“The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster.â€
—Oscar Wilde, playwright
Our friend (and magic fan) Robin Leach recently wrote a story on the new trends in Las Vegas entertainment. “The hotels looked at mega-clubs as a golden egg, but those crowds shelling out steep admission prices and highly expensive bottle service, sometimes running upwards of $5,000, don’t have any money left over for shows or gaming.”
“It used to be tourists would book two or three shows on a visit here. Now we’re lucky if they see one.” The concern that Las Vegas shows might disappear and harm the image of this city being The Entertainment Capital of the World, and change it into The Nightclub Capital of the World has prompted action.
“We’ve got to get back to the intimacy of original, classic Las Vegas entertainment. The close-up factor. The superstar names. Where are today’s Rat Pack performers instead of unknown DJs playing other people’s music,†said one of the entertainment council advocates. “If we don’t change it soon, Las Vegas may never be the same again.
“Our town was filled with almost 200,000 electronic dance music fans last weekend, and only a handful of them went to see a Las Vegas show. There were too many empty seats in our theaters.â€
Read full story: http://tinyurl.com/lfyuntp
If you’ve been to Burning Man as many times as I have, then you know the secret. If you’ve been onstage in a hypnotism show then you know it, too!
The secret is participation! If you think folks want to come to Las Vegas just to sit in seats and watch the show… they can do that at home! Now, folks want to be in the show. Some shows in Vegas “get it.†I spoke with both Lance Burton and Mac King this week. They both said that the secret ingredient that keeps a show fresh is audience participation… it keeps you on your edge!  Blue Man Group has moments in the show that are full on participatory; our very own WONDERGROUND is also driven by “be the magic” philosophy. At our events, people are encouraged to be part of the show and the evening’s events. WONDERGROUND is as much a party as it is “show.â€
This week’s new WONDERGROUND video is here
http://vegaswonderground.com/watch-live/
“People will support that which they help to create.â€
—Mary Kay Ash, American Businesswoman
People support what they help create, regardless of whether it is a political movement, a sports team, or even a live performance. When you get people involved and committed to helping create an experience, they feel invited and part of the experience.  Participation is the key. It creates connection, community, and art.
Audience:  The root of the word audience comes from “audio,” which has to do with listening.  The spectator spectates… and can remain detached from the action, but participants party!  They are part of the action; they have a role to play; they are in the show, not observing the show.
“I embrace emerging experience. I participate in discovery. I am a butterfly. I am not a butterfly collector. I want the experience of the butterfly.â€
—William Stafford, English author, courtier and conspirator
John Walton & the World’s Most Original Magic!
Master Class student John Walton won The Originality Award at the recent Society of American Magicians convention. Â John presented his “Titanic Magic Square.” His routine fooled many of the most knowledgeable magicians in the world! This is the first time the award has been presented since 2001, 12 years ago. It has been awarded only a few times since 1902. Read more about the winners of magic here: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/winners
This week I fly to Hollywood to film a few TV shows for MASTERS OF ILLUSION. I will be performing NEW magic on these shows and you will get to see a few of the magic effects that I am releasing to the magic fraternity! Your can also catch my shows 24 hours a day on WWW.MCBRIDEMAGIC.TV.
See you on the air or on the road,
Jeff