How many shows has Dean Carnegie done? That's a good question. As a professional magician, the answer is between 7700 and 8300. So the average is 8000. A crashed computer led to me loosing a couple years of records and my complete database. Thankfully I kept pretty detailed records for most of that time.
So what have I learned? Well, I have learned that no two audiences are the same. I've learned regardless of how well trained you are, you must LISTEN to your audience. This means, you might have to change your line-up, you might have to alter the routines, you might have to tweak the messaging. This should apply to anyone who gets in front of an audience and speaks. But more often than not, most people just deliver their set message and let the chips fall where they may.
Tone and speed can make or break a performance. I always liken these two things to 'reading the room'. Looking out over the audience and getting their feedback, whether verbally of perhaps often just physically. Sometimes how they are sitting, how well they pay attention, how well you have captivated their attention. Authority and confidence come to play here too. If they don't think you are the voice of authority or if they sense weakness from you, they won't really listen. They might be there physically, but mentally they are somewhere else.
Performing magic has given me the ability to talk to crowds, command attention, get huge groups to follow directions, and produce both laughter and deep emotion from the same audience. And it isn't due to the magic it's due to whatever it is I am performing, the message I'm bringing to them. I don't mean that I am preaching at the audience or selling them a product, but everything we do has a message or it just doesn't connect. For example, a school principal standing in front of an auditorium full of students may be speaking briefly and letting the student body know to be on their best behavior because they represent the school, and also the school assembly is being provided for their benefit. So the message is instructional.
A singer at a concert may tell a story about a song they wrong, one about deep heartache and regret, and the message is emotional. A comedian on the other hand may be making jokes or simply making fun about the lines at a TSA checkpoint at the airport. We all laugh, but the message is shared frustration. And then sometimes, the message is simply, 'have fun'.
I remember when I started in this business. I had already done maybe a hundred shows as a part timer (which are not part of my 8000). But I quickly learned that I didn't know as much as I thought I did. I learned fast that repetition and practice go very far. Getting up, failing, and getting back up and evaluating your failures is the fastest way to future success. Every gig can't be perfect. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you don't connect. BUT, the more experience you have, the more tools you have in your box of fixes, to adjust and make it work. There is no substitute for experience. And you don't get experience without trying and occasionally failing.
Here is the dirty secret on failing. The better you get, the harder it is for anyone to spot a failure. You might have a show that, to you, was not a good one. But the client is thrilled, you met or exceeded their expectations. Why the disparity? Because you are judging things against your very best moments. They see it for what it was, a wonderful show. YOU wanted perfection, they wanted a happy audience. They won!
Oh and there is one other thing, the curse that many performers have. The audience of 1 or 2. No, I don't mean only 2 people in the audience. I mean everyone is laughing and having a great time, whether it's 100 or 1000, or 10,000 people. But you have spotted, one or two people who are clearly not enjoying themselves. Suddenly you are laser focused on them. You forget EVERYONE else, and you are trying to win over that one person or two people. To a lay person that sounds bizarre. Trust me, most performers go through this. And we will kick ourselves later, because we didn't win over that one or two members of the audience, even though 99.9 % had a GREAT time. Even 8000 shows doesn't change that, lol! But you must remind yourself that for the majority your message got through!
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