For myself, if I get less sleep than is my wont, I am edgy, surly and not very creative at all. I lack patience and the ability to see any picture other than my head aching.
I've seen performers go for many hours past their limits - buoyed by the audience or drugs. And while it works for a time, eventually, the house of cards collapses.
Miles Davis was known for turning his back on the audience, or worse...flipping them off. I suspect he didn't sleep well, among other problems.
I know myself that if I lack sleep, my playing itself doesn't change, but my mental attitude does. And attitude is paramount to making music. I lack the vision to imagine where the tune should go. And without that inner dialog the music doesn't move much at all. It becomes rote finger work. In a word - boring.
Of course there are tricks to staving off the mental lethargy that lack of rest brings - I am making tea as I type this.
It's when you're at that wall, for me three or more days with less than ideal sleep, that no matter what you do, you won't be performing at your best.
Funny thing - audiences rarely notice all the little mistakes in the rendition of a song, but be out of sorts and every human in the room knows something is up.
Bands that have been doing it for a while learn how to snatch sleep where and when they can. New stars frequently show the excitement by powering on, even when they should be resting.
I get such a charge from playing that it takes hours for me to come off the high and be able to lay my head down.
So I have learned to sleep on the way to the venues. To each, his own.
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