Hubster Joe has sent us this wonderful “Taping ReporT” of his trip to the June 14, 2016 taping of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”.
Hello hubsters! It’s been a long six months! I found myself in New York on June 14 on a very hastily planned trip for a totally unrelated reason and figured I’d see if I could get into that night’s taping. Unsurprisingly, my only option was standby, but when there were only nine people in total in the line, everyone got in.
Since there’s not a lot out there about the show’s standby experience, I’ll sum that up quickly. To get your name on the standby list, your entire party must show up at or after 1:00 PM. Be prepared to show ID for everyone in your party. Then, you will be given a number and are subsequently turned loose to do what you will until between 4:15 and 4:30, when you need to be back at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Go where they point. If there is space, the staff will count the number of people in the line, check that against the number of seats open, and determine how many parties can be admitted. Then, the numbers are drawn randomly. If your number is called, show your ID again and you’ll get a ticket stub. After that, all else is normal.
The taping began much like my previous taping did — Paul Mercurio came out and warmed us up. Perhaps the biggest difference, as a few others mentioned in past reports, was that we were actively told not to chant “Ste-phen!” on air. Then, Jon Batiste and Stay Human came out and kept us entertained, before bringing out Stephen for a Q&A.
Some of the notable questions and answers:
- I love your work with Donor’s Choose, but why haven’t my projects been funded?
The asker was from Stiles Point Elementary School in Charleston. I don’t recall the answer.
- When I was in high school, I drew upon The Colbert Report for inspiration for my school’s morning newscast. I even showed some clips. Where do you get your inspiration for your bits?
“Actual news … So, you would show clips of our show during your newscast? That’s awesome! Where’s my cut? I’m going to turn it around and give it to that guy [referring to the Donor’s Choose asker]!
That was what stood out. Stephen then explained what would happen — he’d watch the cold open segment with us, then we’d have a show.
Perhaps the biggest difference between what you saw on the show and what we saw in the theater was that Daniel Radcliffe was filmed last. It started in order, but then Stephen introduced George Lopez, went through that interview, and then acknowledged what I was thinking: “So, I bet you’re probably wondering ‘Hey, why wasn’t that Daniel Radcliffe?'” We then learned that Daniel was in rehearsal across town and had to leave rehearsal to come to the theater, which meant that in Manhattan traffic, he was late. So, the rest of the show was taped to accommodate Daniel’s travel and make efficient use of everyone’s time.
When HINDS had finished playing, Stephen then told us that he was going to film the ending and leave, but we should not, as Daniel was on his way. So, the ending was filmed, and we had time for a few more questions. The most notable of which is, predictably …
- What was the longest amount of time you had to wait for a guest?
Stephen said that he didn’t really have this problem before, but he was impacted by a late arrival previously, and then told the backstory behind his appearance on The Daily Show as the Rev. Al Sharpton. Turns out, Stephen wasn’t on for that night’s episode, so after he wrapped up his work for the day, he was on his way out the door for an advance screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Right as he placed his hand on the panic bar of the door, the speakers went “Stephen Colbert, please report to the stage.” Stephen then learned that he was going to be Al Sharpton in case the real one didn’t show up. Needless to say, Al didn’t, and furthermore, he never offered an explanation.
After a few more questions (“What would you add to the national anthem?” “I’d officially add ‘Play Ball’ to the end of it.”), Chris Licht, new EP for the show, offered Stephen a suggestion. Stephen would call on audience members, who would name a song, and Jon Batiste and Stay Human would play it. So we had some fun listening to Jon and friends jam out to “Iko Iko,” “Superstition,” and more! Occasionally, Stephen would join in on vocals, and they closed with a rousing rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.” By this time, Daniel was ready, so Stephen cleaned himself up, and Daniel came out for the interview. That’s why he thanked us for waiting at the outset of the interview—to us, we theoretically should have left by the time he was on. When Stephen said that we had a lovely time, that’s what he was referring to.
After Daniel wrapped, Stephen thanked us for coming, dismissed us, and we were sent out into the New York City night.
All in all, a great taping, and I’m looking forward to my next return in six months!
Stray Observations:
It’s interesting watching Stephen watch himself on pre-tape.
As soon as Stephen drew the first part of the swastika on the “Figure-it- out-atron,” I found myself thinking “Oh my gosh, he’s not going here, is he? CBS won’t let him go here, will they?
They’re going to cut to the ‘Something has gone terribly wrong’ graphic any second now. Nope, he’s finishing it. Wow, he actually went there. I have to admit, this is Colbert at his finest. Can we do this again sometime?”
Wow, Jon Batiste and Stay Human are actually quite good if they can pull off what they pulled off for us. Why did Daniel have to show up?
June 14, 2016: The Taping ReporT!
Hello hubsters! It’s been a long six months! I found myself in New York on June 14 on a very hastily planned trip for a totally unrelated reason and figured I’d see if I could get into that night’s taping. Unsurprisingly, my only option was standby, but when there were only nine people in total in the line, everyone got in.
Since there’s not a lot out there about the show’s standby experience, I’ll sum that up quickly. To get your name on the standby list, your entire party must show up at or after 1:00 PM. Be prepared to show ID for everyone in your party. Then, you will be given a number and are subsequently turned loose to do what you will until between 4:15 and 4:30, when you need to be back at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Go where they point. If there is space, the staff will count the number of people in the line, check that against the number of seats open, and determine how many parties can be admitted. Then, the numbers are drawn randomly. If your number is called, show your ID again and you’ll get a ticket stub. After that, all else is normal.
The taping began much like my previous taping did — Paul Mercurio came out and warmed us up. Perhaps the biggest difference, as a few others mentioned in past reports, was that we were actively told not to chant “Ste-phen!” on air. Then, Jon Batiste and Stay Human came out and kept us entertained, before bringing out Stephen for a Q&A.
Some of the notable questions and answers:
The asker was from Stiles Point Elementary School in Charleston. I don’t recall the answer.
“Actual news … So, you would show clips of our show during your newscast? That’s awesome! Where’s my cut? I’m going to turn it around and give it to that guy [referring to the Donor’s Choose asker]!
That was what stood out. Stephen then explained what would happen — he’d watch the cold open segment with us, then we’d have a show.
Perhaps the biggest difference between what you saw on the show and what we saw in the theater was that Daniel Radcliffe was filmed last. It started in order, but then Stephen introduced George Lopez, went through that interview, and then acknowledged what I was thinking: “So, I bet you’re probably wondering ‘Hey, why wasn’t that Daniel Radcliffe?'” We then learned that Daniel was in rehearsal across town and had to leave rehearsal to come to the theater, which meant that in Manhattan traffic, he was late. So, the rest of the show was taped to accommodate Daniel’s travel and make efficient use of everyone’s time.
When HINDS had finished playing, Stephen then told us that he was going to film the ending and leave, but we should not, as Daniel was on his way. So, the ending was filmed, and we had time for a few more questions. The most notable of which is, predictably …
Stephen said that he didn’t really have this problem before, but he was impacted by a late arrival previously, and then told the backstory behind his appearance on The Daily Show as the Rev. Al Sharpton. Turns out, Stephen wasn’t on for that night’s episode, so after he wrapped up his work for the day, he was on his way out the door for an advance screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Right as he placed his hand on the panic bar of the door, the speakers went “Stephen Colbert, please report to the stage.” Stephen then learned that he was going to be Al Sharpton in case the real one didn’t show up. Needless to say, Al didn’t, and furthermore, he never offered an explanation.
After a few more questions (“What would you add to the national anthem?” “I’d officially add ‘Play Ball’ to the end of it.”), Chris Licht, new EP for the show, offered Stephen a suggestion. Stephen would call on audience members, who would name a song, and Jon Batiste and Stay Human would play it. So we had some fun listening to Jon and friends jam out to “Iko Iko,” “Superstition,” and more! Occasionally, Stephen would join in on vocals, and they closed with a rousing rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.” By this time, Daniel was ready, so Stephen cleaned himself up, and Daniel came out for the interview. That’s why he thanked us for waiting at the outset of the interview—to us, we theoretically should have left by the time he was on. When Stephen said that we had a lovely time, that’s what he was referring to.
After Daniel wrapped, Stephen thanked us for coming, dismissed us, and we were sent out into the New York City night.
All in all, a great taping, and I’m looking forward to my next return in six months!
Stray Observations:
It’s interesting watching Stephen watch himself on pre-tape.
As soon as Stephen drew the first part of the swastika on the “Figure-it- out-atron,” I found myself thinking “Oh my gosh, he’s not going here, is he? CBS won’t let him go here, will they?
They’re going to cut to the ‘Something has gone terribly wrong’ graphic any second now. Nope, he’s finishing it. Wow, he actually went there. I have to admit, this is Colbert at his finest. Can we do this again sometime?”
Wow, Jon Batiste and Stay Human are actually quite good if they can pull off what they pulled off for us. Why did Daniel have to show up?