Imagine you've been hired to give a speech in front of thousands of people, and at the moment of truth, your presentation technology kicks in.
That's basically what just happened to Taylor Swift on stage during her recent show in Milan on the Eras Tour.
But Swift once again proved her poise and cool under pressure when an unexpected malfunction shut down her piano at the superstar's 113th show. Fans were treated to a medley of hits “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “Red” on guitar before she switched to piano. But as the singer began mixing Reputation's “Getaway Car” with “Out of the Woods,” her brightly decorated piano failed her.
Connected: Why does Taylor Swift keep stopping her shows mid-song? It's actually a great lesson in leadership.
“We finally cracked this thing!” Swift laughed as she and a technician reached the top under the piano lid. After some quick fiddling, she solved the problem, happily declaring, “Oh, I did it!” and immediately went back to work.
The moment was captured by the TikTok user @shannonkinget.
@shannonkingett Milan Night 2, Surprise Songs #2Getaway Car x Out of the woods #taylorswift #erastour #swifttok #ttheerastur #milan #getawaycar #out of the woods #ootw #reputation #1989 ♬ original sound – Shannon Kingett
The piano blast didn't dampen the spirits of Swift, who went on to deliver another powerful performance on her record-breaking Eras tour. The incident and her attitude about it is a great lesson in disaster management. Mistakes happen, some are beyond our control and some are made by us. But whatever the cause and whoever the audience – an adoring crowd of thousands or a super-serious board of investors – the best thing to do when something goes wrong is to admit it, laugh it off and keep moving forward. As Deborah Grayson Riegel writes in Harvard Business Review“Do some emotional management so that your audience doesn't come across as angry, frustrated, resentful, or resigned. Emotions are contagious, and negative emotions are especially so. Unless you want your audience to feel the tension you feel, get take a deep breath or two and lean into your current reality of how it is rather than how you wish it were.”
Next stops for the irrepressible Swift are Germany, Poland and Austria, and then London once for five shows at Wembley Stadium. The Eras Tour will end this December.