A Magician´s Journal - "Good Gig...Bad Luck"
"Good Gig...Bad Luck"
Journal of November 10
by Luis Vega
"Good Gig...Bad Luck"
Journal of November 10
by Luis Vega
Most of the time I have 1-2 gigs every week...aside from my normal restaurant...so that´s a lot of shows in a year...and most of the time they go great... Although I am very severe with my performances, so far I don´t have the perfect show...there is always something to improve...but people seems to love what I do!!...And I keep working...and I keep getting hired!!
But sometimes in a while I came across a gig...a gig so bad I can only laugh at what happens when bad luck strikes good and in the cups and balls.... there is no chance to recover... so I just take it like a man and go on...
I had this gig today, where I was hired to do a short stage show... but it had bad logistics, first it was meant to be on monday, then saturday and finally sunday... whatever, as long as I get paid...
I arrived a little late, since the gig was not in my city...but at 1 hour driving in another city near...and it was difficult to find the place... but it was ok, since they were delayed and it was bad organized...so I got my stuff ready...it was a little windy, but nothing to worry about...and the stage was outside...since it was outside a big store and the audience was people that went to shop and then saw that there was a stage and got near...
I prepare my set, which at the end included a floating table, one I made and it allows me to put stuff over it, so it looks like a normal table.... that is until I make it float!!..so before the show someone of the staff takes my table with all my stuff to the stage...
It was my turn to do my show and I was introduced to the audience and I do some short manipulation with cards and cigarretes, and then I was going to do a ring flight with a flying ring finale... and then some needle swallowing... so I finish the manipulation and talk to the audience a little bit..and then I hear it... the people doing that expresion when they see something bad is about to happen... lots of things went through my head...and honestly I inmediately knew what was going to happen...I was just hoping that a meteor was about to strike the earth and that was why all the people did that expression... that scenario was better than the one that happened!!...
The floating table fell to the floor along with all my props...the needles were scattered in the stage floor...the floating apple fell with the audience with somebody picking it up and realizaing it was fake...and finally and worst... the table was broken... one of the legs was broken, so it cannot stand up more, and basically that trick was over... and it was because the strong wind...suddenly it was very strong and take the table down...
Anyway I pick up what I can very quickly and continue the show with all I have left..a thumbtip, a deck of cards, some cigarretes and some invisible string..needless to say...it was a mediocre show...but I finished it!!
There was no way I could have foresee that...(and I am a mentalist too!!) it just happened... sometimes you just have bad luck and it so severe you cannot and won´t recover no matter how good you are or how many experience you have...and this was one of those times...
Anyway..the damage wasn´t so severe... aside from the table, I good a decent applause and the client is happy and sorry about my table... also there was a moderate audience (around 20-30 people) so it wasn´t a big deal, and this was not my city, so they maybe they will forget me in a few days (including the show..that was free for them!!) I got paid and I leave as quick as possible...
I share this because there is something to learn here...I usually have great gigs, but there is more to learn from a bad one...and I guess everyone would get bored from reading lots of great gigs and so!!...sometime you won´t be prepared for bad luck, imagine you have a big show...and then just a couple minutes from arriving to the venue, you are robed and your whole show stolen..and you have 30 minutes before the show... of course you could do "something"...in the end you just laugh and go on... try to not be so hard on yourself...learn to recognize which things are your fault, and which are not...
I hope you enjoyed it!!!