Wow! I sure appreciate the candor, guys! I once (and posted about it here, I believe) tried to sing and play "Legend In My Time" - The Johnny Cash version - and couldn't keep myself from tearing up and consequently choking up, as it was not long after his passing that I did that. I finally just said "eff it!", cleared my throat and did "Under The Boardwalk". One person told me I was short-changing the audience when I tried to do the tune, "so take it out of your song list."
TF: Did you introduce what you were about to do, or did the audience "get it" on their own? Also were you regularly in the Principal's office? Pretty brave (as well as angry) "young man".
grah1: Did the audience really notice the mistake or was it just you who did? In other words, did they throw fecal material onto the stage? I remember something a pilot once told me (and I am sure you've heard it as well) "Any landing you walk away from is a good one." No matter, you got it right (to your own satisfaction) the second time, so you must have had a kind-hearted audience.
Doug_S: That's a self-criticism I don't think I've ever heard before. and I had to read it twice before I "understood" it. Are you saying you don't practice enough, and so leave out much of the instrumental "break"? If that's the case, I would love to have seen the faces of your fellow musicians when they realized it. "There's FIVE more bars!!!!"
Anyway, these are all just my opinions and y'all know that "opinions are like a**holes, everybody's got one."
I'd love to hear/read more, because one of my favorite things to do has always been playing (and talking about) music. I can talk to you about Beethoven all day long, for instance.
Thanks for sharing!
Bill