How to get tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar Live?- Page 8

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 3/31/18 at 10:58pm

bstoll1 said: "Can anyone comment on how it was to be in the PIT. My concern is if have a jacket and small drawstring backpack....what am I expected to do with them while standing for 3 hours? I assume they don't want us holding our bags and/or wearing our coats. Was there a place to check bags and coats for those standing in the pit?"

I had not been in the pit, but there was a coat check while you had walked in. As for bags, I would not worry about them, you will need the food in them!

[Carmilla]

Posted: 3/31/18 at 11:23pm

bstoll1 said: "Can anyone comment on how it was to be in the PIT. My concern is if have a jacket and small drawstring backpack....what am I expected to do with them while standing for 3 hours? I assume they don't want us holding our bags and/or wearing our coats. Was there a place to check bags and coats for those standing in the pit?"

I'm not sure if you'll be warmer from standing close to other people in the pit, but I was very grateful for my coat (a lightweight jacket.)  It was chilly inside, and during each "commercial" break they blasted the AC.  They turned it off (it was pretty noisy) during the show.

Here's a rough timeline of today:

Arrived just before 2, although my ticket said to join the line at 3.  Upon arrival, seated tickets lined up inside, pit outside. Once we got inside, there was one line for both general and priority seats downstairs.  They split us into two lines once we got upstairs.

They started processing (scanning 1iota tickets and handing out wristbands, and I believe giving out the printed JCS tickets) for priority fairly soon after that, maybe 2:30ish??  They started processing general tickets right around 3.  At this point, they had also let in priority pit tickets.

We were back downstairs and waiting to get onto the shuttles around 3:45.  There were pit tickets in line downstairs, and still a lot of pit tickets in line outside by the time we boarded around 4.  It took awhile for us to board, the shuttles to actually move, and then get to the Armory.  Once we were at the Armory, it took some more time before we could get off the bus, into the next line to enter, lock our phones, and go through the metal detectors.

They had run out of JCS tickets with printed seat locations right before us.  Only the first 20 people or so of the general line got printed JCS tickets.  We got a second wristband instead. Our group without tickets was waiting inside the venue right around 4:50, and they then later led us to the seated section in between pit and the bleachers (where most of the priority tickets were sitting)

Once we got seated, it was just after 5 I believe.  A group in our section left to go to the restroom.  When they came back, they did a last call to escort the next group to the restroom.  We were then escorted in groups of about 4-5 back outside and to the restroom trailers across the street.  This is when I was told to hurry, they're starting soon in about 15 minutes.

The show started right around 6.  They took "commercial" breaks, each about 3-5 minutes long.  The show ended right around 8:30.

Reiterating to make sure you eat before, or eat while you're on line at check in.  I was super hungry and dehydrated when we got out!  I noticed they didn't check our bags too thoroughly, but no idea if they'll be stricter tomorrow.  That being said, they probably won't notice if you bring a small snack, just make sure it's hidden.

Updated On: 3/31/18 at 11:23 PM

[bstoll1]

Posted: 3/31/18 at 11:24pm

THANKS!  So if a person has priority check in. Does it matter how EARLY they should arrive...since it appears seating / standing locations are not depended on order of arrival.  It says check in starts at 4:30 and ends at 5:30 for priority.

[Caye2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:08am

I echo what has been said about the actual show...set was great, singing outstanding. 1iota staff was nice and entire check-in/shuttle to venue process was much smoother than I anticipated.

Having said that, I was somewhat disappointed with my PIT experience. Unless you are right up against the rails near the front part of the stage, you will miss most of the main action. I ended up standing by the walkway (stage left/house right I guess you’d call it), where the performers sometimes entered or exited, which was pretty neat at times because they come within a foot of you! But all I got to see was mostly the back portion of the stage.

I was Priority as well, and got there early enough that I was in the first third or so of the line, and still didn’t get first dibs at the prime spots up against the rail. It seemed that they randomly gave some people in the Pit line 2 wristbands, and those people stood in a separate line and went in first at the venue, so not sure if they were the ones that got to be the closest. Only reason I knew that certain people got two wristbands was because I became friends with a group of 4 friends who were standing behind me. By the time we got to the venue, I only saw 2 of them and when I asked where the others were, they told me that their friends randomly got a second wristband. If anyone who got two wristbands can say where they were standing, that would satisfy my curiosity!

And it was pretty cold...and a lot of standing outside if you have a Pit ticket so dress warm!

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 12:08 AM

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:15am

Since I was up in the seats I was watching them cut the wristbands off of the people in the pit. The people in the front did appear to have 2.

[bstoll1]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:16am

EEEHHH! I'll still go to the live taping but am not not looking forward to the PIT experience.  Worst comes to worst I'll see about leaving early and watch the rest on TV.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:19am

Thing is, if you happen to be in front of the pit you have the best spot in the house. Definitely go! The energy tomorrow will be unreal. You can watch it on tv later!

[Danielle49]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:34am

Also if this matters to anyone (it would to me because I like having keepsakes): only seated fans in the upper sections get paper tickets to keep. In the pit, you unfortunately won't get one, and they'll clip your wristbands as well so they won't appear on camera.

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 12:34 AM

[tsondie21]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:39am

I can also attest to most of what people are saying. It was super well organized, and a magnificent show. I was in the pit by the walkway stage left. Had a great view of all the action. The only negative was that I couldn’t hear the singing very well. Sarah and John were pretty clear but the chorus was almost completely drowned out by the instruments and Brandon wasn’t as loud as I wanted. I wonder if this was a pit issue or if anyone else had a similar experience.

To the person saying they might dip out early, I suppose you’ll see but don’t! It was so completely worth any trouble with hearing or positioning. The ending was magnificent and I’m so glad I got to see it in person.

We didn’t take the shuttle back, we just walked away and it was totally fine. Grabbed a Lyft easy peasy.

Saw Ben Platt in the audience which makes sense.

Cannot WAIT to watch it on TV tomorrow night.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:00am

tsondie21 said: "I can also attest to most of what people are saying. It was super well organized, and a magnificent show. I was in the pit by the walkway stage left. Had a great view of all the action. The only negative was that I couldn’t hear the singing very well. Sarah and John were pretty clear but the chorus was almost completely drowned out by the instruments and Brandon wasn’t as loud as I wanted. I wonder if this was a pit issue or if anyone else had a similar experience.

To the person saying they might dip out early, I suppose you’ll see but don’t! It was so completely worth any trouble with hearing or positioning. The ending was magnificent and I’m so glad I got to see it in person.

We didn’t take the shuttle back, we just walked away and it was totally fine. Grabbed a Lyft easy peasy.

Saw Ben Platt in the audience which makes sense.

Cannot WAIT to watch it on TV tomorrow night. "

In the seated area near the center, right? I thought I was hallucinating! 

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:41am

Caye2 said: "I was somewhat disappointed with my PIT experience. Unless you are right up against the rails near the front part of the stage, you will miss most of the main action."

It's almost like they are more focused on the fact that they are broadcasting this on live TV than giving the people there a good show...

[moira8]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 9:35am

I was in the pit area last night, right in the middle. Initially my friend and I were behind the first line of people at the pit. But the guy in front of me had a printed shirt that they didn’t want to show on camera, so they asked us to switch (I had a plain colored shirt with my lightweight coat). So it turned out to be awesome! Had lots of interaction with the cast, and got to high-five John Legend, too! It was amazing seeing them up close, especially since they were facing our direction most of the time.

Like people have already mentioned, getting in line first doesn’t necessarily mean you’d get the best seat/standing position. There were about 100 people ahead of us on the line for pit priority, so I don’t even know how we somehow got positioned in the center. When we arrived, we saw that the pit at the sides were already full of people. So I guess you just get there and hope for the best.

There’s a bag check and coat check. I wouldn’t try hiding your phone and pretending you don’t have one when they ask you to put them in that pouch they hand out for the phones. There is a bag check and you pass through a metal detector as well, so chances are, they’ll catch you trying to sneak it in.

Ben Platt and a lot of the Platt family members were there in support of the dad and Jonah who is in the ensemble. They were seated on the third row of the center section. 

Definitely try to eat something before getting in line. I was hungry during the show, so I ate the granola bar they handed out (plus another one I already had in my bag) during commercial breaks. Either they didn’t care, or no one saw me, but no one told me to put it away.

they did cut off the wristbands for those of us in the pit, but when I asked if I can keept it, the guy said of course and gave it to me. So that’ll have to do as a keepsake for this great experience! :)

[Caye2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 12:49pm

Question about the pit arrangement (since, as I said, I got positioned to the side and couldn’t see much from where I was standing!): were there people standing to stage right, where the big wall with “Jesus” is?  And in front, did they only allow 1 row or 2 rows of people to stand, or were there people filling up the open space between the front of the stage and the seating area?  

Also wondering if they use the footage that they filmed from the rehearsal performance last night for anything?  They are broadcasting live tonight...just wondering why they were worried about the pit people having their wristbands on or whether a person with a printed shirt was in the front and could be seen on camera during a rehearsal?  Guess they wanted to run everything exactly like tonight during the live taping?

Darn...missed seeing Ben Platt!

[Danielle49]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 1:19pm

Caye2 said: " Also wondering if they use the footage that they filmed from the rehearsal performance last night for anything? They are broadcasting live tonight...just wondering why they were worried about the pit people having their wristbands on or whether a person with a printed shirt was in the front and could be seen on camera during a rehearsal? Guess they wanted to run everything exactly like tonight during the live taping?"

There's a few reasons why they do a pretaping. A lot of it is done to get the logistics right for the real thing - audience handling, placement, etc. With a live audience, they get to see where the reactions are, so if there's a particularly big reaction (e.g. a standing ovation for John Legend) they know that it might be a moment to insert a shot of the audience. Same goes for if an audience is low energy during certain moments - they know to keep the focus on the action. Also, the rehearsal taping is done just in case they can't run with the live one for whatever reason. This is why they tape SNL dress rehearsals with an audience.

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 01:19 PM

[OneSingularSensation2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 2:56pm

Lots of people have already voiced what I experienced, so I won't waste space...but will add:
- Go to the bathroom at the check-in location (that way you won't have to at the armory)
- Do wear comfortable shoes for the pit (I didn't get a seat on the shuttle, so I stood from the time I got to the check-in line until I left the armory)
- Have fun!

(I did not consider 1iota to have their act all that together - friend & I kept saying that we hoped they were learning from the dress experience to better handle things today. But the cast & production were incredible, and it's a free ticket, so no complaints here! Was placed in the "baby pit" - to the side of the stage - which was limited visibility but really cool to be close to many of the cast's entrances & exits. Standing against the railing, I do think I had a better view than I'd have had 3-5 people back elsewhere in the big pit - not tall enough to see over that many people!)

[OneSingularSensation2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 3:02pm

Caye2 said: "Question about the pit arrangement (since,as I said, I got positioned to the side and couldn’t see much from where I was standing!): were there people standing to stage right, where the big wall with “Jesus” is? And infront, did they only allow 1 row or 2 rows of people to stand,or were there people filling up the open space between the front of the stage and the seating area?

Fairly certain there were only people stage left. From there, it looked like 3+ rows deep in front of the stage, but someone who was over there would know better... :)

[antonijan]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 3:11pm

Can someone post a pic of the printed ticket for upper floor seats... Souvenir?

[moira8]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 6:11pm

Caye2 said: "Question about the pit arrangement (since,as I said, I got positioned to the side and couldn’t see much from where I was standing!): were there people standing to stage right, where the big wall with “Jesus” is? And infront, did they only allow 1 row or 2 rows of people to stand,or were there people filling up the open space between the front of the stage and the seating area?

Also wondering if they use the footage that they filmed from the rehearsal performance last night for anything? They are broadcasting live tonight...just wondering why they were worried about the pit people having their wristbands on or whether a person with a printed shirt was in the front and could be seen on camera during a rehearsal? Guess they wanted to run everything exactly like tonight during the live taping?

Darn...missed seeing Ben Platt!"

There were no people standing stage right. From where we were standing (center), they only allowed 3 people deep because crew/actors were all passing that area a lot so they need to keep the space open.

Before the start of the show, the stage manager explained to us to act as if it were the live show because he said in case something that goes wrong in the live show, then they will be using footage from the rehearsal.

 

[tictac]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 9:58pm

Hey everyone, I am very disappointed at 1iota today!

I signed up right on the first day, and waited patiently for my tickets. But it never arrived. One day they emailed me saying there're no more tickets, then they sent me two General Seated tickets in the afternoon (?!)

Knowing the General tickets are not guaranteed, I heed all the advice on this board and went there early, ate a lot of food, knowing the food will the scarce and the show doesn't end till 11pm. 

Just as I predicted early on before I got the tickets, everyone from Priority showed up. ALL of us in General were turned away today! There must be about 100 of us. I wasted my whole day and can't even get in. Because according to them, they must give priority to the Priority ticket holders. Some Priority holders will be turned away too, because the seats are close to limit. But they showed up like 15mins before the line closes. They were asked to stay, because their status are still a 'maybe'. But the Generals, all of us, who waited way longer, are definite 'no', because they don't have enough seats

This is a special event, of course everyone will show up. For a company that had done the Grammy's and other similar events in LA, they should know better. Why do they have a Priority and General line, to begin with? And why are they giving out tickets at random instead of according to the time people signed up? 

I'm really beyond disappointed. What a great April Fools Day joke! 

[dirily]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:32pm

Tictac - OH NO!!! That is so awful... I am so sorry to hear that!!!!  I was thinking most of the audience tonight must be friends/family of the cast and was surprised they even had 1iota tickets.  They really should have given more warning about that.  Ugh, what a waste of time... hope you got to see it on TV at least! 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:49pm

TicTac- ugh, how disappointing. So sorry that happened to you! But remember, their jobs are to make sure they have enough people to fill the seats. If something happened and a bunch of priority people couldn’t make it or just didn’t show, they needed to have backups. They really can’t predict who is going to show up. It was definitely worth a shot for sure!

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:55pm

This was a unique event, and 1iota needed to be sure that the house was full.

But you are in good with 1iota. They know that you showed up today. This fact looks GREAT on your audience record. Continue to show up for future 1iota events to build your reputation as a dependable audience member.

[tictac]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 10:58pm

greenifyme2 said: "TicTac- ugh, how disappointing. So sorry that happened to you! But remember, their jobs are to make sure they have enough people to fill the seats. If something happened and a bunch of priority people couldn’t make it or just didn’t show, they needed to have backups. They really can’t predict who is going to show up. It was definitely worth a shot for sure!"

When we left, there are about 100 people in General, and about 75 in Priority. I don't think you need to disappoint 175 people. 

Not sure how many people they turned down in the Pit. As we left there's a whole line of people without wristband down the block they haven't scanned yet

 

Updated On: 4/1/18 at 10:58 PM

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 4/1/18 at 11:03pm

Tictac:

That is so horrible for all of the general ticket holders today. Did you have general seated or pit? I am not sure about general pit yesterday, but general seated got about half of us in. 1iota should have compensated you all for your time at the very least, yesterday I had found even though they were very disorganized, they weren't very homely. On the ticket, I wish there had been a meal/food section explaining the lack of food onsite, but you could bring food.

I feel that getting in yesterday, everybody had far better chances of getting in to see the show, opposed to today, as more people would want to be in the room when it was being filmed opposed to a rehearsal. I understand the company must fill seats with people, and have excess people chosen, but to make conditions rough (and quite frankly, dangerous for those with health problems) was unnecessary. 

All in all, I would view this as a lesson not to choose a day that people would be swarming for tickets on, or make sure to have a backup plan for if you cannot see the show (Mine yesterday was to go to get delicious food from a bakery and go see a show if I could arrive in time).

Nobody deserves this type of treatment after waiting that long and being shoved aside for those who arrive later than them, even if the selection is random.

[bstoll1]

Posted: 4/2/18 at 2:01am

I was at the concert in the PIT for the Live Show and it was a great experience.  I posted pictures and videos from the evening as well as made my own playbill that the cast signed.  If you have any questions about the evening let me know.

https://www.facebook.com/brian.stoll3