I have tickets for Monday April 14th. They say that they give out more tickets than there are seats and that you have to be in line by 3:30pm.

Has anyone done this? Do they ever turn away folks with tickets? What time would you suggest that I line up to get a decent seat?

I know this is a totally tacky thing to do but, hey, sometimes you do totally tacky things on vacation.

Thanks.

Usually if you have tickets that were mailed to you out of town, they put you in a priority line and you are less likely to be turned away.

You should be okay if you're there around 3pm, but if Britney Spears or someone extra-popular is the guest of the evening, there is a good chance that you will be turned away.

There is a pizza/convenience store across the street and a hot dog joint, so if you go early and one person holds place in line- the other one can go and fetch lunch to kill some time.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I will be there solo. My plan is to take the NBC studio tour in the morning, have lunch and be in line (with a book) about 1:30-2:00pm.

I will hope that Brittany Spears is not the guest.

I went last year and got in line at 12:00. We were the first in line. By 3:00 the line would be very long.

I don't think it's tacky at all. During high school, student groups would go to tapings - including the Tonight Show with Johnny! - for fundraising. So much fun!

If you see a student group, you may want to try to attach yourself to them, they get paid per head.

I went to Jay Leno a few years ago and loved it! We got in line at least an hour before the cut off (I don't remember exactly) and we were almost the last folks in. However, some people in line BEHIND us got better seats (front row) because they ended up on "stand by" and got the seats that VIPS didn't show up to take. I don't think there is anything you can do about that, but if they put you on "stand by", don't fret!

I just want to thank everyone who replied here. I am really looking forward to my home exhange in Long Beach, CA.

Lauren, I cracked up at the Britney Spears mention. The last time I went to the Letterman Show, Britney WAS the guest. She is a bit gross.

Thanks again for all the replies. I leave for CA in the morning.

I should be in Jay's audience on Monday, April 14th, but, since you don't know what I look like (and I don't own a Fodor's t-shirt I could wear), don't bother to tune in.

I know I'd be interested in a trip report! Have a great time.

I will post a link to my trip report when I return. I find them difficult to post on fodors due to the format (and the fact that mine tend to be lengthy). So, I will just put up the report elsewhere and post the link on fodors.

We've gone three times now. And, we've never joined the line by 3:30, having better things to do than stand in a line to see something not much more worthwhile than on TV (upon which you can definitely see better). No way would I have bothered to turn up another two hours before the recommended 3:30 time. We've just wandered over, at our convenience, figuring if we get in - fine - if we don't, no big deal. Amazingly, we've been seated in the third row center, first row left, and fifth row right. (Never realized getting there later might result in closer seats!) But, there are really no bad seats - though up close are no doubt "better". However, we weren't going for a "decent seat" but, rather, the "experience". Truth be told, Jay Leno is not much worth spending hours in line just to see "in person". And, I can't think of any guests I'd waste that sort of valuable time on either. I would never describe this endeavor as "tacky", but I would wonder why anyone would waste HOURS of their valuable time on it.

OK, I did this on April 14th and am going to tell you how it went:

I got to NBC Studios about 11:30am and, because I was a single, was able to get into a tour almost immediately. If I had been in a larger group, I would have had to wait until 1:30pm or 2:00pm--which would have made me really nervous about getting in to The Tonight Show.

When I got done with the tour (very interesting and about an hour), I had lunch at the Mexican restaurant across the street (they have a very inexpensive buffet if you are in a hurry and it was not bad at all for the price). I then joined the line about 2:30pm and was at the back.

The show starts at 4:30pm. At about 3:30pm they begin to let people in. The fact that you have tickets does not guarantee you admission. They want to fill the audience and give out more tickets than they have slots.

The really annoying thing is that there are many people who know someone at NBC who jump the line. Basically, they stop the line and let about 150 people in. I found that very annoying.

Yes, I got in and yes I had a great seat. I was not down front but I was in the center just above the section on the floor. I was quite satisfied with my seat.

It is pretty much a crap shoot where you sit and some latecomers do get right down front where you shake hands with Jay. Basically, they just tell you where to sit and you sit there. Except for the really upper levels on the sides, there really are no bad seats--unless you think a successful trip to The Tonight Show means sitting in the first row where you were likely to get on camera. Remember, however, if you get a seat there, you are likely to have your line of sight blocked by the cameras once the show starts. So, it is 6 of one and a half a dozen of another.

I really enjoyed seeing the show live. Would I do this again? Perhaps if friends wanted to do this, but not really on my own again. It does take a lot of time to do (even if you get the tickets in the mail in advance--which I did). It is just one of those things that you do on vacation because, well, you have seen the show and have always wanted to see it live.

I found it very interesting to be behind the scenes. They "rev" the audience up a bit beforehand. Jay comes out in jeans and talks to all of us. During the commercial breaks, the band entertains. It was fun, but, again, it takes a lot of time.

Please note, no one under 16 years of age is admitted. They will check ID's if they have a question.

Whatever you do in LA, have fun!

I just wanted to add one other thing:

The NBC Studio tour is very interesting. Early in the day you see The Tonight Show set. You do not see that after 1:00pm or so because they are rehearsing.

There are very limited tours and the line moves so slowly that it is sort of in "tai chi" time. NBC really does need to do a better job of this (not to mention that the parking for both the Studio Tour and The Tonight Show is on the street--and good luck). If you can, take public transportation. I got a good spot with no time limit on it but I had to forage quite a bit first.

Having said all of this, I recommend the Studio Tour (with or without The Tonight Show set). It was just as interesting as seeing the show. Just get there early in the morning (or have one member of your party--preferably not you--get up early) to get your tickets.

Thanks for the information, Lauren. I was considering attending a taping of the show in August. I think that maybe I will watch it from my hotel room instead, although it does still hold some intrigue for me. I appreciate your report and thanks for taking the time to write about it.

Happy Trails,
Paul

Would you believe, I am re-home exchanging with the same couple for next Xmas?

Guess what, some friends of theirs heard I went to The Tonight Show and they have asked ME to get tickets for Xmas week so THEY (who after all live in Long Beach where they could get tickets anytime) could go with me. Here we go again!

I will be out in Long Beach for about 2 weeks so one day wasted on a TV show will not be a great sacrifice for me because, unlike many things in the area, The Tonight Show is free and the people who want me to get the tickets are very nice folks. Who knows, maybe Jay will be on vacation.

And like many people who live in prime tourist areas, people living near beautiful downtown Burbank often are too busy working to see things in their own backyard.

I live in the DC suburbs and there are people who never hit the tourist sites unless they get company. Me? I go to the museums, etc., all the time.