What it was like to be in the audience for David Letterman's last show

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/21/david-letterman-view-from-the-audience

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It’s not often you get to witness comedy or television history in person (never mind both), but that’s exactly what a couple of hundred audience members experienced after being lucky enough to get tickets to the final episode of David Letterman’s television career, an American institution that wrapped up on Wednesday after 33 years. I was one of those people, chosen randomly on a fluke, and it was an overwhelming experience.

Outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown Manhattan, the mood was electric. While orderly, there were hordes of people – from dozens of reporters wielding microphones asking bystanders their favourite Letterman moment while their news trucks idled close by, to people taking one last selfie in front of the ubiquitous Letterman marquee on 53rd street and Broadway, and fans hoping to spot a glimpse of whoever might be on the show. One woman even had a huge card she was asking people to sign to hopefully give to Dave, while another person was staked out on the street painting a picture of the building.

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Once inside, staff members were joking about having to find new jobs and instead of melancholy there was an excited sense of mystery. Even the audience wranglers had no idea what would be on the show that night (or so they said). (Will Jay Leno be there? What will the final top 10 list be about?) Before the taping began, longtime announcer Alan Kalter appeared and joked about the speculation, announcing that Pope Francis would be Dave’s last guest. (“We don’t want the pope to walk out in silence,” he said. “So please don’t do the sign of the cross when you see him.”) Kalter then stressed that Letterman hates standing ovations, but he’s not going to stop the audience if we give him one. (Kalter himself came out to a standing ovation from the crowd, which he joked was “the first and last I’ll ever receive”.)

Once Paul Shaffer and the CBS orchestra came out for the last time (to more standing ovations), Kalter introduced Letterman to yet another ovation and he walked out to chat with the audience for a few minutes: a long-running pre-show ritual. One woman Letterman spoke to said she was from Maryland (Letterman: “I have a dog from Maryland!”), and another asked why he runs across the stage before coming out each night (“None of your business!”). With that, Dave got the countdown and spoke a few final words before the taping began, in which he expressed his gratitude for everyone being there. “This is the most important show of my career,” he said.

The rest of the finale played out pretty much as you saw it on television. The commercial breaks were punctuated by the peppy band, which stuck to uptempo classics (one of their last songs was the 1967 hit Expressway to Your Heart), and Dave would momentarily go backstage only to reappear again. While the clip packages played (including the montage of his interaction with kids and the classic Taco Bell remote), Dave stuck to his desk, watching the monitor in front of him, no doubt reflecting on the past 33 years.

However, there wasn’t a hint of sadness from Letterman. Despite mentioning he couldn’t sleep the night before, he kept his cool, even during his final goodbye, both on-air and after the show. (After the credits rolled, Letterman came out to thank the audience, his final words on the stage being “Goodnight again”). Throughout it all, he seemed to be a man truly at peace with his decision to step away, spurred by the chance to spend more time with his wife Regina and son Harry, both seated in the audience, who Letterman called “most important”.

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But perhaps the most telling moment of the taping took place after the all-star top 10 list, featuring some of the greatest comedic minds of all time, who also happened to be Late Show regulars (Jim Carrey, Steve Martin and Bill Murray to name a few). As the segment ended and they cut to commercial, everyone walked away with the exception of Carrey and Chris Rock. They both seemed to linger, not wanting to leave just yet, especially Rock who started dancing to a funky number the band was playing, savouring his last few minutes on the Late Show stage with Letterman at the helm.

Then, before Rock left the stage, he approached the mark where Letterman delivered his monologue and touched it, no doubt realising that a comedy era was coming to a close.