I know we all have them once in a while, but I couldn't believe this. I must say, after studying Strong Magic, my performances improved 10 fold. It was fantastic to see my presentation progress. But this morning I had the worst audience I have ever encountered. I did nothing differently. It seemed as if I was performing for a group of animals. Little or no reaction to some powerful effects.
Oh well, this is somehting we all experience from time to time. I just felt like ranting about it. I guess I'll make myself feel better and order John Born's new book today.

Sometimes it just happens. There can be a number of reasons but I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.

If you did the best show you can, and you entertained, you did your job. How you were received is sometimes completely out of your hands.

Question..was it a different audience than you normaly do? Did you need to adapt? I had a show go bad because I had been told the show was for 6 year olds and most of the kids were 10 who felt they were too cool for a magic show.

How true! I got out of kid shows a long time ago. Turns out that a group of drunks at the local taverns around here are a better audience than ten-year-olds. Good tippers too! Rant away, man. Just because eveyone has those bad days doesn't make it any easyer.

You would be surprised at how different you may have performed ( than the way you think you did)if the show was captured on video. Performing in itself is an illusion since many critical moments can happen that are perceived differently by you as opposed to the audience. Also you cannot re-analyze a show very well without a video or even personal feedback. The video
doesn't lie or exagerate, it's potent truth serum that can hurt, but only in a positive way if you can take it. Video recordings bring out certain gestures, moves,voice inflection, articulation, audience reaction etc.that you wil not have picked up on during the show. Try having your next 3 shows video taped. Not many magicians do. But if you do this and study them, your magic wil move to a higher level. It may even cause or motivate you toscrap half your trick or try a different character, etc.
It's really the only sound way of improving that I know of. Good luck!

Cabrera

Scott I have to respond to your comment about a room full of drunks being a better audience than a room full of ten year olds.

It all depends on what you like to do. I will take kids over drunken adults any day!

What makes kids a tough audience is that they can tell in an instant if a magician dcoesn't like kids, because (shocker) you have to like to kids to perform for them. I hear too often of magicians blaming the kids for being a bad audience when the real problem was a magician who wasn't prepared to deal with a childrens audience.

But ... differences is what makes the world spin.

Please, take no offence but, you may not think your magic is on that level. Your prevous crowd's might have been nice and just re-acted. However, I don't think you do that and you really seem to know magic. Everytime a magician will run into a horrible crowd and it is impossible to do what you do. Personally, I get very nerous and VERY BAD when I run into these people. I like control, so when I lose it, I get shakey.

Just 'shake' it off and move on.

Lee

"Tact is for people not witty enough to be sarcastic."

Financedragon,
Although Cabrera's suggestions are all very good. Sometimes the audience just sucks and there's not a D&^% thing you can do about it.

Just be happy that you weren’t performing for a bunch of drunk kids!

Sometimes it is the kids and not the show. You can do the best show and kids will just sit there with no reaction. You can't win them all. If you do enough shows, you are going to get a bad audience once in a while. As long as you have good reactions most of the time, then you are doing okay. Cheers!