GREAT audience tonight at SOPAC! This is a new venue, recently opened in November. They are still very much in the “audience development” stage and we are the first show of our kind to perform there. Up until this point, it’s been mostly Jazz artists.
The crew, under the direction of Brian Isaacs, worked very hard to get everything ready for us and then worked hard throughout the day to make it as easy as possible. We had a few problems throughout the day but were able to move past them. All in all, everyone worked hard and the show came off well.
The audience rolled into the venue and seemed to connect with us from the very first effect. I continued to hear and see their responses to all of the magic and that’s always very encouraging. And once I made it to the lobby afterwards, I heard lots of positive comments and sensed their enthusiasm. Someone from the venue told me that, during intermission, the audience entered the lobby talking non-stop and filled with the excitement.
I say all of that because there was a bit of “pressure” on us for this show. We were their first venture into something different; something other than what they have been presenting. I really wanted the audience to connect with us and to enjoy the illusions we had chosen to present. To be told by the staff that the audience was having a good time AND that they could sense their excitement and enthusiasm was a huge compliment for us. It’s our goal to make the venue look good for having taken the considerable time and effort to ask us to be a part of their series of events. This was a validation that they had made a good decision; of course, as an artist/performer, there is also the element of “approval” that we seek from the crowd!
We’re back at the hotel and tonight we loose an hour of sleep as we move the clocks forward to Daylight Savings Time. We have an early day tomorrow and a long drive to Charlotte, NC – so I’m going to bed.