It’s freezing in the Ed Sullivan theater. I was told it has to be that way because of how the stage is lit. I nodded my head and didn’t ask questions. To see a live taping of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" was something so amazing and outlandish to me that it seemed the moment I questioned it at all, it would all slip away. I wasn’t willing to risk that, so I kept my mouth shut. I was 15 feet away from Stephen Colbert. Even just typing that feels revolutionary to me.

I’ve always loved comedy, and Stephen Colbert has been somewhat of a constant presence in my life for as long as I can remember. I had a sleepover in fifth grade where we watched "Spaceballs" and then fell asleep watching episodes of "The Colbert Report" on DVD that we had sent to us through Netflix. You know, when people still had things sent to them through Netflix. It feels almost as if he’s helped me grow up, in a way. I remember staying up late on the nights around Christmas to watch "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!" It would be snowing furiously outside, past midnight, and I would sit there watching the special over and over, never growing tired of it.

Who would've thought a Christmas special would honest-to-god change this little Jew's life?

I have been known to actively despise small talk, but here, in the line for "The Late Show," I couldn’t wait to speak with everyone I could. Seriously, I have been quoted saying “I hate people” more times than I can possibly count. It is a near-miracle that I was excited to talk to anyone. I met an older couple, Rebecca and Mark. Rebecca had extraordinarily vivid fantasies regarding Stephen Colbert, most of which involved her in one way or another sitting on his lap. She referenced an obscure episode of "The Colbert Report" from seven or so years ago. At one point, a kind staff member approached Mark and Rebecca to tell them that they could sit down, and that their place in line would be held. Rebecca immediately refused, concerned that they would get worse seats if they didn’t remain standing. Mark agreed just as adamantly. I wish there were more people like them. There was a guy in a black wool trench coat that popped up, and asked me with a heavy air of misplaced authority if this was the correct line for "The Tonight Show." I wish there were fewer people like him.

Soon, we were lead into the theater. The band starts to play, and they are phenomenal. You don’t realize how much the band does while you’re watching the televised version. They put on a show all their own, each performer more talented than the last. At one point they walked through the audience, still playing. One guy had an upright bass. He struggled to carry it through the aisles, and a man with a guitar helped him on his way. After a bit, the bandleader, Jon Batiste, asked a question along the lines of, “How are you doing, Stephen?” but with much more pep and energy. Just as his words were settling into the minds of the audience, Stephen Colbert appears from stage left and answers his question. Everyone started cheering furiously, myself included. There was a moment of sheer wonder for me, of finally seeing someone whom I’d idolized for so long materialize before me, and knowing that so many other people around me were feeling the exact same way I was. Stephen Colbert was 15 feet in front of me. It was, for lack of a better word, awesome.

Stephen's utter joy and appreciation for the audience was clear and infectious. We loved him, and he loved us back. He briefly left the stage in order to film his grand entrance for the top of the show. We cheered and cheered. Stephen did his monologue. The jokes weren’t the funniest I’d ever heard, but they were imbued with this sense of fascination and happiness that the audience couldn’t help but match, so we did.

His first guest of the night was Michael Moore. It was an interesting interview, but I was too involved in the idea that I was actually there to fully comprehend it. The next guest was Samantha Power, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Her interview was equally interesting, and we found out during another commercial break, while Stephen was praising her diplomatic skills, that she had allegedly had a cocktail in her dressing room. We all laughed, and Stephen said that this could become “an international incident.”

The last guest of the night was Michael C. Hall, perhaps best known for playing the title role on "Dexter." He has a distinct mole on his face, and from ten feet away, it was entirely visible. I saw Michael C. Hall’s face-mole-thing in person. That still blows my mind. He later gave a performance from David Bowie’s new Broadway musical, "Lazarus," based on the movie "The Man Who Fell to Earth." This was just about three weeks before David Bowie’s death. The show is sold out for the foreseeable future, and tickets are apparently being scalped for upwards of $3,000. To quote Stephen himself,“I can’t get tickets, and I’m famous.” After the performance, Stephen went and shook every member of the band’s hands. Briefly, he missed the drummer, and we all held our breaths in anticipation, but he quickly amended the mistake and shook his hand as well.

It was about done, at that point. Stephen did a final Q&A for a few minutes, said thank you, and we went on our way. We spoke to a cameraman on our way out who has apparently been working in the business for nearly 50 years. He couldn’t say enough good things about Stephen Colbert, and together we spoke about how glad we were that someone as clearly good and deserving as him made it. And he truly has made it. Maybe someday I will, too.

This one's for you, Rebecca.