Long Island Medium’s new tour set to begin. 1st stop: Wichita and Doo-Dah Diner
There’s a reason medium Theresa Caputo is starting her latest tour at Century II concert hall later this month.
“My first stop will be Wichita,” the Long Island Medium said in a phone interview with the Eagle. “I’m excited because I get to go to the Doo-Dah Diner. That’s my favorite spot.”
Caputo, who will be live at Century II at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, said the current tour is no different than any other; it’s the individual performances that change from night to night.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen, whose spirits are going to be read, what the spirits will say or not say,” she said. “People purchase their tickets like every other event that they’re going to, and I go out on stage, give a real quick speech on what people can expect over the next two hours, and once I start to sensing and feeling things, I allow the souls to guide me around the theater, randomly stopping at someone, saying things that mean truly nothing to me, but are life-changing for the person I’m standing in front of.”
Caputo gained national fame thanks to the TLC series “Long Island Medium,” which ran from 2011 to 2019. A newer series, “Raising Spirits,” ran on Lifetime last year.
The 57-year-old has had skeptics through the years, publicly and privately, but said that’s what spurs her to go on.
“No matter what we do in life, everything is skeptical, right? I respect it and I understand it,” Caputo said. “I’m not asking anyone to believe in what I do or believe in mediums.”
“I want people to believe in an afterlife,” she continued. “I believe the work I do validates for people that there is truly more to life than just here in the physical world, but more importantly, that their loved ones are still with them, just in a different way.”
Making spiritual connections with loved ones
Caputo said she wants people to leave the theater knowing they have a spiritual connection with their loved ones, whether they’re skeptical or not.
“I want people to know there are little holes in heaven,” she said. “That is their loved one’s soul getting their attention and reminding them they’re living life through their eyes.”
She said the closest she comes to being off-track is when she tells a person in the audience a fact or item and they don’t immediately recognize it.
“There are some things I say that they might not understand in that moment,” she said. “But usually within minutes or a couple of days later, they’re reaching out: ‘I knew what my dad meant when he talked about the rock!’
“I actually like when people don’t connect with things right away, because when it hits later on they’ll be talking to someone who’ll say, ‘How could you forget? I stole half of Grandma’s recipes!’” she added.
Highlighting a fear of death
Caputo’s connections, she said, highlight a fear of death no matter their thoughts on the afterlife.
“The one thing I’ve learned through the work that I do is that we can be the most faithful people, the most spiritual people, and we lose a loved one and that spirit goes out the window,” she said. “I struggled with my gift for many years, because I’m a practicing Catholic, and I couldn’t understand why God would bless me with this gift. Who would want to come and see a medium?”
“What I learned over the years is that, unfortunately, no matter who we lose or how they die, we here in the physical world are left with negative emotions that do not allow us to heal,”
Caputo continued. “So I really put my gift in God’s hands and said, ‘If this is my soul’s journey, I will handle the souls of the departed for healing purposes only. I want people to heal and find happiness after the loss of a loved one. I know it’s not the same, but people come to my live shows for many different reasons. No matter what your reason is, I guarantee you will leave that experience feeling different in a positive way.”
Being guided by the spirit
Caputo said the spirit guides her in every performance.
“Every time,” she said. “It has nothing to do with me. The only thing I take credit for is saying the things I feel crazy enough to sense and feel. This is all about spirits. How would I know how someone feels? How could I describe such details of what happens as a person is leaving the physical world? These are the unique things where you sit back and go, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t know if I believe in this, but with what she said, I don’t know how she would know or find out.’”
Caputo is currently at work with a podcast, “Hey Spirit!” where she has one-on-one sessions.
“I do readings over Zoom,” she said. “I can connect with people literally all over the world.”
Theresa Caputo
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30
Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas
Tickets: $65-$220, from the Century II box office, selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328