The moment I saw all the cardboard boxes stacked up on the left side of the stage at David Blaine’s Resorts World Las Vegas show, In Spades, I knew it was going to be a memorable evening. And sure enough, once the show started, it only took a few minutes for my hands to begin sweating.
Blaine, the man who has made defying death a way of life, wasted no time in revealing what those boxes were for. Suffice it to say, it’s certifiably insane (you might have heard the recent reports of Blaine injuring his shoulder at a recent show; this is the stunt that caused it).
But as staggering as this mini-performance was, it was only the beginning of the experience. Those who have seen all Blaine’s various feats of endurance on television (as well as his groundbreaking magic specials, in which he travels the globe and blows the minds of people from all cultures and creeds) will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this evening. And even for those who know what’s coming, Blaine doesn’t disappoint.
In Spades is a mix of everything Blaine is famous for. You will see him:
• Pierce various body parts, always producing not a single drop of blood;
• Venture into the audience with nothing but a deck of cards and have everyone gobsmacked within minutes;
• Produce objects from his esophagus that do not seem physically possible;
• Break a long-standing physical endurance record, all while children are invited onstage during said stunt to give him fist bumps and pose for selfies.
One of the best things about In Spades is the expressions on the faces of the volunteers Blaine brings onstage. As an audience member blurted out, “You’re crazy, man!” And the audience laughed in agreement.
It’s all alternatively exhilarating and exhausting, and the show’s final act sees Blaine sitting on some stairs on the side of the stage, talking to the audience as he recovers from the toll the show takes on him. He fully admits that it’s a bit crazy to think the show can last for long—after all, the stunts he performs in just under two hours took him years to perfect, and are meant to be performed individually, not back-to-back.
In other words, see this show while you can. It’s quintessentially Vegas in its showmanship and its wow factor, and it’s one you’ll be telling all your friends about long after you’ve left the theater.
Blaine has been a polarizing figure throughout his career; some have said he’s a fraud, while others have questioned whether he truly puts himself at risk. But with In Spades, Blaine proves himself one of the top performers currently on the Strip. I saw the show weeks ago, and just remembering it, my palms begin to sweat again.
Resorts World Las Vegas, axs.com
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