Biggest problem you've had when performing?
- Thread starter Aced1993
- Start date
One time when I started out, I was performing ACR and when I went to do the pass, about half the deck just shot out, spilling cards everywhere.
I can think of 2 major ones that made me look horrible. One was under my control and the other was not. I could probably write a book on half of my stories both good and bad...ha ha.
1.) I'm 15 minutes into an outdoor birthday party show, with a huge crowd, weather was decent but nothing to be worried about. The client insisted that I do the party outside and in their defense the weather was fine. I had a pretty big set up and props out everywhere and then all of the sudden a big gray cloud rolls in and just as I restored a cut and restored rope....the rain just pours down on me and everyone else. Kids are screaming and running in every which direction. Chairs are falling over. Food is getting wet. And I'm left standing in the back yard in my suit quickly trying to put away my stratosphere without balls falling over, other props getting soaked, etc. A parent finally runs to my rescue with an umbrella and I'm just tossing crap into my gig case as fast as I can. I try to lug everything into their house and the client has now lost complete control of 25 kids running through the house. She tells me to scrap the rest of the show and just to start busting out balloon animals as fast as I can. They still paid me the full amount but I felt horrible.
2.) I'm performing at a birthday party gig and I'm into one of the fun effects where the birthday child gets to wear a cowboy hat and fire a cap gun at my deck of cards...all set to music...I play it up for like 5 minutes solid before the gun is fired. Obviously the card that gets revealed to the crowd is "supposed" to be the kids selected card only with a big burnt hole through the center. Well...long story short I had forced the wrong card by accident and then when the big reveal came....it was the wrong card. Yikes, talk about feeling stupid in front of a gymnasium full of kids.
Luis Vega who is a good friend of mine who frequents here has a great recent story that he posted on E. Maybe he will cut and paste it over here because it sounded lovely as well. Ha Ha. I'm glad I was NOT in his shoes at his most recent gig. It was weather related as well.
1.) I'm 15 minutes into an outdoor birthday party show, with a huge crowd, weather was decent but nothing to be worried about. The client insisted that I do the party outside and in their defense the weather was fine. I had a pretty big set up and props out everywhere and then all of the sudden a big gray cloud rolls in and just as I restored a cut and restored rope....the rain just pours down on me and everyone else. Kids are screaming and running in every which direction. Chairs are falling over. Food is getting wet. And I'm left standing in the back yard in my suit quickly trying to put away my stratosphere without balls falling over, other props getting soaked, etc. A parent finally runs to my rescue with an umbrella and I'm just tossing crap into my gig case as fast as I can. I try to lug everything into their house and the client has now lost complete control of 25 kids running through the house. She tells me to scrap the rest of the show and just to start busting out balloon animals as fast as I can. They still paid me the full amount but I felt horrible.
2.) I'm performing at a birthday party gig and I'm into one of the fun effects where the birthday child gets to wear a cowboy hat and fire a cap gun at my deck of cards...all set to music...I play it up for like 5 minutes solid before the gun is fired. Obviously the card that gets revealed to the crowd is "supposed" to be the kids selected card only with a big burnt hole through the center. Well...long story short I had forced the wrong card by accident and then when the big reveal came....it was the wrong card. Yikes, talk about feeling stupid in front of a gymnasium full of kids.
Luis Vega who is a good friend of mine who frequents here has a great recent story that he posted on E. Maybe he will cut and paste it over here because it sounded lovely as well. Ha Ha. I'm glad I was NOT in his shoes at his most recent gig. It was weather related as well.
Hello!!!
Hey Rick!! I did post it here as well!!! jajaja...that was very painful!!
http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?40273-A-Magician%B4s-Journal-quot-Good-Gig...Bad-Luck-quot
I got the shiverrs when I remember that gig!!.. when I collected my check I ran as fast as I could before they change their minds!!
Hey Rick!! I did post it here as well!!! jajaja...that was very painful!!
http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?40273-A-Magician%B4s-Journal-quot-Good-Gig...Bad-Luck-quot
I got the shiverrs when I remember that gig!!.. when I collected my check I ran as fast as I could before they change their minds!!
So when I do the push-through shuffle, I look up right before the strip out. Usually, I accompany this with some comment for misdirection. Unfortunately, I successfully misdirected myself. As a result, I neatly and cleanly squared the cards. This was mid-effect. A truly terrifying moment...