So back in the beginning of December I was invited to go see a LIVE taping of The Voice. It was pretty exciting!! I have been to a live taping of a television show before. I have been on set of a movie before. But this was definitely a different experience, because it was the live taping of the performances. It was very different. So here goes…

 

The email we received with the instructions said that we will NOT be allowed to bring in our cell phones. So we had to leave all of our phones in the car. So the only selfies we took that day were these ones in the car.

And then we took this one when we got to the parking structure.

The call time for check in was 330pm, but we had read online about other people’s experiences and they all said that it would be a good idea to get there around 130pm to start lining up.

We parked in the parking structure and followed the signs to The Voice line. Make sure you don’t pass the elevators otherwise you’ll wandering through CityWalk looking for more signs haha. So we go down the elevator and down into the lower level of the parking structure and get in line. There looked to be about maybe 50-60 people in line already. We thought we were going to be standing for hours and hours, but nope. We were in line for about 20 minutes. A guy came out and gave instructions that phones were not allowed in there so people had a few more minutes to take their phones back to their cars and come back in line. Surprised me how many people DID NOT read the rules on the tickets or in the email.

So a heads up, when you are printing your ticket and parking pass at home, make sure you print the 2 other pages as well and sign them. That way you wont be bombarded at the table with papers and pens and try to crawl over the crowd to get a form or a pen. Be prepared. We already had ours, so we bypassed the chaos bunch and went straight to the next line.

A security person then started down the line checking names, ID’s and taking signed forms. Once checked in they let walk to the metal detectors and a colored bracelet was put on you. We were given silver on this trip. (another trip given purple) They will tell you that the colors dont mean anything… they just mean you will be on a certain trolley. That is a lie. lol.. You will be placed in different groups for seating. The first time we had silver and we learned that was for the people in the pit. The purple wristbands on another trip were for the stadium seats behind the judges… so…

Anywho… we got wristbands and walked through a hallway and then came out to a patio area. There were chairs lined up under a canopy. There were also two food trucks there. You can buy food or something to drink. At the front of the chairs, there were water stations for free water. And on the other side of the chairs there were port-o-pottys. Fun.

I would suggest EAT BEFORE YOU GET THERE. And don’t drink too much if you have a light bladder. lol.

An usher sat us in the chairs… filling up the whole area. That took about an hour to get everyone checked in and sat down. We met and chatted with seat neighbors. The wait wasnt bad because we were sitting down. Which was nice considering we were going to be standing for the next 4 hours…IN HEELS!!

Here’s another tip: wear COMFORTABLE shoes!! It says in the ticket information to dress to impress. But it really DOES NOT matter. It’s so dark in there and the cameras will NOT see your shoes. So if you wanna dress fancy and hip, go for it. But i would totally wear some comfy vans or uggs. Something cushiony.

So… after about an hour, each wristband color was called and we got on the trolleys. we were taken on a trolley down to the studio. It was a fun ride. Then we got in line outside The Voice studio. The famous wall with the hand holding the microphone. We were there.

We waited more in a group than a line outside. Each color was placed in a little group there. We watched as the performers families arrived and got in line. We saw a couple celebrities arrive and even they stood in line. We waited maybe another 15-20 minutes as everyone was arriving. Families and celebrities were escorted in first. Then our silver bracelets were led in. We were the lucky ones to be put in “The Pit”. The Pit is the standing crowd you see on each side of the stage. If you want to be on camera, (its dark… but on camera) go further into the pit and along the stage. Near the speakers. You will be slightly on camera lol. It is really so dark in there when the cameras come on.

BUT… on one shot, my hand was on camera. YAY. hahaha right there, front and center. My hand is the one that looks like I’m touching this girl. lol.. That was pretty much the brightest it was in there. When the camera was at that angle.

We received A LOT of rules and direction from security and the crowd hype guy!! We can NOT boo under any circumstance. We don’t do the sway thing… eventhough, i think 2 songs they told us to sway lol.. We were told to clap and cheer and be loud and enthusiastic. The hype guy said “The crowd the week prior was real quiet and weak. So we need to be loud and energetic tonight.” But I quickly learned he says that every taping. haha

A couple of the security guys were kind rude. Not a smile or anything out of them. Seemed like they are just tired of their job so they could care less what job they are at. lol.. They’re just there. But there were a couple of guys who did actually smile and were personable. That was nice. Considering we were all just super excited to BE THERE. It was cool to feel welcomed by the few that made us feel it.

Carson wasn’t so talkative. He kind of just went in and out. Kelly definitely is EXACTLY as she is on camera. Very talkative and funny. Genuine. I absolutely love her!! Gwen seemed sweet. She said hi a couple times. John didn’t look away from his phone at all that night. But on another night he waved at us. And Blake was watching Monday Night football during one show and was joking and flirting with Gwen another night. Kinda funny.

The show was a live taping. The live semi-final performances. So we got to see all the performances of the last 8 finalists. Then we saw a secret performance that were being recorded for the finale! YES. You heard that right… recorded performances for the finale. Really cool that we were there for that!! We got to see Lady Antebellum perform live!! So awesome. They literally went on stage, Carson introduced them, they sang, we clapped, they were done and they walked off stage. And that was it. lol. That is pretty much how the entire show of performances went on throughout the night.

Introduction, sing, clap, walk off. lol. Nothing else in between. No time to talk to anyone. Just that. It was a rush because it was live. During each commercial break all the judges personal stylists, makeup artists, personal assistants and photographers came to judges chairs. Gwen took so many selfies. Total selfie queen. lol.

Overall, it was a fun day. The taping ended at about 7pm and we were on the freeway home by 730pm. It was an awesome experience. So much fun!!

To recap, my tips:

Eat before you get there.

Get there about 2 hours before call time to get in line.

Make sure you print and sign ALL the forms. (Tickets, parking pass, NDA and Photo Release)

Leave your phone in the car.

Wear COMFORTABLE shoes!!!!

Don’t be shy!!

Have fun!!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or email me. If you ever get a chance to go, share your story! I would love to hear your experience!

Blessings in 2020