5 Legendary Musicians Who Suffer From Stage Fright

Stage fright can be crippling. Even to the average person, the thought that thousands of people are singularly focused on you at one time can be very overwhelming. Luckily, most of us will rarely, if ever, find ourselves in such a situation.

At most it’ll be a speech or a song at a wedding or maybe a presentation at work. For the average joe, such nerves happen just every once in a while. But what about those who perform in front of legions of people day in and out to earn their living? How do they deal with their anxiety and how do they keep pushing through it after years on-stage?

In this list, we will look at 5 legendary musicians who suffer from stage fright.

5. Donald Fagen

A co-founder and the lead singer of Steely Dan, Donald Fagen had always preferred the studio over the stage. A staunch perfectionist who demanded musical excellence, Fagen’s music was just as much a science as it was an art and it was met with wide acclaim. Despite his talent however, Fagen suffered from stage fright.

Fagen’s stage fright was not all consuming as he could still perform with his group. However, it did affect his willingness to sing. In fact, many attribute Fagen’s stage fright as a contributing factor to why Steely Dan rarely performed live in its hey-day. To make up for this, a second singer, David Palmer was hired to sing during the group’s live performances.

When Steely Dan re-formed in the 90s, the band began to perform live more often and toured regularly. This allowed Fagen to be more comfortable on the stage. However, he would still continue to share his vocals with other performers like Walter Becker or Michael McDonald. Despite that, he remains far more at ease and continues to deliver excellent performances.

4. Van Morrison

A renowned and extremely successful musician who remains popular to this day, Van Morrison is perhaps best known for his powerful voice and magnetic stage presence. Perhaps just as well known however, is his stage fright.

Unlike other musicians or even most people in general, Morrison did not always suffer from this anxiety. In fact, he only discovered that he had stage fright over a decade into his career. As his popularity grew, so did the size of Morrison’s audience. It was only when his audiences started numbering in the thousands that Morrison realized that he could no longer cope.

Morrison’s stage fright caused him to take a hiatus from music and when he returned, he chose to limit his performances primarily to smaller venues. From time to time he mustered up the strength to perform for a larger audience but it was not always easy. A famous story was during the iconic Last Waltz concert in 1976 where Morrison nearly pulled out at the last second before being physically pushed onstage by his fellow musicians to deliver a rousing performance of Caravan.

Morrison continues to record and tour to this day and is very open about his stage fright. However, he has been able to find ways to compensate for his fears and has been able to maintain a successful and acclaimed career.

3. Brian Wilson

One of the greatest songwriters in the history of music, to call Brian Wilson a genius would be to make a gross understatement. Brian Wilson is to music what Vincent Van Gogh was to painting and like Van Gogh, Wilson is a complex individual with his fair share of personal struggles.

A shy and reclusive person by nature, Wilson was always more into the music than he was the fame or recognition. In fact, he hated performing live. The loud sounds and the sea of people often overwhelmed him. On the way to a Beach Boys’ concert in 1964, Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and did not tour with the group for another 12 years.

During this time, he contributed in the studio and was the band’s creative mastermind but had to be replaced on stage by Glen Campbell and Bruce Johnston after him. When Wilson finally returned to the stage, he had come out of an extended period of drug fuelled seclusion. This affected both his voice and appearance and once again made him unwilling to perform in front of crowds. Although he would later get back into shape physically, Wilson’s extended drug use and his already crippling shyness had affected him mentally.

Wilson himself has admitted to his stage fright and has said that this anxiety and the effects of his past drug use have caused him to hallucinate and become nauseous before performances. Despite that, Wilson continues to perform from time to time, surrounded by good friends and loyal bandmates. It is truly commendable that he is able to continue to put in the effort for the sake of his music and fans even after all he has been through

2. Barbara Streisand

Barbara Streisand has found success in various fields of entertainment. A singer, an actress of screen and stage and a filmmaker, Streisand is one of the select few elite individuals to earn the prestigious EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award).

Despite her numerous successes over a long and storied career, one incident left an indelible mark on her. After forgetting a lyric during a performance in 1967, Streisand developed severe stage fright due to the embarrassment she felt. This stage fright was so bad that she never performed any extended live sets for the next 27 years. Luckily, she still had her career in TV and films.

When Streisand did return to live performances in the 90s, she was determined to never make the same mistake she did in 1967. To ensure this, Streisand makes use of a teleprompter for all her live shows in order for her to see the lyrics. So afraid is she of slipping up again, that she also rehearses the banter and conversation in between songs and has them put on the teleprompter as well.

While some may find it a bit extreme, if it helps her perform more comfortably than more power to her. After all, she is without a doubt an amazing and talented artist with an impressive track record.

1. Roy Orbison

Long before Goth or Emo music became a thing, there was Roy Orbison. Dressed in all black and with dark shades that covered his eyes, Orbison was a solitary figure who rarely moved during his concerts and often sang about loneliness and heartbreak. His signature vibrato was the cherry on top that hauntingly delivered the anguish of his lyrics.

However, the real Roy Orbison was the complete opposite of his dark and brooding stage persona. He was a pleasant and soft spoken man but was extremely shy of people. In fact his “persona” could not even be considered an act but rather a combination of things that he did in response to his stage fright.

Orbison’s signature sunglasses were an accidental discovery. After misplacing his regular glasses before a show, Orbison only had his prescription sunglasses on him and had to wear them in order to properly see. He soon discovered that the dark glasses helped him somewhat as he did not have to make eye contact with the audience.

Due to his nervousness on-stage, Orbison rarely moved and many assumed that he was either blind or extremely sullen. His agents caught wind off these perceptions and asked Orbison to dress in dark colors and to dye his hair black. They were able to mask his shyness through a veil of mystery and darkness.

Most notably however, Orbison’s nerves also affected his voice albeit in a good way. The anxiety of being on-stage caused the shy Orbison to tremble at times and this gave him his signature vibrato which blended in perfectly with the emotional ballads that made him a star.

To many performers, stage fright is often a crippling weakness that can have adverse effects on their career. Roy Orbison however was able to take his biggest weakness and turn it into his greatest strength. While many artists can say they became successful in spite of their stage fright, Orbison can say that he became a superstar because of it.

That does it for this list. If you made it this far, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this!

Personally, I find it very inspiring that these legends who struggle with stage fright are able to go out and face their fears head on for decades on end. The fortitude that it takes to do this speaks volumes to their characters.

Do let me know if there are any other interesting stories of musicians who suffer from stage fright and leave your thoughts in the comments. I really do enjoy reading through them. Until then, take care!