Magician David Blaine Dislocates Shoulder During Show, Soldiers On

By Scott Roeben, on March 13 2023
2 min read 3 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Shows

Magician David Blaine has always seemed a little unhinged. During a recent show, his shoulder became the same. Unhinged, that is.

Blaine dislocated his shoulder during a stunt where he falls 80 feet into a pile of cardboard boxes.

He called upon the assistance of doctors in the audience, the shoulder was relocated, and he finished the show. Like a badass.

David Blaine takes “the show must go on” to extremes.

David Blaine shared video of the aftermath of his accident on Instagram, captioned simply with “Wow, that hurt!”

Here’s video of the episode.

Some thoughts.

1. We can’t think of another headliner who would risk life-and-limb doing a stunt like this live. He basically falls from an eight-story building. And not onto one of those big, fluffy “Lethal Weapon”-style airbags. Cardboard boxes.

2. Most shows stop when their star has been injured or there’s been an accident. David Blaine? He doesn’t leave the stage, he deals with the accident in front of the audience. (An example of Blaine’s long history of having a knack for public relations and marketing.)

3. He does all this without a medical team on stand-by? Can you imagine his insurance bill?

4. There were four orthopedic doctors in the audience. Conclusion: Orthopedic doctors really like magic shows.

5. Nevada doesn’t have the best malpractice laws (often cited as a reason Nevada doesn’t have the best medical care), yet these intrepid physicians rushed to help, anyway. Not all heroes wear capes, some wear impermeable one-piece suits with clog-like rubber theater shoes and bouffant-style caps. Or plaid.

We do not envy David Blaine when these medical bills arrive.

Blaine later shared an x-ray of his shoulder, with a message, “The doctors on stage did a great job.”

Settle down, ladies. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen a celebrity shirtless.

Blaine has suffered a couple of mishaps during his run of “In Spades” at Resorts World.

The most dramatic (grossest) incident occurred in Dec. 2022.

Blaine did a popular illusion where the magician is blindfolded and members of the audience put three or four Styrofoam cups (or paper bags) over a knife blade or ice pick. The magician then slams his or her hand down and in most cases, picks the cups or bags without the sharp object underneath.

Let’s just say David Blaine did not choose wisely. Pain ensued. Here’s more.

Some might say this was karma, as David Blaine was a member of the infamous “Pussy Posse” back in the day, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and others.

Spoiler alert, the illusion’s secret is pretty old-school—the magician attaches a small piece of fishing line to the bottom of the base holding the knife or ice pick. Blaine should know where the ice pick is before he’s blindfolded. In this case, not so much.

Again, he powered through his injury and completed his show, like a champ.

Mishaps aside, Blaine’s residency has been well-received, and he’s pacing himself, limiting his performances to one weekend a month.

Blaine has proven his stunts translate to the Las Vegas stage, and if he manages to survive, his Resorts World residency should run for some time to come.