Mostly I only get nervous in situations I haven't spent the last 25 years rehearsing for...so most standard gigs tend to be ok. Any time I do anything out of the ordinary I have a few flutters...when I started playing with click tracks was one, when I started improvising on stage was another.
My first gigs were unbelievably nervy though. One time time in Belfast a cut on my thumb opened mid-song and blood started flying everywhere, and I couldn't hold onto the sticks, so they went flying off everywhere too. I got so nervous my hands cramped and turned into these immobile little talons, which didn't help. There was loads of dry ice too, so I couldn't see the rest of the band. And the monitors were awful. Jesus. Getting palpitations just thinking about it.
My first gigs were unbelievably nervy though. One time time in Belfast a cut on my thumb opened mid-song and blood started flying everywhere, and I couldn't hold onto the sticks, so they went flying off everywhere too. I got so nervous my hands cramped and turned into these immobile little talons, which didn't help. There was loads of dry ice too, so I couldn't see the rest of the band. And the monitors were awful. Jesus. Getting palpitations just thinking about it.