Since Stephen Colbert began his reign last September as successor to David Letterman at the Ed Sullivan Theater, I have been trying to get tickets.
I had seen a few Letterman tapings, 1993, 1995 and 1998, and that was so long ago that you were actually mailed printed tickets. Now it's all online, and the free tickets are released usually a month in advance. There seem to be more tickets available now, (ours were for Jan. 11) probably because the thought of standing in the cold for hours will mean only the die hard fans would be interested.
Now, this is going to be an all day type of event. Taking the Bolt Bus from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia was definitely the way to go. The bus was on time, only $9 each way & two hours later we were in NYC. Kevin & I decided to get lunch (at the usually great, but terrible this time John's Pizzeria) & then head over to the Ed Sullivan Theater, 1697 Broadway.
While we had tickets, you need to get in line for the the "actual" tickets, which are handed out first-come, first-served and cannot be claimed after 3:15 p.m. By 1 p.m. we were in line, and were numbers 84 & 85. The rumor was that at 2 p.m. Colbert's staff would hand out tickets, so with an hour to go we chatted with people around us, jumped around to stay warm & unfortunately listened 589 times to a recording that the souvenir store was "going out of business."
At 2 p.m., the staff checked our IDs, our tickets, stamped our hand with a red CBS logo, gave us numbered pieces of paper & told us to be back by 3:45 p.m. It seemed an unnecessary step, but the thought of getting out of the cold sounded great, so a few of us headed to nearby Three Monkeys for a few warm alcoholic drinks.
Back at 3:45 p.m., we waited in line (numbers 84 & 85) & the lobby doors opened at 4 p.m. After passing through the metal detectors, we were told of the rules, no photos, videos, etc., we waited until 4:30 p.m. to get to our seats. Our seats, fourth row (house right) seemed great, at first. In honor of David Bowie, who had passed away the day before the taping, the rock legend's image & music were projected. The theater holds over 400 people, much larger than the Hell's Kitchen studio where he taped "The Colbert Report."
Before we got to see Colbert, comic Paul Mercurio warmed up the crowed at 5 p.m. After a funny video, showing Colbert taking a personality test, the house band Jon Batiste and Stay Human came onstage. They are great on TV & even better in person. After the band's jam, and the drummer breaking four tambourines, Batiste introduced Colbert to chants of "Ste-phen!" from the audience.
After taking a few questions from the audience, including "Who's your favorite saint?" Answer - Peter. And "What was your audition song?" Answer - "Heaven on Their Minds" which he sang from "Jesus Christ Superstar,"
At 5:30 p.m. it was showtime! Unfortunately, that was when one of the three movable cameras onstage blocked our view of Colbert's desk for the rest of the show. Disappointed, but not dismayed we watched the monitors instead, as actress Jane Lynch talked about her new show, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro fielded questions about becoming a possible vice presidential nominee & a performance by the band El Vy (who also played a Bowie tribute). Between guests, Colbert did a hilarious bit about Sean Penn's "Rolling Stone" interview of El Chapo.
By 7 p.m. the taping was done, and after a quick look at the theater's dome (very cool), we headed back into the cold. The Starbucks across the street was packed as fellow audience members stayed warm.
It definitely was a fun & exciting day seeing our favorite late night show host. I think next time I would show up later in the day & get a seat on the upper level.
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| About 80 people in front of us at 2 p.m. |
Now, this is going to be an all day type of event. Taking the Bolt Bus from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia was definitely the way to go. The bus was on time, only $9 each way & two hours later we were in NYC. Kevin & I decided to get lunch (at the usually great, but terrible this time John's Pizzeria) & then head over to the Ed Sullivan Theater, 1697 Broadway.
While we had tickets, you need to get in line for the the "actual" tickets, which are handed out first-come, first-served and cannot be claimed after 3:15 p.m. By 1 p.m. we were in line, and were numbers 84 & 85. The rumor was that at 2 p.m. Colbert's staff would hand out tickets, so with an hour to go we chatted with people around us, jumped around to stay warm & unfortunately listened 589 times to a recording that the souvenir store was "going out of business."
At 2 p.m., the staff checked our IDs, our tickets, stamped our hand with a red CBS logo, gave us numbered pieces of paper & told us to be back by 3:45 p.m. It seemed an unnecessary step, but the thought of getting out of the cold sounded great, so a few of us headed to nearby Three Monkeys for a few warm alcoholic drinks.
Back at 3:45 p.m., we waited in line (numbers 84 & 85) & the lobby doors opened at 4 p.m. After passing through the metal detectors, we were told of the rules, no photos, videos, etc., we waited until 4:30 p.m. to get to our seats. Our seats, fourth row (house right) seemed great, at first. In honor of David Bowie, who had passed away the day before the taping, the rock legend's image & music were projected. The theater holds over 400 people, much larger than the Hell's Kitchen studio where he taped "The Colbert Report."
 |
| The sun should be keeping us warm, but it isn't. |
Before we got to see Colbert, comic Paul Mercurio warmed up the crowed at 5 p.m. After a funny video, showing Colbert taking a personality test, the house band Jon Batiste and Stay Human came onstage. They are great on TV & even better in person. After the band's jam, and the drummer breaking four tambourines, Batiste introduced Colbert to chants of "Ste-phen!" from the audience.
After taking a few questions from the audience, including "Who's your favorite saint?" Answer - Peter. And "What was your audition song?" Answer - "Heaven on Their Minds" which he sang from "Jesus Christ Superstar,"
At 5:30 p.m. it was showtime! Unfortunately, that was when one of the three movable cameras onstage blocked our view of Colbert's desk for the rest of the show. Disappointed, but not dismayed we watched the monitors instead, as actress Jane Lynch talked about her new show, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro fielded questions about becoming a possible vice presidential nominee & a performance by the band El Vy (who also played a Bowie tribute). Between guests, Colbert did a hilarious bit about Sean Penn's "Rolling Stone" interview of El Chapo.
By 7 p.m. the taping was done, and after a quick look at the theater's dome (very cool), we headed back into the cold. The Starbucks across the street was packed as fellow audience members stayed warm.
It definitely was a fun & exciting day seeing our favorite late night show host. I think next time I would show up later in the day & get a seat on the upper level.
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