A buddy of mine from Portland hooked up a group of fellow search engine marketers to attend the April 10^th taping of The Late Show with David Letterman. I’ve been in a live studio audience in the distant past, but nothing of this scale. Letterman has always been a favorite of mine. It was an arduous process to get through the taping, however. It all started more than 2 hours prior to taping, when 400+ lucky lottery winners (out of thousands of requests) stood in line to receive tickets for the show.

While in line, they asked us to fill out a brief form, asking us if we have any special talents, etc. I felt obligated to answer the question with something interesting and unique, so I indicated I can recite all 50 states alphabetically in less than 30 seconds. It’s a parlor trick I learned in 5^th grade, thanks to school chorus. The guy collecting the forms read my answers and asked if I had any video of myself reciting the 50 states, and I said no, so he took my information and told me they’d be in touch to get video. I can only assume they may consider me for a stupid human tricks segment, but I’m not quitting my job just yet.

After 30 minutes in line, we moved into the Ed Sullivan Theater, where a perky intern told us the show rules, and asked us to come back in an hour. After just enough time for one drink at a nearby bar, we headed back and stood in line, by ticket number. One more pep talk and we were sitting in the theater in about 30 minutes. My friend Ben and I sat together and agreed to be the last people to clap and to laugh just a little louder and weirder than everybody else. That way, we could tell family and friends to listen for us.

Luckily, I was warned in advance about two primary challenges of being a member of the live studio audience: no bathroom breaks and an uncomfortably cold theater. I assume the bathroom breaks would be distracting, and they keep the theater cold so we don’t fall asleep. To prepare, I cleared my bladder and kept on my coat throughout the taping. Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared for on element that was terribly uncomfortable for me: the ear-damaging volume of the audio.

To get the audience pumped up, they played a few happy tunes by groups like Black Eyed Peas. Not having ear plugs, the piercing music punished me. Next up, they brought out a comedian to warm us up, followed by the CBS Orchestra, which played a few tunes. Letterman came out briefly to answer a few audience questions and find an inside joke for the show (putting down your dog to clap for those that saw the show). Only minutes later, the countdown for the show began and Dave slipped out to don his trademark suit jacket.

Plenty of practice, encouragement and mild threats led us to this point: the start of the show. We all clapped manically, trying desperately to avoid the forbidden “whooing” and whistling. From the moment the music and lights died down, the well-oiled machine we call Letterman took off. Exactly 60 minutes later, the taping was over and we shuffled out.

The show itself was pretty good, in that the guests were interesting (certainly more so live) and the skits were funny. Considering they had a week off and it’s his 60th birthday this week, I actually hoped for a bit more. The chill in the air and loud music did temper the experience slightly, but not enough to make it a bad experience by any means. I did leave the theater with a greater respect for Letterman and his machine that is Worldwide Pants (his production company).

As I watched the show that evening, I realized all the late clapping and hearty laughter I provided only mixed in with the rest of the audience noise, which made my participation seemingly less meaningful. I know I was there, but nobody else would know outside of my cohorts that sat with me. I guess I’ll have to wait for the call from Letterman’s interns requesting that video. In the meantime, I’ll keep practicing. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas…”

[tags]The Late Show, David Letterman, CBS, worldwide pants, kent lewis[/tags]