Nervous

[Big B 0]

After nearly 14 years in the business i still get as nervous :fear: today when i do a function as i did when i did my first one.

 

I never show it of course as that would not be a good idea. After setting up i go and get changed and sit in the car listen to a bit of classic FM to chill out.

 

The one thing i can say is that up to date i have only had maybe 2 :moon: holes at a funtion who have said i was crap.

 

I love it at the end of the night when you have played your last track and you get applause from the people who are left.

 

Do you get nervous before a gig? and if you do what do you do to chill out?

 

 

[DJ JENX 0]

After nearly 14 years in the business i still get as nervous :fear: today when i do a function as i did when i did my first one.

 

I never show it of course as that would not be a good idea. After setting up i go and get changed and sit in the car listen to a bit of classic FM to chill out.

 

The one thing i can say is that up to date i have only had maybe 2 :moon: holes at a funtion who have said i was crap.

 

I love it at the end of the night when you have played your last track and you get applause from the people who are left.

 

Do you get nervous before a gig? and if you do what do you do to chill out?

 

I do sometimes, so I go to the toilet! ha

 

No I just get on with it, set up and get the first song over with, then I love it!

 

 

[YourBigEvent 0]

No never

[dh140770 0]

Do you get nervous before a gig? and if you do what do you do to chill out?

 

Generally no. I did a wedding recently though and I was nervous as hell. I took about 5 seperate copies of the first dance with me!

 

When I dj'd in my 20's i did maybe 2 weddings or something, as I took on a residency and bars so never got the chance. I never treated anything any different back then and just 'winged' it, though generally i got a good reaction.

 

Now i'm pushing 40 having picked up djing a year ago again, and having read posts on here, i was actually nervous about the occasion as it was my wedding since coming back.

I shouldn't have been. The first dance went great and we had a blast with the dancefloor packed!

 

As for the :moon: 's you will always get them. If you are doing a 60th birthday, they will complain you didn't play 'Crank That' and Drum and Bass. Maybe it's because i'm older but I think nowadays there is a mentality that consider their own needs rather than those around them. That combined with alcohol = :moon: 's

 

If you are getting empty dancefloors all night and people going to other rooms etc to avoid the disco, then perhaps there is something wrong. If not, and the majority of people are going home happy then keep doing what you are doing. You can't please all the people all the time.

 

 

 

 

[TonyB 0]

With me, it depends on what type of function it is. For parties (18th, 21st, 40th etc) I don't get nervous beforehand. I look forward to them and enjoy them.

 

I used to be the same for weddings but lately have found them hard work. It seems to be harder to get the crowds going. Brides & Grooms seem to be more selfish about what they want (music wise) with little regards to the rest of the guests. The wedding I done last week, the guests were asked for requests when the invites were sent out and even though I played what they asked for, not many danced. The dancers were in little groups and danced to different genre that they mainly requested on the night e,g, a R&B group, a Hip Hop group, a party track group. It took a lot of coaxing and encouragement to eventually get everyone up for the last hour.

 

Strangely the week before I looked at the guests when they arrived and the majority looked quite old. I thought they were going to be hard work but they were really up for it. It was strange seeing some of the older ones jumping up and down to Run DMC, T2 and H Two O. I thought one old girl would break something the amount of effort she was putting into it.

[Kingy 0]

Never. Its my job!

[YourBigEvent 0]

Agree with the fat balding one again, ask the milkman if he gets nervous delivering the milk.

 

Or your bank manager...

[jamesmurphy 0]

Agree with the fat balding one again

 

 

I didn't realise I'd commented in this thread!

[C.S 0]

With mobile gigs, always get nervous for at least a day in advance but mostly because of the extra stuff i do, the more nervous i am the better the performance. Club gigs -never.

[Norfolk DJ 0]

I tend to get nervous after 25 years in the business.

 

I always take a packet of Polo mints, which calms me down.

[dh140770 0]

I always take a packet of Polo mints, which calms me down.

 

for the 'hole' night? .... boom boom

 

[Andy Westcott 0]

I get a little nervous on the approach to the venue, and as the clients arrive, but once I've made the obligatory welcome speech things generally sort themselves out.

 

I find the more frequent the gigs, the better I feel, but if there's been a gap of a few weeks, back it all comes!

[McCardle 1]

ask the milkman if he gets nervous delivering the milk

 

Hardly a like-for-like comparison

 

Ask the milkman to stand up at the Dairy Dinner Dance and make a speech in front of 300 corporate guests and then ask the same question!.

 

I think that the weight of importance of the occasion weighs heavily in whether some deejays get nervous or not. If things go t1ts up with us, it could be somebodies big day that we gamble with and any screw ups will remain in their memories for a lifetime, where as if the milkman screws up, the worst that can happen is that your coffee remains black and your cornflakes don't get soggy.

 

I do get nervous before gigs but its all part of the experience, stage fright can affect a lot of people in different ways, some don't get nervous at all, others can't eat for hours before hand. I reckon you'd find the same diversity if you polled stage performers, bands, singers, actors and perhaps even politicians during an election.

Edited September 29, 2008 by McCardle

[otronics 0]

No.

[alicat 0]

I get excited - like i am going on holiday for the first time in ages - the crowd look to me to entertain them and...................ah well!!!!!!!!!

 

I love it. Come on the mic full of beans....break the ice and we're off

 

Have a look at Jon Whittaker's "UTube" student night videos on here. Fantastic.

 

P.S. I don't work for him - but that's what will turn "nerve" into energy!!!!!

 

Mine will be along soon ..............

[Bouncy Dancefloor 0]

generally i dont get nervous anymore, however at some gigs i feel nervous before i speak on the microphone. Often people havnt even paid you any attention yet, so its often the first time you get to grab the audiences attention

 

So i just plan out what im going to say before i say it, then i go for it :)

[deejaymitch 0]

I still get nervous and, most of the time, it's good as long as I can channel that nervous energy and use it.

 

On a side note, I agree with a few previous comments about crowds getting harder to 'work'. This definitely seems to be the case. Although I did a birthday party last Friday which I thought had gone terribly but, at the end of the night, I got a lot of positive feedback, gave out a few cards, and got a tip. I had to bite my lip every time someone told me how much they had enjoyed the night, to stop me saying "I wish you had told your face". I'll never understand people!

[McCardle 1]

Although I did a birthday party last Friday which I thought had gone terribly but, at the end of the night, I got a lot of positive feedback, gave out a few cards, and got a tip

 

Yes, i've experienced this occurance too, several times at functions where few, if any, of the guests, have got onto the dancefloor, and i've slogged my guts out trying all manner of music genres trying to spark some interest but to no avail. Then at the end, several people have told me how much they have enjoyed the night and the selection of music played. Then equally, i've had gigs with full dancefloors all night where i've not even had a 'goodnight' or a single 'thank you' said at the end.

 

It goes to show that people can enjoy themselves, and appreciate your efforts, from a seated position!. I think that its a pride thing with deejays, if we don't see a continuously full dancefloor we feel deflated and that all of our efforts have been for nothing. Obviously, its not the case, and its reassuring to see others having exactly the same experiences.

 

But nights with full dancefloors do seem to go quicker than those will empty ones!. But I agree that our job is getting harder, and guests do tend to go to these functions out of loyalty and a desire to applease family through fulfilling an invitation, rather than with an aim and goal of enjoying themselves.

 

I wonder if the average 'Mr and Mrs Wedding Guest' see their attendance at a Wedding as fulfilling a comittment or as a night out?

 

 

[mick 0]

Of course I do, I would not be doing my best if I was not a bit nervous. I like to do my best and of course even after about 10 years in the job no two gigs are the same. I am not ashamed of being slightly nervous, most entertainers are and it does not make me a bad DJ. It does not bother me and once I have put the first track on it all goes away.

And come on, DJing cannot be compared with delivering milk it's a lot more fun tongue out icon

[gadget 0]

I get nervous too - but disappears soon enough after starting..!

 

But I don't it very often - I'd guess it gets easier, but doubt it would ever go away for me..

 

David

[YourBigEvent 0]

I can't believe how many people get nervous do their jobs, for which they get paid quite nicely.

[deejaymitch 0]

I can't believe how many people get nervous do their jobs, for which they get paid quite nicely.

 

Brain surgeons? Premier League footballers? Stand-up comedians? etc

[junglist_matty 0]

I tend to get nervous if I'm having to DJ where people are looking at my DJ'ing skills, i.e. playing in a bar as a back up DJ etc... If I'm DJ'ing "cheesy" party music with just simple fades between songs, I don't get nervous at all because no-one is there to judge your skills, just your choice of music which is usually fine for me!

[Andy Westcott 0]

I think the previous comment about the importance of the event sums it up.

 

If I'm booked to do a 13th or 16th party, I go in excited and ready to go - these evenings are generally predictable and Mean lots of energy, from the crowd and the music.

 

But a posh-ish wedding?

Far more care is required in handling the audience and the clients, and this can generate anxiety. At least, until things get going.

 

Maybe it's ultimately about what you are comfortable with?

[Guest EliteDJ]

No, can't remember the last time I got nervous. I used to love those butterflies in the stomach in the very early days. Alas, those days have well and truly passed.