Most Memorable Performances

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
Whats up guys, (and girls..... and Danny) jk jk, love ya bro. So, I thought a good idea for a new thread was for us to revisit our favorite, or most memorible performances. Funniest, weirdest, most shocking, worst, and so on.

One of my most recent ones will probably have to one of the funniest ones Ive had. So I live in Portland (btw, if anyone else does we need to jam) and in the downown area is a place called Pioneer Square, and in p.s., there is a statue of a dude with an umbrella. Why? I dont know. But, it gave me an idea. I stopped a guy and asked him if he wanted to see something. So he picked a card and lost it in the deck. Then I showed him his card was gone from the deck. I asked him if he lived here and he said yeah, so I said, "You know how the weather always changes? Well that dude came prepared." And on top of the statue was his card, stuck in the pointy part at the top of the umbrella. The dude freaked out and screamed "Theres no f*****g way!!!" So he had to grab the card off it cuz Im vertically challenged, and it was his card (9H). The best part is that his reaction was so loud, that another magician (actually there was like 3, or 4 of them, like their own magic gang) on the other end of the square, heard him and came to see what was up. But the best part was we ended up having like, a 30 minute magic off, (that I won :D), so i was busting out everything I had like Indecent, Pressure, Factory Sealed, Timeline 2.0, Stigmata, Sleeping Queen, Jacobs Ladder, KAOS, some UltraGaff, and so on. It wasnt a magic-off compitition, persay, more of a jam. I ike to say magic off cause my buddys that were there thought it was cause Id perform a trick, then him, then me, then him and so on. They all said I would have won if it wa a contest, but I just thought it was fun cause it was really more of a street jam. I consider it one of the most memoriable performances because I thought it was really cool that I met a random magician on the street, due to the fact that another performance got his attention.

So, thats one of my favorite. I leave you with a picture of jesus.....

9702403.jpg


or a link.... http://twitpic.com/5ryf7
 
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May 3, 2008
618
1
I don't like the idea of magicians competing to see who's better. That is pretty lame if you ask me.
Anyway, one of my most memorable performances was at a school talent show where I performed Thread. It wasn't even my best performance, but I found it amazing because it was my first time ever performing something on stage and there was a majorly different feel then when you perform in a closeup situation.
I remember very clearly that by the time I was up, the audience was restless and rude towards some of the other performers who were musicians, singers, etc. And I was nervous as sh*t. I decided to suck it up, grow some balls, and went out there in front of hundreds of teens and demanded attention. Things just seemed to flow out of my mouth and I took control of the audience. Unfortunately for me, I slipped with my words and sounded like a dumb*ss at one point (It makes me cringe everytime I watch the video). But I continued and by the time I took out the thread and popped it into my mouth, I felt a change in the atmosphere; I felt anticipation and excitement grow throughout the room. By the point where I pulled it out of my eye, the audience exploded and I've never heard such insane reactions in my life. I was surprised that I received a standing ovation. I loved that performance simply because being on stage was so much fun, it was new territory for me and I would love to do it again.
The performance can be found here: http://media.theory11.com/2409-Talent-Show---Thread
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
I don't like the idea of magicians competing to see who's better. That is pretty lame if you ask me.
Anyway, one of my most memorable performances was at a school talent show where I performed Thread. It wasn't even my best performance, but I found it amazing because it was my first time ever performing something on stage and there was a majorly different feel then when you perform in a closeup situation.
I remember very clearly that by the time I was up, the audience was restless and rude towards some of the other performers who were musicians, singers, etc. And I was nervous as sh*t. I decided to suck it up, grow some balls, and went out there in front of hundreds of teens and demanded attention. Things just seemed to flow out of my mouth and I took control of the audience. Unfortunately for me, I slipped with my words and sounded like a dumb*ss at one point (It makes me cringe everytime I watch the video). But I continued and by the time I took out the thread and popped it into my mouth, I felt a change in the atmosphere; I felt anticipation and excitement grow throughout the room. By the point where I pulled it out of my eye, the audience exploded and I've never heard such insane reactions in my life. I was surprised that I received a standing ovation. I loved that performance simply because being on stage was so much fun, it was new territory for me and I would love to do it again.
The performance can be found here: http://media.theory11.com/2409-Talent-Show---Thread
I toattly see your point about the compitition to see who is a better magician, it can be a very arrogant expierence, but this was more of a fun jam between us. We were all magicians, with the exception of like, 1-3 other guys, so we didnt really have a compitition per say, just a jam. I like to say magic off, because my friend (who is magician) was like, "dude, that was funny as hell. you guys toattly had a little magic off back there". I think he got that vibe cause Id perfom a trick, then he would, then me, then him, and so on. They all said if it was a compitition I would have won. I just thought it was fun. (Heh heh, that rhymed)

Oh. LOVED the performance of thread!! Very good job! Sometimes I really dont mind if I mess up, cause it makes me seem real. Which in turn, makes the magic seem more real.
 
Jan 10, 2008
294
2
I remember years ago I was with my close friends at Applebee's. I was very good friends with one of the waitresses and every time i'd go to Applebee's she would always want to see a quick trick before she took my order. So this particular day they were the busiest that I have ever seen it, so I couldn't do something right away for her, but after we ate me and my friends decided to have a couple drinks at the bar. So when my waitress friend finally had time to see something I had about 6 beers in my system and was more or less inebriated. I chose to do Stigmata for her. It worked "too" well if you know what I mean. For when she took her hand off of my wrist there in my own blood was the number she was thinking of. She had to wash her hands, I had to clean my wrist up. My worst performance ever, but it definitely got a good reaction!
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
I don't like the idea of magicians competing to see who's better. That is pretty lame if you ask me.

Virtually every step forward in human knowledge and understanding has come from competition. The very survival of our race is based on competition. Without the rivalries and one-upmanship of the scientific and philosophical communities, many of the revolutionary ideas that now form the basic assumptions of study would not have been made manifest. Competition is what drives innovation and ensures that individual potential is reached. The desire for affirmation, and to test one's self-image against that of another human is at the very core of what drives us as people and, by implication, as magicians.

The early twentieth century card men whose competitive spirit led them to call themselves "The World Champion Card Manipulator" or "The King of Cards" shaped the infancy of close-up magic as it is today. The New York inner circle that formed around Vernon and Daley pushed the artform forward at a terrific pace because of their friendly, and sometimes not so friendly, rivalry in their constant search for the new and the unique. Marlo's obsession led to the description and notation of hundreds, maybe thousands, of sleights and effects. And then, of course, we have the magic competitions, from local talent shows all the way up to FISM, which serve to give many magic careers the boost they require.

Therefore, Drkrelements, if you ask me, "the idea of magicians competing to see who's better", is quite far from "pretty lame".
 
May 3, 2008
618
1
Virtually every step forward in human knowledge and understanding has come from competition. The very survival of our race is based on competition. Without the rivalries and one-upmanship of the scientific and philosophical communities, many of the revolutionary ideas that now form the basic assumptions of study would not have been made manifest. Competition is what drives innovation and ensures that individual potential is reached. The desire for affirmation, and to test one's self-image against that of another human is at the very core of what drives us as people and, by implication, as magicians.

The early twentieth century card men whose competitive spirit led them to call themselves "The World Champion Card Manipulator" or "The King of Cards" shaped the infancy of close-up magic as it is today. The New York inner circle that formed around Vernon and Daley pushed the artform forward at a terrific pace because of their friendly, and sometimes not so friendly, rivalry in their constant search for the new and the unique. Marlo's obsession led to the description and notation of hundreds, maybe thousands, of sleights and effects. And then, of course, we have the magic competitions, from local talent shows all the way up to FISM, which serve to give many magic careers the boost they require.

Therefore, Drkrelements, if you ask me, "the idea of magicians competing to see who's better", is quite far from "pretty lame".

Well it shows no sign of innovation if he's busting out effects that aren't his own; it's just showing off to other magicians. Competition is necessary, but take it to the audiences, not just magicians.
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
Well it shows no sign of innovation if he's busting out effects that aren't his own; it's just showing off to other magicians. Competition is necessary, but take it to the audiences, not just magicians.

I respect your opinion, but doing effects that arent your own doesnt neccesarly suggest the lack of innovation, or that we were trying to show off. And if you recall, I feel that it was more of a jam, because we were gaining positive feedback form eachother, rather than competing to see who is better. This was mearly magicians performing WITH magicians, not FOR magicians. I consider it one of the most memoriable performances because I thought it was really cool that I met a random magician on the street, due to the fact that another performance got his attention.
 
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n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
All that in the space of 30 mins?? How about some presentation buddy :)

I agree with your point, but most tricks are shorter than 3min long, even with presination. And if your performing for three minutes straight, you may have too much presination. (Regarding 30min) I dont know the exact time, that was just a rough estimate. Plus, I dont recall every trick that I did, or did not perform, I was just giving an example.
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
I remember years ago I was with my close friends at Applebee's. I was very good friends with one of the waitresses and every time i'd go to Applebee's she would always want to see a quick trick before she took my order. So this particular day they were the busiest that I have ever seen it, so I couldn't do something right away for her, but after we ate me and my friends decided to have a couple drinks at the bar. So when my waitress friend finally had time to see something I had about 6 beers in my system and was more or less inebriated. I chose to do Stigmata for her. It worked "too" well if you know what I mean. For when she took her hand off of my wrist there in my own blood was the number she was thinking of. She had to wash her hands, I had to clean my wrist up. My worst performance ever, but it definitely got a good reaction!


I dont mean to laugh at your expense, but that is pretty damn funny bro. I bet her reaction was freakin sweet.:D
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
Personally I like my tricks to be quick, and straight to the point. No b.s. And my audiences like it that way as well. Of course it probably takes more to talk and do other things. Im talking about talking to the auience, getting their attention, perform a three minute trick, reactions/interacing with the audience, then another three minute trick, then talk some more, and so on. I suggets that you time yourself while you practice a street effect and see how long it takes. When time i mean, the actuall moves put together, not the whole " Hello, my name is elvis, can I get you to help me out real quick?". But the "I want you to pick a card, look at it remember it, good, now put it back, blah blah blah," and so on untill the trick is done.

Plus you should watch THIS. Its Daniel Garcia performing Timeline 2.0 twice, plus intro, plus some other stuff (you know danny), and note the time.
 
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May 3, 2008
618
1
I respect your opinion, but doing effects that arent your own doesnt neccesarly suggest the lack of innovation, or that we were trying to show off. And if you recall, I feel that it was more of a jam, because we were gaining positive feedback form eachother, rather than competing to see who is better. This was mearly magicians performing WITH magicians, not FOR magicians. I consider it one of the most memoriable performances because I thought it was really cool that I met a random magician on the street, due to the fact that another performance got his attention.
I understand that. My comment was more directed towards the comment on competition which I didn't think quite fit into context. I get what you mean entirely.
In my opinion, a longer performance doesn't mean a better presentation, or vice versa. I think 2 to 3 minutes per trick is totally acceptable on the streets because people don't have the attention spans that they do when they pay to see a 30 minute act. You just have to make sure that what you do during those 3 minutes is memorable and damn entertaining, and not just going through a whole procedure that reaches to the climax which a lot of people, including Danny G in the video, do quite often. At least that's how I see it.
I also want to read some more performance highlights! I'm interested in hearing which performances you enjoyed or didn't enjoy.
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
I understand that. My comment was more directed towards the comment on competition which I didn't think quite fit into context. I get what you mean entirely.
In my opinion, a longer performance doesn't mean a better presentation, or vice versa. I think 2 to 3 minutes per trick is totally acceptable on the streets because people don't have the attention spans that they do when they pay to see a 30 minute act. You just have to make sure that what you do during those 3 minutes is memorable and damn entertaining, and not just going through a whole procedure that reaches to the climax which a lot of people, including Danny G in the video, do quite often. At least that's how I see it.
I also want to read some more performance highlights! I'm interested in hearing which performances you enjoyed or didn't enjoy.

Couldnt agree more. When it comes to compitation, we shouldnt showcase our skills by performing other peoples work. Rather, by creating our own effects, we show our creativity and innovation in the art of magic, our skills will be judged regardless.

I was just reflecting on two performances, one thats hallirous, and one I wish I forgot.

My friends family, and mine are very close, so we were at their house for a bbq, when I decided to do some stuff for my friends. So I started performing and I was on a roll. Every sleight was perfect, and I kind of created tricks as I went through the night that were killer. So naturally they said, youve got to show our parents. So I started to perform for three familys of highly intelligent people; lawyers, doctors, cops, etc. So I was already nervous. I tried to get rid of the nerves, and started performing...... I TANKED. Worst performance of my life. I revealed wrong cards, forced wrong ones, kept dropping 2x lifts, and when i tried to do shape shiifter, the cards just kind of flew in different directions. Really bad way to end the day. Although, I had ended on a good note. I performed Indecent and killed. The next day I realized I left my phone there, went back to get it and was greated by a "I know how you did the trick in the bag!!" Yeah, nice to see you too.

Anyway....
There is one performance that I cant forget, for a good reason. I was in my health class, when I had finished a test and decided to do aittle something for the person next to me. I did stigmata, and KILLED. She freaked out and actually left the room, DURING HER TEST. No joke, she gasped, said "what the f**k?!", got up and freaking left. I couldnt breathe I was laughing so hard. Best part, she didnt even come back.

So man, how bout you. Whats your favorite performance?
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
I agree with your point, but most tricks are shorter than 3min long, even with presination. And if your performing for three minutes straight, you may have too much presination. (Regarding 30min) I dont know the exact time, that was just a rough estimate. Plus, I dont recall every trick that I did, or did not perform, I was just giving an example.

No offense, but I think that that is simply completely wrong.

I have performed half hour shows that have consisted of one single effect. In fact, at the moment, I have two such effects that constitute shows in and of themselves.

However, whilst I agree that it is possible to have too much presentation, the much bigger problem is having too little. Too much magic today is performed dealer-demo style (A series of "Hey, check this out, it's cool. And the card jumps 10 feet into the air, gets stuck on the ceiling, and when you take it down, OH MY GOD IT TURNED INTO MAX MAVEN! WHAT THE ****?!?! Ok, now check this out. If I put your card here, it jumps to the top. If I put it here, watch: Invisibly, it goes into my mouth. And now, if I put here it here, MAX STOP APPEARING LIKE THAT!") That's not presentation. That's not even magic, that's rubbish.

Of course there are many effects which last less than 3 minutes, but it's unfair to say that most are, I don't think that's correct. I have effects where I encourage the spectator to just keep shuffling, and they often shuffle for 2 or more minutes. If they shuffle while I talk, they shuffle for longer.

I believe that the effect should be lengthened as much as possible without crossing the line - in that, the pre-effect stage, the approach and presentation and introduction, should be the longest part of the effect.

I hope you haven't taken any offense to anything I've said, none was intended. However I just feel that you have a misunderstanding of what presentation actually constitutes, and how to present well.
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
No offense, but I think that that is simply completely wrong.

I have performed half hour shows that have consisted of one single effect. In fact, at the moment, I have two such effects that constitute shows in and of themselves.

However, whilst I agree that it is possible to have too much presentation, the much bigger problem is having too little. Too much magic today is performed dealer-demo style (A series of "Hey, check this out, it's cool. And the card jumps 10 feet into the air, gets stuck on the ceiling, and when you take it down, OH MY GOD IT TURNED INTO MAX MAVEN! WHAT THE ****?!?! Ok, now check this out. If I put your card here, it jumps to the top. If I put it here, watch: Invisibly, it goes into my mouth. And now, if I put here it here, MAX STOP APPEARING LIKE THAT!") That's not presentation. That's not even magic, that's rubbish.

Of course there are many effects which last less than 3 minutes, but it's unfair to say that most are, I don't think that's correct. I have effects where I encourage the spectator to just keep shuffling, and they often shuffle for 2 or more minutes. If they shuffle while I talk, they shuffle for longer.

I believe that the effect should be lengthened as much as possible without crossing the line - in that, the pre-effect stage, the approach and presentation and introduction, should be the longest part of the effect.

I hope you haven't taken any offense to anything I've said, none was intended. However I just feel that you have a misunderstanding of what presentation actually constitutes, and how to present well.


Its all good. No offense taken. Not everyone will agree on the "right" way to perform, hell, Im always making adjustment to my performances based on feedback and audience's reactions/ interactions. Some effects work waaay better if they are done long, some, not so much. When it comes to streetmagic/ busking (my personal favorite form), I personally would advise people not to drag out effects, due to the fact that most people you stop on the street really only have a few minutes, if that, to spare. Of course I am not suggesting, "do the trick as quick as possible", rather, be aware of how much enfisis/ suspense your putting into a simple acr routine. (Too much would make the trick seem to drag on.) Now, when it comes to a stage show, where people generally pay to watch it, longer effects that build up the suspense ultimatly make the prestige alot more entertaining. But when it comes to the street, I (and my audiences [or so it seems]) would much rather have a trick but straight to the point, no bs, and damn entertaining (take Timeline 2.0, or Tricycle, for example.).

...in that, the pre-effect stage, the approach and presentation and introduction, should be the longest part of the effect.
Agree 100%. Thats one of my favorite parts of performing (espically on the streets) because you get to meet so many different people, form different walks of life.
 

n:b

Jul 7, 2009
32
0
sites.google.com
You should take into consideration that he was demo'ing the effect, not actually performing because he wanted to entertein the crowd.


If youve watched symphony, youd knowtice that he had a rather large crowd. 1) Im pretty sure dg wouldnt just try and "demo" the trick for that many people. And 2) If he was, wouldnt the puropse be to demo the reaction, as well. Therefore, he was trying to entertain the crowd during that performance.
 
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