I was ecstatic when my friend and co-worker Mike Anderson came into work at the Beavercreek Kroger store sometime during April of 1995 to inform me that he had purchased the tickets for us to attend the upcoming Penn and Teller live show at the Fraze Pavillion. As I stood in the customer service booth on the front end – long before the store ever saw its major remodel – my jaw dropped when he told me that he had somehow snagged front row seats over the phone. I had loved Penn and Teller since my initial introduction to them way back in 1985. It was shaping up to be a great summer.
I had seen Penn and Teller one year ago when George and I had ventured to the Palace Theatre in Columbus for my first encounter with them. So after that show, I pretty much knew their routine…and how to get to meet them. It wasn’t difficult since they were kind enough to come out and greet you after the show. But as I was going to be traveling in Hollywood in June, I was determined to find some photographs to have them sign – and I was sure to bring my camera along.
Lisa and Mike – ready to go – and a nice view of our Woodman Park Apartment
My ticket stub
The show held at the Fraze Pavillion on July 13 was great. We were seated on the left side of the stage in the front row. The bad boys of magic opened with a routine that I had never seen before: driving onto the stage in forklifts with a giant set of metal cards - then finding a selected huge card within the deck. It took the construction machinery to ‘shuffle’ these cards.
I cannot recall all of the routines, but I do remember that Teller performed his bleeding flower trick, they did the ESP jokebook trick, “Lift Off to Love” / trap door, the chipper shredder bit, Penn’s fire eating and broken bottle juggling, and it was the first time I saw the magic bullet trick. They also took an intermission during the show and came right out into the audience to meet and greet fans. No autographs at that time though, and we didn’t bother to chase after them, knowing that we would have our chance later.
Most memorable was the final trick – which I had seen the previous year – in which Penn and Teller got completely naked on stage verified by two selected members of the audience who were holding a sheet in front of them. The then put on two long white shirts which were also thoroughly searched by the audience members. They then began to produce cups and buckets of what appeared to be blood, which they eventually drenched themselves in. This was the last swindle of the night and it was in this bloody attire that they greeted the exiting crowds of people.
That bloody Penn
Ta-Da, Teller pleases two knuckleheads
Penn and Teller did in fact follow the same exact pattern of greeting the fans that they had the year before. I had purchased two photo to get sign, a color one for me and a black and white one for Lisa, both from the film Penn and Teller Get Killed. I advised Lisa to ask that they not drench the photos in blood as they had a habit of doing. Our friend Mike (the guy that purchased the tickets) naturally was present and took the photos of us with them. He got his program signed and later gave it to me. Lisa eventually divorced me, so I claimed her autographs.
Lisa and I each asked Penn and Teller to add our names to the photos and asked for “No blood!” Penn didn’t say much, but Teller chuckled and said “Okay, one blood-free.” In an effort to hear more of Teller’s voice, I asked him if he and Penn were working on any more movies. I think his response was yes, but none obviously ever panned out.
My blood-free photo wasn’t entirely blood-free, as you can see traces on Teller’s wet suit
Lisa’s had only a slight trace of blood in the top center
Mike got the works: Penn’s handprint and Teller’s bloody ‘black-eyes’
After we had met them individually, we hung around for a while and listened to them politely refuse to join some fans in a local bar (Penn doesn’t drink, he says), we got them to pose together with us for the photo at the top. I was wearing the Penn & Teller shirt that I had purchased in Columbus that they had already drenched in blood, but Penn didn’t notice it. He said, “be careful I don’t want to get blood on you,” to which I responded “take a closer look at my shirt Penn.” When he saw his bloody handprint already on it, he leaned on me and grinned, adding another handprint to the shoulder.
It’s always great to see Penn and Teller live – but it would be another ten years before I would see them again, long after they stopped touring the country and settled in the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Continue with more from the Summer of ’95…
Continue to my next meeting with Penn & Teller…
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