Session Diary Under Pressure

Anxiety can strike in the most unlikely of setting Here's how Adam Goldsmith overcomes his nerves.

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Part of being any type of performer is dealing with nerves or anxiety. Some people are more naturally anxious than others and this obviously affects different people in different ways. Personally, I’ve always been a naturally anxious person, but I’ve managed to develop ways of channelling this into concentration rather than letting it overwhelm me at work. Over the past 20 years of doing sessions and gigs, I’ve found that some of the most unlikely situations can provoke nerves. For example, playing a gig at Wembley Arena vs playing a gig in your local bar? You’d imagine that’s a no brainer in the nerves charts, wouldn’t you?

The first time I played at Wembley Arena was for the Pop Idol tour in 2002, on the back of the first series, which featured Will Young and Gareth Gates. It proved to be an oddly impersonal experience – between the fact I couldn’t see the audience beyond the first few rows when the lights were down, and the isolating effect of in-ear monitors, I relaxed pretty quickly and the gigs moved along without incident. On the other hand, the first time I played with my own band in a local bar, in front of some great musicians and family members who I could see looking right at me – utterly terrifying, but ultimately more rewarding.