Rob Huddleston (Ann Beretta, solo, Foundation)
SPB: Do you still get nervous before you play a show?
Huddleston: I do, depending on the show. I think I've surprised people in the past with this answer but when it comes to playing in front of large audiences I don't get nervous at all but, when it’s a small crowd, I absolutely do. It's a bit backwards I guess, but in front of larger audiences it all just becomes a blur past the first 10 feet or so. You have to work harder to make a connection to a larger room full of people or a festival crowd which for me makes the show more fun. Or a small room that's packed to the gills and sweaty and the energy level is high—for me that's the best kind of show—the best of both worlds. For me it's more intimidating when the crowd is small and there's more of an intimate and face to face connection being made. It's rewarding, don't get me wrong, when as a performer you can make a personal connection with someone in the audience but when you can look in the face of everyone in the room and make that connection it's a scary thing. I mean, the last thing you want to do is to look into the eyes of someone who's not enjoying what you’re doing or to read the lips of someone who I would swear is telling their friend that they think you suck or they hate this song or whatever. I think for me that's the part that makes me nervous: the doubt that maybe it’s just not good enough. At the same time that fear is what, in those instances, makes you want to do the best that you can and to make sure that doesn't happen.
