David Blaine, shown here hanging above New York’s Times Square inside a gyroscope for a 2006 stunt, made his way to Knoxville to dazzle passersby recently.

Insider: David Blaine whips up tricks on Market Square
By Terry Morrow
Friday, July 11, 2008

Turns out that your eyes can play tricks on you these days on Market Square. On June 26 magician David Blaine surprised many by showing up there and doing an impromptu show for passersby.

Eyewitnesses say the edgy illusionist performed small feats - free of charge - for folks walking around Market Square. He ducked into World Grotto and the Preservation Pub, where he continued to dazzle.

"He enjoyed himself," one Pub source told the Insider. "He went down the bar doing card tricks for everybody.

"It was definitely weird. He ordered a drink like he was doing a magic trick." (By the way, Blaine ordered Grey Goose.)

However, his drink order didn't include pulling a drink out of his hat. He merely had a flashy presence whenever he ordered.

The source says Blaine didn't have television cameras with him, but he was accompanied by "a small entourage of magicians." His band of merry men was also performing tricks.

The source estimates about 50 customers were in the bar for the small show.

And, as you might expect, the gawking crowd had out their cell phone cameras to capture the action.

Blaine is no stranger to Knoxville. He has performed here several times in recent years. No word on what exactly brought him here this time.

He's known for his headline-grabbing stunts around the world. In 2002, for instance, he balanced on a circular platform - 22 inches in diameter and atop a freestanding 100-foot pillar - for 35 hours.