Mi Vida Loca

Not the Ricky Martin song---I'm talking about the Pam Tillis song:

If you're comin' with me you need nerves of steel,
'Cause I take corners on two wheels.
It's a never-ending circus ride,
Faint of heart need not apply.

Okay, so I don't take corners on two wheels anymore--my driving style has evolved over the years from borderline reckless to practically sedate. But the rest of the lyrics apply all too well to my work life. And probably to the work lives of most other freelance musicians. It's a hectic way to live, and, occasionally, that "never-ending circus ride" takes its toll on the quality of our work. Musicians who are tired and stressed from all of the running around from gig to gig seem to find all kinds of strange things to do onstage.

Like a colleague of mine who had a key-signature brain freeze in a soli passage--fortunately we were doubling the part, so her little mishap was less jarring than it would have been if she had done it in a solo.

Or another colleague who got lost in a section of a chamber work.

Or yours truly forgetting which way to walk offstage after taking a bow.

What's the common denominator?

Sheer exhaustion---to the point that, occasionally, something misfires in our brains at the worst possible moments.

Most of the time, we cover our little mishaps well enough so that the average concert-goer doesn't catch them. So, here's a little tip: the next time you attend a concert, watch the musicians closely for discreet eyerolls and barely-stifled grins. They're usually a dead give-away that someone has been naughty.