Local magician plans hometown shows
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Local magician Steven Brundage is performing four hometown shows this month, with plenty of new tricks up his sleeve.
Brundage, of Saratoga Springs, has been practicing magic since he was a little kid. Now 26 years old, he’s made a career out of it.
Many locals and visitors know Brundage from when he would perform on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Street performing is what helped him gain a following in the area, but when he got pulled over for speeding in 2014 - that’s when he got his big break.
Brundage posted a YouTube video of himself showing the police officer that stopped him in Scotia his Rubik’s Cube magic trick, and consequently getting out of the speeding ticket. That video quickly went viral, and Brundage was later asked to appear on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Steve Harvey’s talk show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us and America’s Got Talent.
After touring all over, doing hundreds of gigs, Brundage is happy to be back in his hometown playing to his most loyal fanbase in the Capital Region.
The upcoming local shows will take place on Aug. 11, 12, 25 and 26 at the Hilton at 534 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. each night, and the shows will begin at 8 p.m. with opening act Sean Doolan, another local magician.
Last year, Brundage did three shows at this venue, and they were all sold out.
Every time he walks around downtown Saratoga Springs, people stop Brundage to ask where they can see him perform. So this was a way to give those fans an opportunity to see a full show, right in the city.
“Performing on the streets was a great way to start, and I still love it, but it’s nice to be able to do something to help push forward,” Brundage said. “You always want to develop and grow yourself, so this is kind of like a nice development, to still be in Saratoga but doing a little bit bigger stage.”
Because of the success of these events last year, Brundage said, “I figured why not do it again this year and have some fun with the local people in Saratoga and the Capital Region?”
Brundage’s performance will include a lot of new material and magic tricks, interactive bits in which audience members are invited on stage, along with some comedy as well as the famous Rubik’s Cube trick. “You’ve got to play the hits,” Brundage said.
After the shows Brundage will be available for a meet and greet session.
As he continue to become more and more famous, Brundage is happy to have his hometown behind him. “There’s definitely a lot of local support,” he said. “Whenever I walk downtown, I get stopped. People always come up and say hi and congratulate me and stuff. It’s still a really nice local vibe, just having your hometown, and knowing if I left, three years later I could come back and I would still know nearly everybody in town, which is kind of a nice feeling to have a place like that.”
Looking ahead, Brundage is planning to move to Los Angeles in December, “So this is kind of a way for me to do one last local thing before I’m gone,” he said.
Once he reaches California, Brundage hopes to further his career, and start making more content, particularly to grow as an online personality.
Recently, Brundage has received some international attention, too. Earlier this year he appeared on a European television program called It’s Showtime.
Brundage said his goal for the future is to keep performing at lots of shows. “It’s not about one big show,” he said. “You can do some pretty cool shows and big shows, but it’s about doing a million shows. It’s about getting done with that show, staying relevant and doing the next show.”
Eventually Brundage might like to have a small venue with a permanent residency, but for now it’s all about being out on the road.
Though he’s been a working magician for several years now, Brundage still loves what he’s doing. When he’s practicing a new trick or making a YouTube video. “That’s like work,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like it though. It’s something people do for fun.”
More information about Steven Brundage and his upcoming Saratoga Springs performances is available online at www.SaratogaMagic.com, where visitors can purchase tickets to the shows as well.
General admission tickets are $35 per person, with premium and VIP options available as well.