Some people get the idea that I somehow must be immune to stage fright since I've created Goodbye Butterflies to help fellow performers find their way beyond it. Nothing could be further from the truth. I've suffered from my fair of anxiety as a performer, maybe even more than my fair share. Plus, I still experience stage fright under certain conditions. Actually, that's a central part of my message with Goodbye Butterflies. It's perfectly natural to experience stage fright, and there's no one-and-done cure for it. I'd be an utter hypocrite if I tried to tell you otherwise, and don't believe anyone who does. I remember commercials for a particular wig company that appeared on TV a lot when I was young. They featured Sy Sperling who looked like he had a full head of hair. At the end of the ad, Sy would hold up a photo of himself with a bald pate and say, “I’m not just the president of Hair Club for Men. I’m also a client!” 
In a way, I'm a bit like Sy Sperling. I'm not just some type of stage fright authority. I'm a fellow victim I'd like to tell you a little about my own struggles with performance anxiety to shoe you what I mean. 
Sonny's words were reassuring, but they melted away as soon as I stepped onto the stage with the rest of the band in front of tens of thousands of people in the audience. I was like a deer in headlights, frozen with stage fright in front of the tens of thousands of people in the audience. In fact, I was so nervous that I completely missed the band starting the entrance music that ushered the singing duo onstage. The only thing that brought me back to my senses was the musical director yelling at me, “Play, damn it! Play!” I can still see him in mind wearing his rainbow colored glasses screaming at me above the band playing. It was my first big moment of stage fright. Many more would follow. Music Student When I went to college to be a music major, stage fright came along with me.
In a way, I'm a bit like Sy Sperling. I'm not just some type of stage fright authority. I'm a fellow victim I'd like to tell you a little about my own struggles with performance anxiety to shoe you what I mean. Almost Blowing My First Big Gig
My professional career as a performer almost ended as soon as it began when I was just 15. It was my first big gig. I got the opportunity to play in the band backing a popular 1970s act, Sonny and Cher, in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona. They were a really big deal at that time because they were the hosts of a successful variety show on TV. While I remember Cher being rude and demanding to everybody behind the scenes (pretty much a diva), Sonny was friendly and down to earth. When I bumped into him backstage, he seemed surprised about me still being a teenager and asked if I was nervous. I admitted to him that I was. He replied, "Don't worry. You'll do fine." Sonny's words were reassuring, but they melted away as soon as I stepped onto the stage with the rest of the band in front of tens of thousands of people in the audience. I was like a deer in headlights, frozen with stage fright in front of the tens of thousands of people in the audience. In fact, I was so nervous that I completely missed the band starting the entrance music that ushered the singing duo onstage. The only thing that brought me back to my senses was the musical director yelling at me, “Play, damn it! Play!” I can still see him in mind wearing his rainbow colored glasses screaming at me above the band playing. It was my first big moment of stage fright. Many more would follow. Music Student When I went to college to be a music major, stage fright came along with me.