the unfortunate bearer of bad news, my expression communicated the obvious: the show must go on. I knew for him it would be like doing a waltz on one leg. With trepidation and mild protest, he eventually succumbed, as a consummate professional does, and did the gig--with flair, by the way. Jon learned to "smile real loud" and received compliments on his drumming!

I do all I can in the planning stage to avoid these "MacGyver" types of situations. But if they do come without warning, know that you have more options than you think. Just make sure to bring along your dancing shoes in your gig bag...