Amazing the number of responses this thread has collected. I try to make sure that I have a song memorized before I take it out in public, but the guitar chords are another matter. When I sing with 'the usual suspects', usually the others play, and I don't have to-- all I have to do is sing. The problems comes when I'm alone (or with folks that don't know it)-- then I have to play and sing at the same time. It's like that walking & chewing gum thing (ha-ha). Then I want the book within sight, just for the chords. Only rarely do I actually read from the paper, and that is only among friends, when I want an early reaction to the material before I go to the trouble of learning it.