“MindFreak Live!” performances resumed Saturday at the Luxor, a day after the show was abruptly canceled after magician Criss Angel faltered during one of his signature acts.
A statement issued Saturday on Angel’s behalf said the star lost consciousness about 15 minutes into the performance, while suspended above the audience wearing a straitjacket and hanging by his feet. His body reportedly stopped moving and he was slowly lowered from his position. The show was then canceled.
Angel was evaluated overnight at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center and released Saturday morning.
An email sent to the “Mindfreak” cast and crew said that the shows would continue as scheduled, with performances set at 7 p.m. and 9:30 Saturday, according to a source familiar with the communication.
“I’m gonna try it again,” Angel texted later. “I’ll give it 100 percent.”
An unconfirmed report from a source close to the production suggested that Angel suffered dehydration and suffered what magicians and acrobats call a “head rush.”
The cancellation and subsequent reports of Angel’s trip to the hospital touched off a swirl of activity across social media. No statement was issued by Angel, his production partner Cirque du Soleil, or MGM Resorts International until just after 2 p.m. Saturday.
“He is grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from his fans around the world,” the statement read.
Because of Friday’s events, Angel and his young son, Johnny Crisstopher, did not attend a scheduled appearance Saturday morning at a Walk for Wishes charity event.
Angel had planned to donate $100,000 in-person to Make?A?Wish of Southern Nevada during the Town Square event hosted by Dana Wagner of KSNV Channel 3. Instead, a donation was made in his absence by a representative from Angel’s HELP nonprofit organization that helps fight pediatric cancer.
The 49-year-old headliner has struggled with his straitjacket act before. He suffered a shoulder injury while performing a similar routineabove Times Square in New York in October 2013. Angel underwent surgery the following January to repair torn muscles in that shoulder, forcing a 10-week hiatus of his stage show, at the time named “Believe.”
Angel prides himself on his fitness, work ethic and durability. Before he was sidelined with his shoulder injury, he had performed more than 2,100 shows over five years without canceling a performance.
{ Jon Katsilometes, LVRJ | https://goo.gl/gLqkii }
