Illusionist Matt the Knife promises razor-sharp shows for Airmen

  • Published
  • By Carole Chiles Fuller
  • Air Force Services Activity

Intense mentalist/magician/comedian Matt the Knife is performing at 14 Air Force installations this fall and winter.

The tour, arranged by the Air Force Service Activity, started Sept. 18 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and will wrap up Jan. 30 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

The tour will visit the northern-tier, isolated type of bases, including installations that don’t have readily available, top-notch local entertainment, said Frank Black Jr., chief of community programs for AFSVA.

“Matt the Knife’s show at F.E. Warren was outstanding. The crowd of 200-plus was caught between astonishment, amazement and amusement the entire evening. Matt delivered,” Black said.

The entertainer said he is ecstatic to be performing for Air Force audiences.

“This is a privilege. I really enjoy working for the military. I am really proud of the fact that I’ve not only done tours for the military, I have made friends all over. I am a big challenge coin collector.  I have nearly 100 now. … Support from the military helped the groundswell of the popularity of the show,” Matt, whose performances routinely sell out, said. “There’s no one in the world who appreciates a show more than the military.”

The audience can expect a mix of mentalism, which Matt describes as thought projection or thought control; some edgy, genuinely dangerous stunts; some sleight of hand; and/or escapes.

“It will be a potpourri of the magical world; it will all be funny,” the entertainer said. “The show changes from night to night because I don’t do the same thing every night.”

He said his Air Force audiences tend to enjoy the mentalism part of his act.

“Marines tend to like stunts. The Navy kind of likes a mix. … I feel that my magic is cool; and the more intelligent you are, the more you enjoy it. The more you can kind of work through your head, and think through the possibilities, the more you will find to figure out.  Half of what I do in my show is very much real, and half of what I do is very much fake.  I leave a trail of breadcrumbs so you can figure out what’s real and what’s fake. Or it can simply be an entertaining show,” he said.

Black said the audience should expect an evening of intense entertainment. Both agree the show is for adults only, and because of Matt’s diversity, it will include something for everybody.

“Usually acts are very strong in one area. Matt has multiple talents. He is very diverse and comes highly recommended,” Black said. “He is highly thought of in the entertainment industry, and he supports the military; he is very patriotic.”

The tour continues at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 15. It also includes visits to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 16; Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Nov. 13; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Nov. 14; Edwards Air Force Base, California, Nov. 20; Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 4; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Dec. 5; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Jan. 9; Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, Jan. 15; Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, Jan. 22; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, Jan. 23; Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, Jan. 29; and Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Jan. 30.