Colbert Again

My faithful readers (reader? Hi Stacey!) will recall that a while ago I blogged about a trip into NYC to be an audience member of the Comedy Central hit show "The Colbert Report" (pronounced Colbair Repour??) Well, Michelle got tickets again and the other day we went to see the show with our nephew Tom and his wife Stacey.

The entrance to the Colbert studio on W. 54th St. The "Daily Show" used to be taped here and is still produced just around the corner on 11th Ave.

We had a great time and we had great seats. We were in the front row, literally ten feet from the desk where Stephen Colbert sits and does his schtick.

Before the show, a warm-up comedian who is quite funny in his own right came out on stage and got the audience "wound up". Since this young guy was as bald as a billiard ball of course he ragged on Tom and I for having full heads of gray hair. Michelle and Stacey thought this was pretty funny.

Now one of the things Stephen does after he comes on stage but before the show goes on the air is to sit at his desk and toss these red wristband thingys to the audience. Michelle, sitting next to me, did not manage to snag one, but then Stephen looked right at her and reaching under his desk tossed her a miniature Hershey's Krackle candy bar. She was delighted - in fact I think she's going to have it bronzed.

The Infamous Krackle Bar - With Stephen Colbert's fingerprints still on it.

The show was quite funny that night and to add to the enjoyment, Stephen's guest for the segment was Yo-Yo Ma the world-renowned cellist. He appeared with a small group of musicians and played a piece from his newly-released album "Songs of Joy & Peace." After the offical "end" of the show, in a portion that was not aired, Stephen sang the hymn "Dona Nobis Pacem" accompanied by Yo-Yo Ma and his musicians. Stephen has a fairly decent voice. He then invited the audience to sing along with him and afterward informed us that we had now "performed" with Yo-Yo Ma.

Afterward, we went to "Roberto Passon", an Italian restaurant on the corner of 9th and 50th for dinner. The food was excellent, the wine was good, and the company - Tom and Stacey - was enjoyable. All in all a good day.