The Late Show
Yesterday we attended a taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. We had done this once before, back in 2021. We don’t even remember who the guests were back then - they were unfamiliar to us - but we do remember loving the experience, because the amazing Jon Batiste was bandleader.
To be in the audience for a taping of The Late Show, you request tickets on the 1iota website. Tickets are released a month at a time, and you can ask for up to three future dates. If you’re fast, you’ll get Priority tickets and guaranteed entry to the taping. (Steve scored Priority tickets - go, Steve!)
We joined the queue in front of the historic Ed Sullivan Theater at about 3pm. The hard-core fans had been line since 11:00am that morning! We were ushered through security and were given great seats in the front row of the balcony. There was a chance to use the restroom; then a comedian warmed up the audience, and the stage manager gave us instructions. The actual taping was only about an hour long, and we were done by 7pm. (Yes, that means the whole experience was nearly four hours long. Television tapings involve a lot of waiting!)
We watched the cold open on monitors, and finally the band entered to kick off the show. When Jon Batiste left The Late Show in 2022, Louis Cato took over as bandleader, and the band Stay Human was renamed The Late Show Band. They were good, but we definitely missed the infectious energy and incredible charisma of Jon Batiste.
Stephen Colbert did the monologue, and he was his usual sardonic self. He made a couple of small bloopers - that would be fixed in post - and admitted that it had been a long, tough couple of weeks.
The guest was - drum roll - former President Bill Clinton! We couldn’t believe our good fortune. We had never been that close to a President of the United States before. At age 78, his sharp mind and presidential mien were still impressive. And he certainly had plenty to say!
He shared conversations he had had with people in rural areas while campaigning for Kamala Harris.
He assured us that the Democratic Party had “a deep bench” of strong, capable leaders.
He gave us a call to action to listen to one another and make every day [after Election Day] count.
Later, Colbert told us that they had allowed for 17 minutes, and the conversation had been 33 minutes long. He called it “double-stuffed Bill Clinton.” Colbert also broke the news that the musical guest, Kacey Musgraves, would not be performing because she had recorded her segment the previous day. We didn’t mind at all; it was more than enough to have seen President Clinton. (And we had dinner reservations.)
They were no cameras allowed in the theater, so I borrowed these from the official CBS recording of the show.
A clip showing us in the audience:
A great still photo of Colbert and his very important guest:
