Live from New York, it’s Saturday morning. At least, it is for the huddled masses lined up for standby tickets to NBC’s iconic Saturday Night Live.
Each week, a virtual nomadic encampment forms in a queue outside of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where determined fans beat back fatigue for the chance to see television’s most popular sketch-comedy show play out in front of them.
And at 4 a.m. last Saturday, three hours before the 7 a.m. distribution time, the line for standby tickets was already 85 people deep.
It’s understandable that a show of this caliber gets such a huge turnout for standby tickets. But of the roughly 200 hopefuls who morning to receive a standby number, only the first 35 ticket holders got to see the rehearsal show, while none got to see the live show.
Overcoming these daunting odds and getting into the show takes some serious standby strategy—especially for this Saturday night’s show, featuring New York alternative rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and teen-heartthrob host Zac Efron.
SNL standby horror stories have persuaded students like Harry Effron, SEAS ’10, not to attempt to get standby tickets. “I’m pretty sure they [standby tickets that get hopefuls into the actual show] are practically impossible to get,” he said.
Effron is largely spot-on—SNL distributes many more standby tickets then they can honor. They instead give each early morning standby a number to hold their place in line for when they return later that night. But as one NBC representative stressed that evening, even then there are no guarantees that hopefuls will end up in the elevator going up to the studio.
On a good day, roughly one-third of ticket holders will be ushered through security check and brought into the holding area so they can be herded into elevators in the case that seats need to be filled. Sometimes all will make it in, sometimes some, and sometimes none.
The number of available seats can vary based on a thousand factors, such as if extra stage space is needed, if friends and family of the cast and SNL guests are in the audience, and if all of the official lottery winners use their tickets.
SNL has a notoriously restrictive lottery process: during the month of August, fans can e-mail snltickets@nbcuni.com—selected winners receive tickets to a random show sometime during the entire SNL season.
Dueaa Elzin, BC ’11, called it “kind of sketch” that information about the lottery is not more widely advertised, but instead hidden “in the fine print.” Still, she said it “sounds impossible to win” and would head to the standby line if she was particularly interested in the host or musical guest.
Kristen Allison, SEAS ’12, is one of the daring Columbians who has braved the standby experience (unfortunately, and not surprisingly, to no avail). “The fact that we would be with so many other people that were doing the same thing” helped make the idea of the wait digestible, she said.
However, a double shot of espresso and a can-do spirit aren’t the only things students need to be successful in this venture. Those who arrive within an hour of the 7 a.m. distribution time will receive numbers well into the 100-range—the “safe” spots are usually below 30. In fact, that Saturday’s line leader had an arrival time nearing 2 p.m. the day before.
But any specific arrival recommendations are largely dependent on the popularity of the host and even the popularity of the show at that particular moment. Last Saturday, the promise of comedic superstar Seth Rogen as host and of another Digital Short off of The Lonely Island’s new album had fans in the almost block-long line buzzing about how funny Rogen would be and singing “I’m On A Boat” while waiting.
But the mood takes a dip once the sun rises and an NBC representative dishes out the ground rules: line members must choose whether they want standby tickets to 8 p.m. rehearsal or the 11:30 p.m. live show. They must reconvene 45 minutes prior to that time to wait in line again—with empty bladders, because there will be no bathroom breaks allowed once they are in the in-building line.
The first major conundrum of the morning promptly presents itself: to take live show or rehearsal tickets?
For Allison, the live show seemed like a good choice. “It would be cooler to be on live TV,” she said. However, if the host or musical guest were someone she really wanted to see, she conceded that she’d choose the rehearsal to increase her chances of being admitted.
In-the-know fans who have attended a taping before often prefer the rehearsal because they get to enjoy extra sketches that are cut for the live broadcast and find the interactions between cast and host a little more relaxed.
According to one NBC representative, rehearsal tickets often are selected faster. But this shouldn’t stop anyone vying for a seat—though the ratio of numbers admitted between shows can vary, “it’s pretty much always safer to choose the rehearsal,” a show representative said.
And so, a trip to SNL will likely resemble a game of poker for the average Columbia student: strategy will help, but luck is still in the driver’s seat. Take solace, however, for most hapless standbys can be found commiserating together once turned away at the conveniently located Magnolia Bakery around the corner.
Thankfully, their cupcakes come in both celebratory and consolatory flavors.
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