Did anyone watch the livestream of Nik Wallenda tightrope walking in Chicago?

What a nutjob. Just watched it. I was sure he was going to fall. 

Right! He could have least have given us a little heart stopping wobble in the middle! It looked like his feet were clued to the wire. 

No net. He would have to grab on and hold the wire until his safety crew came and rescued him. But he would have to grab the wire, otherwise about a 15-story  65-story drop.

His grandfather died doing a tightrope walk between two buildings in Puerto Rico in the 70's. The clip is on YouTube. It's painful to watch. There was something wrong with the tension in the wire and he just starts wobbling and can't get out of it. He crouches down to steady himself but topples right over. A futile attempt to grab the wire comes to nothing and he plummets to his death. Live on TV. 

sharke
His grandfather died doing a tightrope walk between two buildings in Puerto Rico in the 70's. The clip is on YouTube. It's painful to watch. There was something wrong with the tension in the wire and he just starts wobbling and can't get out of it. He crouches down to steady himself but topples right over. A futile attempt to grab the wire comes to nothing and he plummets to his death. Live on TV. 

Yep.  I saw it live on TV.  Landed on a taxi and, apparently, was alive for a few minutes before passing away due to massive internal injuries.
 
It's just in the family blood and Nik has been quoted when he was younger as saying doing these things are as natural to him as riding a bike is to other kids.  No thanks!

I watched him walk across Niagara Falls. I didn't want to watch him walk in Chicago because I didn't want be reminded every time I cross the river of watching him fall.
 
Glad he made it.

Hey, the guy did turn around and cross the gap again blindfolded!

craigb
Hey, the guy did turn around and cross the gap again blindfolded!

Balancing with your eyes closed is a real challenge! Then again, I can't help wondering if the blindfold makes things a little easier because you can't see how high up you are. Years ago when young & stupid, some friends and I used to climb all over this 150ft high railway bridge when bored. We used to "tightrope walk" across these long criss-cross girders that were about the width of a shoe. I'll never forget one night doing it in high winds - about halfway across my cap was blown off by a large gust, and as I struggled to regain my balance I caught site of it tumbling toward the river below and had a sharp attack of vertigo. Had to straddle the girder the rest of the way across and really thought I was done for. Brought it all back last night watching that guy.

For the Chicago walk, he had no harness. He was required to wear one on his 2012 Niagara Falls walk (which he did object to). Wearing the harness was a demand by the stunt broadcaster, ABC television. For the Chicago walk, Discovery Channel placed no such restrictions on him.  And in true Chicago spirit, the city opted to ignore a state law requiring safety devices for public performances at 20-feet or higher. They stated that the statute was intended to protect aerial performers from being forced to work in unsafe conditions, but does not apply to a high-profile daredevil like Wallenda who decided on his own. Go figure. 
 
Regarding the blindfold walk, the first walk was between Marina West Tower and the Leo Burnett Building. The walk was without blindfold and had a 19-degreee upward pitch, and was 454 feet across (at around 65-stories height). Then he went down the elevator and back up the Marina West Tower. He then did a second 94-foot blindfolded walk to Marina East Tower at about 65-stories height.
 
Nik claimed that if he lost his footing he would grab on to the wire, and physically could remain there up to 20-minutes. He practiced for this event. Then the safety team would come out and rescue him with a harness. The hard part is catching the rope, as Karl Wallenda failed to do in his stunt. I saw that video and he misses it by inches. A real shame.