I went to see Bobby McFerrin in Dortmund in Germany a couple of years ago.
He was incredible to watch, but this isn't a gig review. About two thirds of the way through the show, he said "I've got a microphone and a seat here, who wants to come up and sing with me".

That sounded like fun. And after a couple of other people had been up, I had a go.

The thing was, the crowd looks a lot smaller from the comfort of my seat than on stage. So I froze. And I was pretty rubbish to start with - I sang a blues bassline while Bobby improvised something over the top. Then he said "your turn" and I said "I can't think of anything..." He said "Just tell us what you did today". So I did. By then end, I had 1,200 Germans cheering and clapping. Bobby and I had a quick hug, I thanked him, and then I returned to my seat. I forget the rest of the show to be honest.

I've played guitar and bass in various bands, sung a bit too. I don't think anything will be quite as intimidating or exciting as that show was. And although I was a lot less rubbish at the end than at the start (I think the improvement was where the enthusiasm from the crowd came from), I was still rubbish.

If you go and see Bobby McFerrin and you can hold a tune, try to get an aisle seat.
(sabre-tooth monkey, Fri 19 Aug 2011, 10:43, 2 replies)

The man's a genius
Bobby McFerrin, obviously. Not you. You sound like a gibbering simpleton.
( ousgg is not seeking approval, Fri 19 Aug 2011, 10:54, closed)

Indeed.
Or at least, I definitely did on that occasion.
(sabre-tooth monkey, Fri 19 Aug 2011, 14:42, closed)