Midwest Tour Recap

My wife keeps telling me that I don't "blog" enough, so I decided to put together a recap of my recent magic tour in the Midwest. Each day of the tour we experienced 100+ degree temperatures, but I'll talk more about that later.

On Monday, July 2, Christine and I made a seven hour drive to Louisville, KY. We arrived in town early enough for me to recover from the driving by the pool/jacuzzi, while Christine got her workout in on the elliptical machine. That evening, I performed at Derby City Magic, a monthly show at the Comedy Caravan. The club was extremely hot that night and without air conditioning! In spite of the oppressive heat, the small club was completely sold-out with well over 150 guests! They even had to cram additional tables into the back corners to accommodate everyone. I think I may have blacked out on stage for a moment or two due to the heat from the room, audience and lights, but everyone still really enjoyed the show.

On Tuesday, July 3, we spent some time working out in the hotel gym and relaxing by the pool before making the short, two hour drive to Indianapolis, IN. We were greeted by Taylor Martin, the producer of Indy Magic Monthly, at our phenomenal hotel, The Nestle Inn (http://www.nestleindy.com/). Taylor is a class act and takes really great care of his performers. We loved the inn and will definitely be back! If you're ever in Indy, do yourself a favor and stay there. We set up at Theatre on the Square (a great space as well) and I headlined the show later that night. While performing my closing bit, the 100' challenge rope escape, I got a little bold and challenged two active duty soldiers to tie me up... these guys were PROS! It was the first time that I ever asked myself onstage, "what do I do if I can't get out?!" It took them 3:21 to tie me up and I was lucky to escape in 3:15! Following the escape, I received my first "real" standing ovation! It was an amazing night, capped off by dinner and drinks with my new magic friends in Indy!

The next morning we woke up entirely too early to kick off the Fourth of July (and, of course, Rube Goldberg's Birthday). We drove four hours to Gurnee, IL, to perform at Six Flags Great America's "4th Fest." Earlier I mentioned that the temperatures were 100+ everyday of our trip. On Wednesday, the only day that I was performing outside, the temperature hit 112, with the heat index! I was in survival mode each time I stepped onto the stage wearing jeans and boots! I did the 100' rope escape in each show and was thankful that those Army guys didn't follow me from Indianapolis! I don't think I could have got out of their knots in that heat! After successfully completing the shows, we were able to spend the rest of the evening with our friend Cris "Monga" Siqueira, who drove down from Milwaukee. We rode roller coasters, watched fireworks, talked about Girl to Gorilla shows and had a splendid time!

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On Thursday, July 5, we drove to Elgin, IL, to spend time with Christine's grandmother. She is 92 and suffered a stroke in March. It is amazing how far she has come in her recovery. Christine was overjoyed to spend time with her! It was definitely the highlight of the trip for Christine. That evening, we made our way into Chicago and saw Cirque Shanghai. It was great to have a night off to just relax and enjoy watching other performers instead. If you have a chance to catch this show, do! You will be in awe at the amount of true skill in one show. We concluded the evening with pilgrimages to Harry Caray's and the Billy Goat Tavern.

Our Midwest trip wrapped up the next day, but not without a stop at Giordano's for their famous stuffed pizza. It made us happy, but rather full, for the drive home to attend my cousin's wedding reception the next day.

That's it for this adventure, but a new one begins now, as I am working on my first professional theatre gig. For more information, please check out my blog about STRATA!

HOLY COW!!!