First Restaurant Gig - Disaster

[Sepharoth]

Hello. This will be quite a long post/rant, I warn you now.

Little bit of background in case anyone is interested: I'm 17, living in Essex (UK) and been into magic for about a year now. A friend's uncle owns an Indian restaurant in the area, and last month when I finally asked him if he wanted a restaurant magician, he "booked" me for a Christmas party for some random company for today (17th Dec). So I thought, "awesome, how hard can it be?".

The Plan:

Following the advice of Jamie D Grant, I created 2 sets of 3 tricks each. I could have done a third or a fourth, but I decided to pack small.

• Spongeball
• Stand up Monte
• Invisible Deck

• Tagged (Richard Sanders)
• Look Sharp (Wayne Goodman)
• 2 card transpo with already signed card from last effect

I also had a spare deck with a few duplicates just in case the opportunity for French Kiss or TnR Transpo came around. And just in case anyone really loved magic, I was ready to do a tonne of impromptu effects, with or without a table.

So having prepared these effects, I thought I could do anything. I would go up to a table, introduce myself, perform the opening effect, leave them stunned, and then move along with the routine. However, as the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Not that this was well laid or anything, it was just delusional and over-ambitious.

What Actually Happened:

Over the course of 3 hours, I approached a grand total of 3 groups in the initial drinks reception. The first was a grumpy old couple, who when I attempted to introduce myself, looked upon me with disgust and smirked a negative response when I asked the "would you like to see some magic?" question. Note to self: Introduce yourself better.

Group 2 was another old couple, but they were really friendly. I did the trustworthy Invisible Deck, and although it wasn't met with the usual OMFG response, we had a nice conversation about a magician they met on a cruise who did signed card to ceiling etc.

Group 3 comprised three 30-year old gentlemen (probably not the right word) with beer in their hands. I attempted ID again, but then disaster struck. The guy named the King of Hearts. I thought "ok, king goes with king, I want the King of Spades, black kings are on the back of the deck". But when I opened the deck and spread through I saw a King of Diamonds, and thought "oh dear". I attempted to surreptitiously turn the deck over and spread through again, this time finding the King of Hearts - my heart sank at this point. So I said "OK sorry, trick failed" and tried to laugh it off, but I think they were laughing at me rather than with me.

Turns out that the night before, I had borrowed my friend's ID because mine had worn out over the past year and I needed something easier to handle. Also turns out that the system of red kings with odd cards and black kings with even cards wasn't setup in that particular deck, and because I'm retarded, I didn't think to check to make sure. Sigh.

By this point, the music had gotten so loud and the place so packed with people with champagne glasses that it was impossible to be heard, let alone perform magic. There was a duo playing the Sitar and the Tabla (Indian musical instruments) in the background in the drinks reception, with a band booked for after dinner and half-naked dancers booked for during dinner.

Reflections:

If I ever decide to attempt a restaurant again, I will make sure that it's not when there are 2 bands and a group of dancers hired, with music blaring in the background and people more interested in drinking than doing anything else.

I will always check my ID to make sure that it's set up correctly.

I will improve my Spongeball routine so that it isn't as disorganised as the current one is. Spongeballs would have been perfect during the drinks, as patronising people with an ID (Imagine a deck of cards, spread them out in your mind and all that bs) didn't go down too well, judging by the expressions on the peoples' faces. When I got there I realised that I didn't have any faith at all in the Spongeball routine and wasn't ready to show it to adults, having only ever performed it for children. Perhaps I'll include a flash production of the first ball, and maybe a nicer ending. Oh, and a hell of a lot more practise.

I could have done some "table hopping" in between the dancers and the band while they were setting up, but by that point 2.5 hours had elapsed and I chickened out, telling myself random crap like "you need to improve your routines first" and "they don't want to see magic, they're too busy talking to each other" etc. Looking back, I should have just gone up to a table and said "Hey, wanna see some magic" and not given a damn if I ended up looking like an idiot.

I need to prepare a few very simple, visual tricks for cases where people can't hear speech over music etc. Maybe perfecting CMH followed by a few rubber band things would be helpful.

Finally, I need to man the f*** up and not be afraid to approach tables/people. Maybe going out and accosting random strangers on the street with an ID would be good for getting rid of this fear... assuming I don't chicken out of that too.

Overall:

Overall, I would say that the experience, although not exactly enjoyable, was eye opening in that I realised how much work is still left to do before me and my routines are paid-performance ready. I also realise that this self-deprecating rant is not going to be helpful to anyone, and is nothing like Rick Everhart's inspirational success stories, but hey, we all have to start somewhere... maybe I'll volunteer at a few more hospices/old homes, as they are a much much much more forgiving audience than tipsy/drunk middle-aged men.

Btw, if any seasoned pros have read this far, it would be great to hear your thoughts about performing in these kinds of conditions. And also if you have any tips regarding routining, effects, flash paper, confidence, preparation, or anything really, I would love to hear them

Happy Holidays!

-Ali

 

[RickEverhart]

Ali,
Welcome aboard my friend. You are taking the first correct step in breaking down and reflecting on what needs to improved before you attempt it again. I give you props for getting out there and doing this and it will get easier....I promise. Many people can learn from this post and your situation even though many will not admit it.

I have done a similar thing with an ID. Did not check the set up of the ID from the previous show the weekend before because I had just replaced it in the box and thrown it back in with my magic stuff. It is rather embarrassing when mistakes like this happen, but I bet you check your ID from now on. Learn from this. It will not be your first mistake, heck, you are going to make tons more. I still make mistakes and learn from them. It is how you grow professionally and mature.

When you approach a table, especially with your age being a little young, you are going to need to do it with confidence (which will come from your prior successes). Any hesitancy or mistakes will be laughed at by like you said, the 30 year old guys drinking. It is hard to regain their respect if you flub your opener. Older audiences like in their 60s and above will not quite give you the typical loud and crazy response that you may be used to. Older people like to chit chat as well as you found out.

I believe Luis Vega posted this as well, but in instances where you have the loud music and add in half naked dancers (wooo-hooo), your effects need to hit hard and fast. Visual things are imperative. CMH would have played well. A good sponge ball set would have played well. Mismade Bill, Kostya's Warning with flash paper, 3 Fly, anything where they spectators can just watch in this type of non conducive environment will aid you in getting their attention. Obviously to table hop you want things that reset quickly and easily as well.

I am very happy you shared this story believe it or not.

 

[formula]

You've identified where you went wrong and it seems you've learnt some valuable lessons. There isn't much else that me or anyone else can add to that.
Your age does have an impact, which can make it harder but not impossible. Speaking from experience, you will find that some people will take you less seriously if you look young. Take that as an opportunity to make mistakes and take risks as people won't care quite as much.

Other than that, well done on what you accomplished.

 

[Jacob L]

Like others have said, congrats on getting out there. I can't tell you how many times I've messed up at the restaurant where I perform. It happens, we recover, we move on. One suggestion isn't to say "Want to see some magic?" Because most people haven't seen a close up magician before, so it's unfamiliar, when faced with something unfamiliar,most people turn away. By leaving the answer (also, your fate) up to them, you are more than likely to get rejected. I use Benji Bruce's advice and ask them if they have seen me perform before, they say no, and I go into my routine. In an environment like the one you were in, Kostya's Warning is perfect to open with. You can walk up with the lighter and get their attention without saying anything, and then hit them hard.

Good job on getting out there, good job on knowing what went wrong and where to go, and best of luck in the future!

Jacob

 

[William Draven]

last month when I finally asked him if he wanted a restaurant magician, he "booked" me for a Christmas party for some random company for today (17th Dec). So I thought, "awesome, how hard can it be?".

Famous last words right? No worries man, welcome to the fold. We all have bad shows, or shows that we were under prepared for. This happens to the best of us.

As for approaching people I think you've already learned the lesson here, and have a healthy perspective of what to do the next time. Simply put, be social! Approach people and make friends. Another thing you can try is instead of saying "Would you like to see some magic?" try asking them a question that they can't answer no to. Such as "What is your favorite card?" and then go strait into your ID. Or my usual approach: "Here, lets try something." I give them no outs, and usually they give me no grief. Everyone leaves happy.

Another trick you can try is introducing yourself as the house magician, and informing the group that the manager has sent you over to offer them some entertainment. It may sound funny, but this somehow always makes people feel special. The manager was thinking about us so much that he sent a magician to entertain us! This approach really is a win win for everyone involved.

It sounds to me like you've learned to always check your props before you take the stage to perform, and I use the word "stage" loosely, so all's good there I think. You really had a solid plan put together going in, which is always a plus. Unfortunately the loud music is a pain in the rear. You're not likely going to get the DJ or bands to turn it down while your working so you've got a couple of options. Option A: speak to the booking manager and try to agree upon a time to perform in where the DJ won't be playing music or the bands wont be on stage. It's a mutual respect thing, you don't want to have to talk over them anymore than you want them playing over you. Sometimes, this works. If it doesn't, then you may want to consider doing tricks that you can pantomime the info the spectator needs to know, or perform tricks that are more visual and less expository. Stuff like ambitious, or sponge balls.

The thing about getting out there and working in front of that kind of grumpy middle aged men environments is it really hones your skills. You're learning, your growing. Always taking the easy show routes may boost the ego, but it doesn't do much for the skills. Honestly, I think this show was probably a lot better for you than what you may realize, and sitting down and reflecting on it like you are doing is critical to understanding what areas you are doing well with, and which ones need to be worked on.

Honestly man, keep up the good work.

 

[Randy]

One of things you could simply do to prevent this from happening again is just ask the the guy who booked you if they have any other sorts of entertainment hired for the night. Because really it does seem impossible to compete with half naked dancers and two live bands.

 

[Michael Kras]

Hey man!! Thank you for sharing your story. Trust me, I've been there. I've always had this unshakeable fear of approaching people to do magic.... not because I'm afraid of performing, simply because I don't like interrupting people. When I worked my first restaurant, I would almost never go up to a table and interrupt a conversation. I would simply walk by and wait for a lull in conversation to make my move. This proved ineffective as I didn't cover nearly as many tables as I could/should have. The restaurant let me go after 3 months and, although it hurt at the time, I can completely understand why. I wasn't worth the money.

The biggest thing is to just go for it. Approach them confidently and overpower the conversation. Remember, most people at parties, restaurants, and social events are just making small talk. You rarely see people having intense important conversations, so interruption isn't nearly as bad. Besides, you're only taking about 5 minutes out of their time.

 

[WilliamMckeehan]

Great story and great job! I mean that because I have a lot of performing fear... I am at the point where I am looking for my first restaurant job. But to be honest I am not looking as hard as I could because of being scared. But your first performance has helped even me. So Be proud that you started!!

 

[Luis Vega]

Hello...

Well.. if you do paid shows during sometime, you will find bad shows like this...sometimes it´s not your fault, sometime it will be...

Anyway, I appreciate the fact of your self-criticism and how you think you need to improve... man!!...Do I remember a bad gig (you are very welcome to check this one out... http://forums.theory11.com/showthre...Journal-quot-Technical-Dificulties-quot-Ago15 )

Glad you decided to step up and improve..sometimes pain needs to be involved in order to us to realize we suck sometimes... good luck buddy!

 

[Sepharoth]

Thanks for all the kind words and advice everyone. Really appreciate it

 

[Onetouch]

I haven't been by for quite some time, and just stumbled upon your thread. First of all you have my respect for making this thread. This only goes to show that you care for your magic and take it serious. I can see that you have already gotten some pretty good advice, but I'll throw in a few as well.

It seems to me that you have to work on your approaches (as already mentioned). Here is how I would do it in a situation like the one you where in.

I wouldn't walk up and introduce myself as a magician. I would pretend to be a waiter. With the old people I would pick a money bill and ask them if they dropped it. Then I would do a bill switch.

With younger people you can do the same thing with the color changing knifes or the new effect Flash with USB sticks.

In both cases you catch them off guard and have introduced yourself as a magician at the same time. There are many other icebreakers out there. Just ask on the forum or your magic dealer.

And regarding the mishap with the ID. I would never admit that I screwed up a trick (which happens once in a while for everybody). Just ask them if they would like to see a trick that you actually CAN DO! or say something like "that's why i'm not a mentalist, it's way too difficult" and go on to your next trick.

Always check and then doublecheck all your probs before you go off to a gig. That way you won't have any broken rubberbands, pullers, screwed up ID and so on. And always bring one or two tricks with you that you can do in your sleep, for backup. That way you always have something (that you know will work) to show, whenever something goes wrong.

And as mentioned above. Always ask your client if he or she have booked or arranged other performers to perform while you're there. And if you go to weddings or birthdays (50 or 60 years) always tell the toastmaster that you have to be on at a certain time, because you have another job to go to afterwards. That way you can be sure they won't push you too far in the program.

Keep it up, and let us know how it turned out.

 

[christian1894]

well i have never performed in an actual GIG, but something that really made me nervous was to introduce myself as a magician, and tell people "pick a card"or go into the routine inmediatly, i have found better for me to get their names, talk to them and get to know them a bit and then start doing tricks or just talk to them until they feel that you are doing magic and they will probably start to ask you to do magic, i found that quite relaxing for me.
personally i dont like to open or do much card magic, i think that people feel that just as card tricks and maybe they will not respond to well, so i always open with some trick with a TT, or a coin trick and do cards later but again that is just me

 

[Randy]

It is ALWAYS better to build rapport with people before you perform for them.

Michael Vincent talked about this on his first DVD set where he mentioned that before he even brings out props or anything, he simply walks up to the table, he usually offers himself to the people there, and in turn they will offer themselves back. Then at the end of the approach he simply says something like "There is something I have to mention... There is a little bit of magic on the menu.." then just pauses for a few seconds.

 

[Diavo]

Very well composed post! (It was very refreshing to read and nice to see on the Theory11 forums.)

As I've heard said, we learn from every experience especially when things go wrong. Of course if you can learn from *other* people's mistakes, then you're ahead of the game. If you could shadow a magician while s/he's table hopping...

Plenty of good books have been written on table hopping; how to approach a table/group & how to introduce yourself, various opinions on the first trick and follow-ups, etc, etc.

 

[Justin.Morris]

I remember a similar gig I did when I started. In the course of an hour I barely did any tables and I found it super awkward to approach people.

However, I wouldn't call it a disaster because of what you walk away from it with. As already said nice job reflecting - it does get easier the more you do it.

 

[Jeremy Hanrahan]

Your off to a great start, getting in the field and seeing what works and moreso what doesn't is half the battle. Me personally, I perform magic that really requires no patter for those loud party receptions. I keep it visual and fast paced. I never really walk up to anyone and say whould you like to see some magic, I usually ask a nice looking woman if she can help me out with something for a second. Then let her friends and co-workers come up to us. Also something that might help is to have the dj or mc let everyone in the room know that there is a magician walking around for their entertainment, this breaks the ice with your spectators even before they see you coming.

Jeremy

 

[RickEverhart]

I always give / swap a few of my business cards with the DJ at receptions and events.

 

[Toby]

Hey guys, let me chime in with couple of words. I also like and support the idea of making rapport first, and doing magic second, but if you ever worked in a busy restaurant you will know that’s almost impossible. Between ordering food, waiters bringing bread, bringing water and ice tea, bringing appetizers, ordering main course, bringing main course, bar waiters bringing drinks, eating main course, ordering desert and eating desert, you pretty much have 2 minute window to go in, introduce yourself, blow their minds and leave.

In those cases (which are the conditions I work in every single day), I find that introducing yourself as “a house/hired performer” and asking “would you like to see something really interesting?” works pretty good. If people give you weird looks when you say that you’re a magician, then something is wrong. I never had that happened, not even once. This is verbatim what I say when I approach the table: “Hey guys, how’s it going? My name is (insert name) and I’m the magician.” Right here you will get some kind of response, either “oh wow cool, I like magic” or “wow that’s cool, when is your show?” or “can you make my wife disappear?”. I never had a negative comment on my introduction. If you do get weird looks, maybe you should check out the way you look or the way you present yourself. You have to look the part (aka. A suit and a tie) and you have to be confident. If I get no response from saying that I’m a magician, I then say “so I came here to blow your minds! Like, right out…”. That always gets a laugh, and people say “I’m ready, blow my mind”. Don’t be afraid to be funny, to be confident, or even to be cocky as I am sometimes.

As far as messing up tricks, it has happened to everybody. I perform ID on daily basis, and I have performed it hundreds of times (if not more) so far, and I still up to this day forget to re-set the ID between two tables, or just turn the wrong side of the deck up. Somehow I always manage to recover. One of the ways you can do that, if let’s say you turn the wrong side of the deck up, and you see their card face up, just close the deck, relax, and ask a person far away from you if they know how to snap their fingers. Everybody will look at that person (aka away from you) and you just turn the deck over. They snap their fingers, and voile, magic happened. If the spectator sees their card face up, and they say “oh it didn’t work”, just do the same thing, say “Oh I know what happened, you didn’t snap your fingers”, turn the deck over undercover, they snap their fingers, and all of a sudden the card is face down, miracle.
If for some reason you cannot recover from messing up ID so bad, just say “Oh wait, this is actually not a full deck of cards. See I always give cards away, let me get the other one” take the regular deck out, find their chosen card, let them sign it, and go into ACR.

Here is my embarrassing story. I don’t know how many of you know about Twilight Angels, but it’s one of my favorite effects to perform, by far. However, two or three times it has happened that I force the wrong card (the one with regular back), and I already told a story about the angels and how they are going to be together, and have my mirror out and everything. So what do I do? I cannot change the card, they already signed it, so I just go into ACR and use my mirror to “Attract the angels to the top of the deck”. It’s retarded I know, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind in that state of pure shock lol. And audience loved it, because they had no idea what is coming up anyways.
So all in all, congrats of doing your first gig, don’t give up, it’s only going to get better from here on.
Thank you!