Anyone done SNL stand-by?

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:03am

Look I know this isn't "Broadway" - but it's a live show in New York so I figured some of you might have an answer. I'm just wondering if anyone has done the stand-by. Is it a reliable way of getting tickets or will it be hard to do? Just curious. Many thanks!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:12am

Its just as bad a trying to win the lotto at WICKED. For every standby ticket there are about 200 people vying for it.

Unless you already have a given ticket, don't bother trying to standby. Seriously.

Here is a recent Saturday morning over at 30 Rock full of standby hopefuls for that evening's SNL -- for either the 9:30pm dress rehearsal or the 11:30pm live telecast.

This is the FRONT of the line:

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:14am

When Coldplay played a few months ago, there were people lined up around 8pm on Friday night.

[heo1128]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:23am

For how awful SNL has been the past few years (excluding Tina Fey as Palin) that's kind of shocking.
Updated On: 2/9/09 at 12:23 AM

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:48am

Wow, my mind was made up fast. That line looks awful. I will definitely be rushing Guys & Dolls instead. Thanks!

[Timmerbo]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:56am

I was in town the weekend of the Anne Hathaway/The Killers show. My 4 friends and I stayed up all night Friday drinking and at around 5 in the morning Saturday we wandered down to 30 Rock to get in line. There was already a pretty sizeable line up, and I met some of the standby veterans who told us that we should hedge our bets and ask for dress rehearsal tickets. On the plus side, I got to see what the McDonalds in Time Square is like at 5:30 AM.

Long story short, two of my friends got in and the rest of us didn't. When they realized they were the last two people to get in, they decided to leave instead of ditching us. Apparently producers inside were pretty baffled/pissed when they asked to leave.

So we went to see the Upright Citizens Brigade and watched SNL on TV. That was the week of the VP Debate, so of course Tina Fey was there. D'Oh.

Anyway, I guess the moral is that if you want to get in to the actual show, you'd best give up most of your Friday night to sitting in line.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 8:18am

I've heard of people showing up as early as 11am to noon on Friday as well. Maybe last afternoon would be more sufficient. I don't know. But, I certainly would not want to try this weekend with the Jonas Brothers. That I can guarantee a bunch of little 12 year olds with their moms and dads will be camping out, and then not appreciate the show at all.

[Calvin]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:08pm

I don't think SNL allows 12-year-olds in the audience.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 12:51pm

I believe the age limit is 16.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 1:39pm

Oh, I know it is. But, I also have heard that they don't check how old people are either. So, some kids under 16 might get in.

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 2:32pm

Brody, the dress rehearsal is at 8 PM, not 9:30.

For the record, I did stand-by back in October 1999. Norm MacDonald, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem were the guests. I got there around 6 PM on Friday afternoon and stayed up through Saturday morning and took the 10th live show stand-by ticket. I believe the first 15 people with live show stand-by tickets got in that night. Regardless of the show's quality, there's no experience like seeing SNL in person. It was a blast. Stand-by statistics are always a crapshoot, and it doesn't always matter who the guests are.

The standby experience can be a lot of fun. You make friends - some I still talk to to this day that I met back then - and get to see what midtown is like late at night and early in the morning. Just pray for good weather!

Updated On: 2/9/09 at 02:32 PM

[viola13]

Posted: 2/9/09 at 4:20pm

Me and a friend did standby for when NPH was the host at the beginning of January. We got there at around 4:30 am on Saturday, asked for dress rehearsal tickets, and later got in really easily. Our tickets were in the late twenties (can't remember exactly), and they let in a good 30-40 people after us. Then again, this was the weekend when they were predicting a snowstorm, so I'm sure that had something to do with them letting in so many people on standby.

But yeah, if the Jonas Brothers are on this weekend, I wouldn't do the line. People will probably be there Friday afternoon, if not earlier.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 2/10/09 at 2:59am

"Regardless of the show's quality, there's no experience like seeing SNL in person."---I agree. It is worth the struggle to get the tickets.
My suggestion: Start Friday night (I think after 8pm is fine), and then hopefully you have enough people with you that you can take turns staying in line. This way it will be more bearable.
The problem with most people (as in my case), is that they don't ususally have so much time in NYC to allow for this. If you've already visited the city before, I say...go for it !

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/10/09 at 8:18am

Yeah, as I mentioned, I know of people getting there at like 11am on Friday morning to be in the front of the line. I remember talking to people about this, when Jimmy Fallon had an official site and message board. Apparently there is some guy who has been doing the standby line every week that there is a new show, since either the show started or just early in its run. Well, he got married and does it with his wife now. She was the one telling us everything when they went. The funny thing is, they were given tickets to the live show for as long as they want to go, I guess. But, they still do the standby line anyway to get into dress rehearsal. Talk about crazy.

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 2/10/09 at 10:50am

Marianne, that would be Louis Klein and his wife Jamie. They are the stand-by line die-hards and self-appointed "police" of the line.