My wife and I will be in NYC at the end of June 2002, we would like to get tickets for the Letterman show or for some other shows. Any suggestions on how to insure getting tickets?
Thanks

ttt

It has been MANY years since I went to Letterman so hopefully someone will give you more up to date info. That said:

In '94 my husband called ticket agents in NYC..they said Letterman was the only ticket they couldn't get. We then went to NY and tried to buy tickets from people in line, offering up to $500 ea., (yes, rubes from SC showing people $1000 in cash on the street in NYC) Only one taker out of all those in line.

So in '95 I sent in a postcard asking for a Fri ticket. That got me nowhere fast. Then in '96 or '97 I sent in a postcard asking for ANY show. They sent me tickets for a Wed...and yes, the theater is VERY cold.

IMHO, Letterman went down hill after that, so maybe it's easier now.

You can put your name in for standby tickets. I've done it through the show's web site. If you are interested in going monday-thursday, you should be able to get them easily. I've been on standby twice and was called by the letterman people both times. Just make sure you go, because if you don't, they will blacklist your phone number/name from their system for future shows.

There is another recent thread on this board on the same topic. You can do a search for it.

If I remember correctly, one person said that they just happened to be walking by, asked what all the commotion was, answered a trivia question correctly, and got in.

Oh yes, I forgot. They will ask you a trivia question about the show. They're pretty easy though even if you only watch occasionally (like me). I was asked the color of the announcers (Alan ?) hair. Also, once asked the name of the band.

I have posted this before....hope it's not redundant. Anyway, we have seen the show twice and it is worth the trouble. Once we wrote for tickets and had to travel there when we received the tickets...in other words, special trip. You cannot pick the dates you want tickets for, because they don't have production schedules for that far ahead...so we were told. The second time, we were in NYC on another trip. We remembered the procedure from before....show up the day of the show at around 11:00-12:00 and receive a number for your position in line....we saw people there "begging" for tickets that day...successfully, I add. Soooo, we did that. They are VERY nice and if you beg and explain how far you have traveled and know a little Letterman trivia....you can usually secure a ticket. Again, very important to go to the theater that morning/afternoon. This is when there are interns and production people outside making sure there is a full house for the evening. Also, another tip...they tape two shows on Thursday evening...so you have two chances to get in. Good Luck. It is worth the trouble...we love Dave and it is great fun! We have had GREAT seats both times....and I cannot stress enough how nice they are.

Current procedure for standby Letterman tickets.

Stand-by tickets are available on the day of the show only by calling (212) 247-6497 at 11:00am. The phones will be answered until the allocation is gone, at which time you will receive a recording.
Only 2 tickets will be issued per caller and the recipient must have identification to match the name given when calling in. Ticketing may be
subject to answering a trivia question about The Late Show.