Because nobody tells you the truth: open mics are mostly people waiting for their own turn, and lessons cost more than your mic will. You'll think every eye is on you, but you're background noise for drinks and fries — which is actually liberating if you let it be. The nerves won't vanish, so stack the deck: choose a song under your ceiling, transpose down two semitones, practice at 60–70% volume with a karaoke track so you don't tick off neighbors, and do 10 jumping jacks before each run to mimic stage adrenaline. When you go, don't give a speech about being nervous or "first time"; walk up, breathe once, start immediately, and keep the tempo lazy. If the monitor is harsh, ask the host for less in the wedge or sing slightly off-axis; sounding comfortable beats sounding loud.
