{"id":10182,"date":"2015-04-26T08:28:02","date_gmt":"2015-04-26T15:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=10182"},"modified":"2015-04-26T12:45:12","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T19:45:12","slug":"astounded-and-amazed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=10182","title":{"rendered":"Astounded and Amazed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Penn<\/a>\"userpic=las-vegas\"Last night we saw what is likely to be our last show for this trip: Penn & Teller<\/em><\/a> (FB<\/a>) at the Rio Hotel and Casino<\/a>. This is a show we’ve been wanting to see for years; luckily, there were Goldstar tickets available for the period of this trip. I’ve since learned that discounted tickets are often available for Penn & Teller, and often those discounts can land you in the orchestra section, not the mezzanine where we were. Perhaps next time.<\/p>\n

Penn & Teller have one of the longest running headliner shows in Vegas – 14 years at the Rio, 29 in Vegas. They debuted in Las Vegas in 1993 and have been performing at the Rio since 2001. The reason for their success is that they are entertaining. But they are not for everyone. If you hate atheists or libertarians, then don’t go to the show. Penn is well known for not being quiet about his beliefs (Teller is known for being quiet about everything). In this show, he is very “in your face” about his beliefs. Reading the Yelp reviews<\/a>, this offended quite a few attendees; heaven forfend if your beliefs are challenged. Penn also does a lot of talking and introduction to the various tricks. Again, this offended a lot of attendees (looking at the Yelp reviews): if you want a magic act that is all flash and music, as opposed to being somewhat intellectual and preachy, then go somewhere else. Penn & Teller is intellectual magic — they consciously want you to think about their tricks, and then they pull them off leaving you even more astonished at how they did it. Further, they admit upfront that much of this is verbal misdirection… and with this, you still can’t see how they did it. Astonishing.<\/p>\n

Penn & Teller is also a show that loves its audience. Although the show is at 9:00PM, they recommend that you arrive around 8:00 PM. This is because they open the doors about 8:20 PM, and the audience is entertained by the Mike Jones Trio<\/del><\/a> Duo (FB<\/a>) (and, if you look closely, you’ll see it is Penn Jillette<\/a> (FB<\/a>) playing Bass). The show itself includes loads of audience participation, from before the show when you can sign an envelope and inspect a box, to all of the tricks that involve audience members. Lastly, after the show, both Penn and Teller are available outside the theatre for pictures and “meet and greet”.<\/p>\n

The show itself is claimed to include a rotating collection of tricks from the Penn & Teller repertoire. In reality, that is likely yet another trick because they have to have the necessary supporting props and equipment, not to mention the lighting and music cues, ready. They do not provide a list of tricks or a program (well, you can purchase a program for $10). The following are the tricks I recall — I’m not going to describe them in detail to preserve the surprise (they were not presented in this order, but the first and last tricks are what were first and last):<\/p>\n