Imagine you’ve been hired to give a talk in front of thousands of people, and at the moment of truth, your presentation’s tech goes kaput.
That’s basically what just happened to Taylor Swift onstage during her latest Milan show on the Eras Tour.
But Swift once again proved her showmanship and coolness under pressure when an unexpected glitch shut down her piano at the superstar’s 113th show. Fans were treated to a mashup of hits “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “Red” on guitar before she transitioned to the piano. But as the singer began blending Reputation’s “Getaway Car” with “Out of the Woods,” her brightly decorated piano failed her.
Related: Why Does Taylor Swift Keep Stopping Her Shows Mid-Song? It’s Actually a Great Lesson in Leadership.
“We have finally broken this thing!” Swift laughed as she and a technician peaked beneath the piano’s lid. After some quick tinkering, she fixed the problem, happily declared, “Oh, I did it!” and went right back to work.
The moment was captured by TikTok user @shannonkinget.
@shannonkingett Milan Night 2, Surprise Song #2, Getaway Car x Out of the Woods #taylorswift #erastour #swifttok #tstheerastour #milan #getawaycar #outofthewoods #ootw #reputation #1989 ♬ original sound – Shannon Kingett
The piano meltdown didn’t dampen the spirits of Swift, who went on to deliver yet another powerful performance on her record-breaking Eras tour. The incident and her attitude about it is a great lesson in mishap management. Mistakes happen, some are out of our control, and some are of our own making. But whatever the cause and whoever the audience is — an adoring crowd of thousands or a super-serious board of investors — the best thing to do when something goes awry is to acknowledge it, laugh it off, and keep moving forward. As Deborah Grayson Riegel writes in the Harvard Business Review, “Do some emotional management so that you don’t come across to your audience 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, take a deep breath or two, and lean into your current reality of how it is rather than how you wished it could be.”
The next stops for the unflappable Swift are Germany, Poland, and Austria, and then onto London once for five Wembley Stadium shows. The Eras Tour will come to an end this December.