Very often on Saturday nights from 11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. I can be found sitting on the couch laughing very hard at Saturday Night Live. On Saturday October 22, I was still sitting laughing very hard at SNL, however, my seat was definitely not my couch. My seat happened to be in the studio in the third row from the stage at Saturday Night Live.
I have tried for years to get tickets to this show. In August, the opportunity becomes available to email NBC for the chance to get tickets to SNL at an unknown date. I did this this year just the same as I have before expecting to hear nothing as always. However, about two weeks before the show I received an email telling me I won tickets. I could not believe it, especially since the night before I got the email I was telling one of my friends that I've never won and I didn't think I ever would.
Once the day came I was so excited. We had to check in at NBC at 10:15 and I thought the time would never come. It seemed like such a long day. Once we actually got the the studio we were sent to a lounge to wait to enter the balcony of the studio. However, about ten minutes before going inside, an employee for NBC walked up to my friend and me and pulled aside and asked us to take off our black wristbands. She gave us new purple ones and told us to go sit in the seats against the wall and wait. Over the loud speaker they called everyone with a purple wristband to enter the studio.
We were then taken in separately from the rest of the people in the lounge in a small group, and I knew this could only mean one thing. We were picked to sit in the seats on the floor right in front of the stage. I was freaking out. Even more, the entrance that we would go through was in the hallway with all of the dressing rooms. While waiting to get in we saw multiple cast members, Alec Baldwin and Mark Ronson walking around.
Once we got in and were seated, one of the hosts of The Weekend Update, Michael Che came out and did stand up. Next, Keenan Thompson sang a song. Then it was time for the show to begin. They set up for the cold open and minutes later Kate McKinnon and Alex Baldwin were on stage.
The host for the night was Tom Hanks who was absolutely hilarious. In between skits he was even standing right next to us and I was completely starstruck. The musical guest was Lady Gaga who sang two songs from her new album "Joanne." She sang so beautifully and it was amazing to see her as I have been a fan for a long time.
I even got to see Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer of Hamilton and In The Heights, who was just standing in the studio and watching the show. I was in complete shock when I saw him as I have been a fan for many years.
Overall, this was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I dreamed for years of being in the audience at Saturday Night Live and now that I have, I definitely want to go again and again. Guess like always, I'll have to enter the SNL lottery again next year and hope I get lucky again!
