Saturday Night Live

I’ve watched SNL for years and Loran Michaels always give the people a Fantastic show. Having paid tribute to many people including NYC after 9/​11, but last nights tribute to PRINCE was amazing. Words and comedy took a backseat to the them paying homage to the musical genius named PRINCE!
Thank you Loran and the crew at SNL!
PS hook Frank up with some tickets!

I have waited in the line on 48^th street twice this year. The first time I thought we were getting in when 12 people didn’t show up on time. They allowed those people space in front of us and we missed getting in by 3 people. This time I thought, I will make sure I have a solid place, arrived 3 ½ hrs earlier. Had a great position then ran late due to the taxis from downtown. They told me to go to the end of the line. I explained two months ago they took 12 people that were late. They said they changed their policy and to get in the back. Michael Egan, the security person, treats all standby fans like dirt, said he would help after I basically went to the back of the line. It became so hostile when I asked for his name, he attempted to take my ticket. He claimed it is NBC property and demanded I give it back. I refused. Make sure you are willing to have these people treat you like less than a person if you choose the attempt at attending SNL.

You can’t fully appreciate SNL until you’ve been to a taping at 30 Rock.
I had the distinct privilege of attending this past Saturday night’s show hosted by Jonah Hill with musical guest Future. It was fascinating. Seeing how furious the staff works behind the scenes to make sure every stage is set before America tunes in sheds light on the magic of the television making process. As a viewer you don’t have a chance to appreciate how the show gets broadcast into your living room, but when you’re sitting in the second row, witnessing the stage hands as they reset the very small studio in the span of a single commercial break in time for the next live shot, you’ll want to give a standing ovation and donate to their union.
Additionally, being able to read along with the actors as they recite their lines from cue cards that are visible to the audience gives you a feeling of inclusion as though you’re a part of the various sketches yourself.
I now view being in the audience at SNL as a bucket list item for anyone living in or visiting New York. If you have a chance to attend, you must drop everything to make it happen.

It’s really unfortunate because I happen to love Saturday Night Live as a show but the method for obtaining tickets is absurd. As mentioned in earlier reviews, the only way to get a definite seat is to know someone. For the rest of us without connections or fame, we must go the night before or the morning of and wait online for a standby ticket. Ticket distribution starts at 7am. Two people come out with clipboards, check your ID, add your name to a list, and tell you to show up at the time listed. The tickets do say on them that admission isn’t guaranteed.
My boyfriend and I showed up that night an hour and a half before the listed time in hopes of getting a good spot in line. Once there, the nbc workers in the shop told us to come back later because your arrival time doesn’t change your assigned spot in line. Once the lining up began, it was an unorganized mess. Even the employees described the system as «archaic» and apologized for the lack of coherency. They explained that standby tickets give you priority and then started shouting out ticket numbers in hopes of corralling the crowd into a line. NBC seems to hand out hundreds of stand by tickets. however, the tickets are only in case the «important» people do not show up. The workers even explain that standby tickets are only for the unfilled seats. It depends who of the valued audience decides to show up.
We waited for nearly two hours, were ushered through three different areas and a metal detector, and were ultimately denied entry because the studio was filled. We were in the second group of 30, maybe 40^th on line, and were still denied. That means that despite handing out hundreds of tickets, they were only able to seat 35 of the people who had received them.
I understand that standby tickets are free, but SNL is not some morning show summer concert that people should need to camp out for. It is a weekly, long-​running, multi-​million dollar show. The fact that there is no way for the general public to buy tickets in advance is disgraceful. Being ushered from room to room (in incredible heat due to the crowds) like animals, while watching other groups (friends & family of writers/​producers/​actors) casually walk through felt a little classist if anything. It would not be that difficult for NBC or SNL to revise its system, to have a reserved/​VIP section as well as a section for general tickets.
For a show that is considered such a part of New York history, it is anything but accommodating to New Yorkers. It is clear regular people are of no real value to NBC or SNL. We are apparently secondary.

I didn’t think the SNL experience could get any better but my boyfriend and I won the ticket lottery again to see Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Bruce Springsteen for the Christmas episode!!! We got there around 9:45 since our confirmation email said arrive before 10:15. There were already a lot of people there so to be at the front of the line we should’ve probably been there at 8:30 or 9. But we already knew that your place in line doesn’t dictate where you sit. Once we got through security and checked in 20 mins later, a page came up to us, had us switch out our black wristbands for purple ones, and go on a separate line. We immediately knew we would be on the floor… Again…mere feet from tiny, Amy, and Bruce!!! The show did not disappoint. So many throwbacks and surprise guests– including Paul McCartney! I left the studio glowing! What a perfect night. If you get tickets to SNL– clear your schedule because it’s magical!

What can I say I’m honored to even step in this place. This iconic landmark is truly special. From the ultra famous folks walking around to the sets that bring this show to life.
Always great vibes and good times. If you ever get a chance to get here in your lifetime you will not be disappointed.
Cheers

Growing up Saturday night always meant several things.
Pizza, abandonment, the next day was Sunday, and that my parents would return from date night screaming at each other. And oh yeah Saturday Night Live!
The recent SNL 40^th anniversary special got me thinking a lot.
I love the show! It represents so much that I love. While most of my friends growing up liked Sandler and Farley the best, I loved Phil Hartman. He will always be my favorite cast member.
Every few years you hear some curmudgeon say «SNL isn’t as good as it used to be. I quit watching years ago.» Then you’ll hear the same moron say the same thing, despite they claimed to be done. The truth is SNL will always find great talent. When I was a kid, people said the 90’s cast had nothing on the past. Then those guys became stars. People like Will Ferrel and Tina Fey came after. The cycle kept going, and more great cast members came along. Fred Armisen, Kristen Wig, Bill Hader. You still get idiots saying the same nonsense. Trust me, Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, and Jay Pharoah bring it. And there’s a whole bunch of really talented young people behind them. It’s like how my grandma didn’t like my dad’s rock. And how my dad didn’t like when I listened to hip-​hop. People just need to understand younger generations have different tastes. While on the topic of music, have you heard this terrible garbage kids listen to today? It’s awful!
As I said though, this isn’t a review of SNL. For if it was it would get five stars. Unilocal is not for reviewing television.
I am here to review the time I acquired tickets and went to a live taping.
There are three ways to get tickets to SNL.
First, you can know someone. I unfortunately don’t know anyone. My mom and cat, Mr. Picklehead, do not count. I thought about creating a scenario in which I could potentially put myself in a situation to save a cast members life. I was totally game and came up with an awesome plan. However, I thought best not to try due to the bad things that could potentially happen. I did not want to be known as the guy who caused Jason Sudeikis’ death.
Second, you enter the lottery in August. Enter by email and you have a chance to score tickets. Chance could really mean anything. Like there is a chance I go back in time and stop myself from ever wearing a yellow suede jumpsuit. That however is never going to happen. I don’t know anyone who knows anyone who won the SNL lottery. I don’t think the lottery even exists. I imagine Lorne Michaels reading emails of people begging to see the show, while he laughs sipping a dry white wine.
Your last option coincides with what many New Yorkers do… sleeping on the street. You’ll be rubbing elbows with New York’s famous homeless population. You must wait all night, on line, till 7 a.m. for standby tickets for that night’s show. I’ve slept on New York a sidewalk before, but that’s while I was inebriated. I needed to pick the right night. I needed to pick a night where there wasn’t a huge guest host, Charlize Theron, a good musical act, Black Keys, and good weather. We got there at 8:30. We had snacks, blankets and HBOGo. It was pretty easy. The rough part was when a roach came by, scaring half the people on line. I of course would have killed it, but was worried there was some animal rights activists around. You never know. Finally it was time to get our standby tickets. A couple came out of no where and back skipped us, meeting up with two guys. They then exchanged money and the two guys left. There’s some serious money to be had in line spot holding. After we got our tickets, a girl started to have a panic attack behind us, which brought an ambulance to the scene. Lucky for me it blocked my car, keeping me there for another hour.
Went back later that evening and was ready. Ready to wait on lines, to wait on lines, to wait on lines. Up to this point I was content. I was still as happy as a baby who has keys waved in front of them. From here the security ruins everything They don’t keep you in order. They have no idea what’s going on and don’t properly place you. We got put into a corner section off to the side. Even though we had a great number, and some guy wanted to switch with us so he could be with his friends. They didn’t move us. Complete jerks.
The show as expected was fantastic, but the horrible angle was a bummer. After the show was over I really wanted to take a picture. The no phone police was on site though. A security guard came by and asked for my phone. I was so frustrated. I wanted to tell them «HEY, I DON’T DESERVE THIS! I SLEPT IN THE GUTTER LAST NIGHT!» After realizing how that would sound, I handed over my phone and they deleted the photo.
In the end I’m glad I got to cross something off my bucket list, and I still love the show. I’ll always watch it.
I just wish the security didn’t suck the fun out of it, and they were better organized. Maybe I’ll go back if it’s the right situation is right. Watch out Sudeikis!

The only choices to get tickets are standby tickets from waiting early early on Saturday morning, emailing them in August only or if you know someone. I emailed them in August and got an email from them about two weeks before the show. I got tickets to see Chris Rock and Prince on Nov 1^st at the Dress Rehearsal which starts at 8pm.
It says to come pick up your ticket no later than 6:45. We got there a little after 6 and waited inside 30 Rock behind the red ropes called «Jenn’s line.» It’s outside La maison du chocolat. About 6:15 you get your tickets by showing ID and the email confirmation. Then you wait on line some more. Jenn, this Isla Fischer look a like with a pink clipboard walks up and down the line and picks some people to go on a special line. My husband said he was making eye contact with her and she pulled us out of line. We didn’t know if this was a good thing or bad thing at first. They definitely are looking at what you look like and what race. They were picking a lot of black people that day, because chris rock and prince were hosting. It turned out being pulled out means you’ll sit in front of the stage and the other line goes to the mezzanine.
Then when they let us up the escalators, we have to go through metal detectors. If you go to the 8^th floor, you’ll sit right in front of the stage, which only seats about 30 people. Once you get out of the elevators, you’ll see walls lined with celebrity photos and a note from them to the SNL staff. So cool! Use the bathroom at this time or when you’re waiting downstairs because you cannot leave your seat once you are seated! You also cannot take your phone out once you are upstairs. They will kick you out they said. Don’t hang your jackets on the chairs. Place them on your lap or on the floor. Not sure if the 9^th floor is as strict, which are the mezzanine seats.
If you sit in the front, you get a great view of the host during the monologue, the band, musical guest and some of the skits, but most of the time, the cameras are obstructing your view. You get to watch on the many TVs around the set though. The crew is working hard putting up and down the sets and then the actors come out right before it starts and leaves fast to change clothes so you get to see them passing by a lot.
It was one of the coolest experiences ever! Send out those emails in August and good luck!

Saturday night live is a shell of what it used to be. Lucky for them television is out of new ideas.. for the most part. Lorne Michaels is the major problem. He is the executive producer and he is the one who should say. .“The skit sucks, scrap it”. I might chuckle a couple times per show but certainly don’t roll on the floor laughing like I did up until the late 90s. I have been watching old episodes for laughter. I keep watching the new stuff hoping it will get funny again but am almost done.

My heart stopped for a second when I read that I got an email from NBC about SNL tickets. They told me 2 weeks in advance and so I made sure I pushed back anything on my schedule. When the day came I was nervous, even more nervous after reading Stephanie F.‘s review on her process to get to the show. My advice is, don’t worry if you show up on time, you’ll get in. you’ll see that some people get into «special lines,» maybe for their looks? The bottom line is of course you’ll be upset if you compare, however I can see why there are a lot of nerves before the show, but once you get your ticket and wait in line where you sit is out of your control.
It was nice to talk to the people waiting in line next to us; there was a CFO from Houston who came with his wife. The hallway before entering the stage has a photo montage of They were asking me if I knew about Conehead skit and some other skits. I basically made them feel old.
I was on the 2^nd floor in the last row in the middle, there were some skits I couldn’t see at all but I got to see the center stage really well. Before the show started the head writer came out to «warm up» the crowd and afterwards Keenan came out and sang for us! (just for the crowd). Between the skits the jazz band plays AMAZING music, one of the musicians were playing seashells, yes seashells.
Overall, it was nice to see the magic of what happens during live t.v. — the cast sometimes talks to the audience before they air, the cue cards people are hustling and the stage crew is moving. I had a great experience and I would gladly do it again.

The e-​mail information told us to be there no later than 10:15. My boyfriend and I were there at 8. The lady usher told us that we were super early and that we should come back at 9:30 to line up. We got back at 9 and there were 15~ people ahead of us. I was upset. I wanted to be seated in the front row. I wanted to be so close to Bill Hader that I could see the sweat on his brow. Unfortunately, dumb lady usher steered me wrong.
The NBC staff is just a mix of idiots in suits and Barbie bitches in business casual and neon high heels. Aside from the ushers, there was one NBC woman who was dressed in a bright neon green button down, ridiculous high heels for work, and extremely tight pants. I hated this Neon Barbie: her peppy spirit, the ridiculous need to over dress just to usher people into the SNL studio, and her bottle blonde hair. She was the one who was keeping the lines orderly, ensuring we all had our tickets, and also hand-​picking the folks who would get to sit on the studio floor.
Before I go any further, let me explain. There are three ways to get tickets: 1) Suck someone’s dick or be related to said dick 2) win them through the ticket drawing in the Summer or 3) standby. I got my tickets through the drawing. Seating arrangement isn’t guaranteed. I thought that the earlier you’re there, the more likely you’ll be to be in the front and have a good seat. NOPE. While the peasants had to come super early to get «good seats», Neon Barbie would randomly pluck people off the peasant line and put them on a separate, special line. We dubbed it the beautiful people line — because everyone on that line was good looking to Neon Barbies standards. In other words, they also looked like Barbies and Kens.
I asked repeatedly what that special line was for — but Neon Barbie only said that the separate lines were for the different ways people obtained their ticket. LIES! I saw you upgrade other peasants to the beautiful people line! It really pissed me the fuck off that I was waiting since 9 o’clock to get primo seats, dead center, and then Neon Barbie comes out and fucks it all up. Eventually, she shuffles everyone towards the elevators where we go through security and up the the 9^th floor. The beautiful people got to go to the 8^th floor. 9^th floor had mezzanine seating looking into Studio 8H. The lucky bastards that Neon Barbie sent to the 8^th floor got to sit ON the studio level.
After getting to the 9^th floor, they put us on another line for about 30 minutes. We were waiting in the hallways in the pits of hell. It was SO hot. We were kept waiting while other folks went ahead of my group and were seated first. Again, this pissed me off. I didn’t start waiting at 9 o’clock for these palm greasers to get better seats than me. I imagined seating would be something like a movie — where it’s like first come, first serve. Or just file line seating, where they fill the seats row by row. NBC plucked randoms out for certain seats. You four, up in the front. You three, in the back over here. Did I mention they also had a line of OLD OLD OLD people, and that these poor, old bastards had to sit in the worst section?
Aside from that Neon Barbie Bitch, and NBC’s fucked up seating system, the actual SNL show was great. Jamie Foxx was the host and Neyo was the musical guest. Charlie Day, Dermot Mulroney, and 2 Chainz had special guest appearances. Before the show even started, Jason Sudeikis came out and covered all their legal crap and gave us a quick run through of SNL. Then, Fred Armisen, Kenan, and Taran came out and performed a song. The skits are 100x funnier in real life. I have a new found love for Jamie Foxx and the entire SNL cast.
5 stars for the show, 0 stars for Neon Barbie!
Rant over!

I’ve been sworn to secrecy about how I obtained a pair of tickets to SNL, but if it is possible in any which way, make a goal or priority to go see the show.
Like others have posted, the short walk through the SNL studios hallway is pretty neat. There are lots of pictures from numerous shows broadcast throughout the years. The staff that greets you (I’m not sure what they are called) are on top of their game. They watch you like hawks to see if you are taking pictures of the studio (which is strictly forbidden). All phones have to remain off and boy are they not afraid to make you delete any photos you might have taken.
It’s amazing at what goes on during commercial breaks. The stage and on camera area is so teeny tiny! I couldn’t believe how the actual broadcast looks like their in a large studio! I got chills and butterflies in my tummy when I saw Lorn Michaels walking around and observing the live recording. Whoa what an experience!
Everything else was pretty much summed up by the other Unilocalers so I won’t go into any more detail, but try to wait or email for tickets when the window is open! :)

I just finished reading Tina Fey’s book «Bossypants» and it made me realize that I’ve never written a review of Saturday Night Live! Great Scotts! I think everyone at one point in their life dreams of being on SNL. And if you never have, then maybe you’re a little dead inside? (Cut to montage of a scene from ‘The Walking Dead’) Tickets to Saturday Night Live are supposedly the most difficult to get in the entertainment industry but I will tell you, I don’t care who you’ve got to beg, bribe, sleep with or bully, get yourself a pair of tickets! Out of all the plays, concerts and performances I’ve seen in my lifetime, SNL was by far the most memorable.
We had gotten tickets to the dress rehearsal via a well connected friend. Colin Firth was the host and Norah Jones was the musical guest. If you’re not familiar with Colin Firth, he’s the british guy from «Bridget Jones’ Diary» who did not get caught having sex with a hooker. It was amazing to see how the sets are built and to know that everything has been put together in a week. Skits, sets, costumes, everything! It’s crazy impressive to say the least. I laughed so hard that I almost peed my pants. Norah Jones came on twice during the show to perform and it her stage fright was very noticeable. Her hands shook with nervousness but she was still amazing!
I’ve added being on «Saturday Night Live» to my bucket list along with becoming best friends with Tina Fey. «Live from New York… it’s Saturday night!!!»
Unilocal 365 Challenge: #165/​365 (The Best Ticket In Showbiz)

The scoop: it IS free. However, they start handing out standby tickets at 7 a.m. Saturday morning and people camp out over night. When I went, it was winter and not a very good host (Charles Barkley), but I still didn’t get in for the dress rehearsal because I only arrived at 7 a.m. So… if you really want to get in, arrive really early, like 5 a.m. The tickets are numbered and when you come back at 7 pm (or 11 for the real taping), you automatically get your 7 a.m. spot back in line based on the number on your ticket. They let the regular ticket holders take their seats, then the standby ticket holders fill in the empties starting at #1 (some standbys will be missing, too, so if you are number 100 like I was, still show up. I was only about 20 away from getting a seat.)
Mkay? Good luck!

Had an amazing time by getting standby tickets! We chose to go to the dress rehearsal instead of the live taping because we were more confident that we’d get in. The rehearsal felt just like the real thing with the timing of commercial breaks, etc. Watching a show taping is always fun, but SNL is particularly awesome because you get to see the sets being put up and broken down and all the crew working. Standby seats were (like the cast pointed out) the worst seats in the house, but hey, I still loved being there.
The closest bathroom is at McDonalds on ⁴⁶⁄₆^th. An awesome surprise was a breakfast van pulled up around 5ish with complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate. He also sold soup, donuts, hand warmers and blankets. Don’t forget to bring your ID (this was the only time I was asked for it). Bring more blankets than you think you need because walking around in the cold is one thing, but sitting in it for hours is another. I don’t know why but I couldn’t find a trash can, and at 7am a guy came by to collect all the cardboard/​coffee cups.
So these are my numbers but like all the NBC pages will say, it depends on the guests and number of VIPs for that taping. We didn’t know if we were in or not until we got in the elevator to go up to the studio. We got in line at 3am with around ~50 people in line ahead of us. Four hours later, we were offered dress rehearsal numbers 29 and 30, or live 40 and 41. We then got to go home, sleep, and get excited (but not too excited in case we didn’t get it). They ask you to come back and line up inside the building 45 minutes before the show starts. Once we were seated, we counted that number 48 got in. Unlike the other «how to get standby tickets» blog post, the ticket guy said that the ratio of people getting into the rehearsal and live taping is about 1:1, but I didn’t stay to count for the live show.
All in all, if you’re down to camp on the street for a night, it’s definitely a worthwhile experience!

I had the time of my life!!! I never once thought in a million years that I would get to go see SNL in person, but it happened. and it’s completely possible to do! Depending on the guest host/​musical band, tickets are very possible to wait for/​get ahold of in time to see this for yourself.
The whole experience was surreal. Once you get past the ticketers and go up the escalators, past security, up the elevators, and past the entrance security, you walk through this hallway filled with photos from all the most famous SNL sketches, with even a few costumes from famous sketches at the end of the hallway as well!
Once inside, there’s two levels of seating — but there are very few bad seats. One of the cast members will «warm you up» with a few jokes, explaining the process, ect. And then the rest is history! I don’t want to ruin the experience by telling you step by step how it all happened … but let’s just say that I’m extremely impressed with the efficiency and go-​go-​go-​ness of that show! It’s non-​stop!
Definitely worth checking out if you’re in town, or if you live here. I plan on going again!