The Band developed a reputation for the potency and feeling of their live performances. Their delicate interplay set them apart from other acts who just blasted away with little regard for chemistry. Oddly enough, The Band at times struggled with their confidence when playing live, especially when it came to guitarist Robbie Robertson. Robertson, in The Band, conveyed those feelings on the 1970 song “Stage Fright”, the title track to the group’s third album.
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“Fright” Night
When The Band debuted with their 1968 album Music From Big Pink, other musicians quickly caught on to their brilliance. That was before the general public heard much about them. In addition, critics also fell over themselves to praise this unique quintet.
As a result, hype started to build up around the group. Their connection to Bob Dylan and the mysterious music they all made together in Woodstock only added to that aura. When The Band finally did make their live debut without Dylan in tow in 1969, the pressure was immense.
In fact, Robertson felt it so acutely that it affected his health. Before The Band’s first performance in San Francisco in April 1969, he fell so ill that he could hardly stand. Management summoned a hypnotist to help him get through what was, admittedly, a shaky concert.
Although Robertson and company soon fell into more of a groove with their live shows, the experience stuck with them. “Stage Fright” came directly from the memories of that show. Robertson, who wrote the song, also embellished the story with more general laments about the stress of the rock and roll lifestyle.
Behind the Lyrics of “Stage Fright”
Robertson always benefited as a writer from being able to choose among three incredible singers (Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko) to deliver his lyrics. For “Stage Fright”, he went with Danko, who brought a twitchy intensity to the tale of a “lonely kid.” He gets more than he bargained for when he achieves “fortune and fame.”
“Since that day he ain’t been the same.”
The second verse presents echoes of Robertson’s rough opening night. “I got fire water right on my breath / And the doctor warned me I might catch a death.” He gets some telling advice on how to cope with it all: “Just never show the fear that’s in your eyes.”
In the middle eight, he asks for mercy: “Now if he says that he’s afraid / Take him at his word.” The rewards don’t necessarily match the damage done: “And for the price that the poor boy has paid / He gets to sing just like a bird.” At that point, Danko obliges with some falsetto whoops.
“Fancy people go driftin’ by,” Danko sings in the last verse. That’s likely a reference to the stars coming out to see this hyped group. Robertson sums up the experience in chilling fashion.
“The moment of truth is right at hand / Just one more nightmare you can stand.”
In the chorus, however, he admits that the lure of getting it right and playing something special outweighs all else: “But when we get to the end/He wants to start all over again.”
The Stage Fright album came during a period when The Band was starting to show some wear and tear from the demands placed upon them. As for the “Stage Fright” song, it demonstrates, in haunting fashion, that the adoration of a concert crowd can’t always make up for the performer’s angst about getting it just right.
Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images
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