Michael - Check out my response in the thread 'Old Folkers', which I posted last night (4/13). I've been doing this sort of thing since '83. Some nights it feels great. Other nights you want to crawl under a rock. Yes, in a sense, you have to prove yourself everytime you go out on stage. Do it enough and you develop a following who loves you regardless. But remember too, harking back to what Jerry R said, "Once you start to enjoy yourself and have a good time, it won't make any real difference if you screw up here and there... just keep going on, and if you feel the urge to laugh, go right ahead." Everybody does it; the trick is, if you don't TELEGRAPH IT to your audience (e.g., a muted yet audible 'oh, s**t' or a look on your face) 98% of your audience won't know. Good luck, lad. Keep singing. Open mikes are great (I went to two regularly when I started out). They can really help you hone your stuff.

Proud to be an old folkie.

Lynn