The Today Show’s Toyota Concert Series

What an awesome experience! I went to my first Today Show concert series and got to see Macklemore. I suggest arriving around 5 – 5:30am for good seats (assuming you don’t have any advanced tickets or anything to skip the line). I arrived at 5:30am and the line wasn’t too bad. They started letting us in around 6:30am. Once you’re in, that’s the spot you’re stuck with. They do give you the option to move up a section if your in the back section of the stage, but it all depends on how packed it is. Once your there, make sure your smiling for all the cameras! Cameraman will come over and ask for volunteers to give a tv shoutout. There’s also so many freebies they give out. I was able to score a hat and the Macklemore CD! This was such a fun experience. Would I do it again? If I’m a fan of the artist, yes!!! It’s so worth it. Just be prepared to wake up early and drink lots of coffee to survive!

Apply through the fan pass lotto. .. I got lucky and so could you. We saw Imagine Dragons and it had a huge crowd. Ppl were lined up the day before. With the fan pass we went in behind the VIP ppl and then there were probably 100 fan pass folks, but since we got there at 4:50am we were near the front of that line. They want you to have a great time and involve the crowd. They passed out foam mics, t-​shirts, sunglasses. They did not come to our area however when we were leaving another group of ppl said we got so much please have these sunglasses and cardboard fan, so nice and my daughter was delighted. Enjoy and remember to set the DVR so you can look for yourself when you get back home!

For whatever reason, I wanted to sign up for the today show when prepping for my nyc trip. The sign up process online was super simple with an immediate confirmation. The day before my scheduled show date, they sent me an email for a special invite to for the Toyota concert series, The Weeknd was performing. I was in shock because I’ve been wanting to see the weeknd for awhile now and I can’t believe he was going to perform the day I was going to be there.
We got to the radio check in area at 530 am which was located in front of the NBC experiece store. The gal name Courtney who checked us in was incredibly friendly and helpful. We got special radio passes which gave us front and center viewing. Like literally first row. The radio check in line was only about 15ish people while the fan pass and GA line were hundreds deep and got in after we did. We were able to watch all the sound checks and the weeknd came out once before the performance to say hi… I got a high five from him! The today show hosts all came out to say hi as well. The Weeknd finally performed at 850 am a d he only did one song. Yes we waited almost four hours and there was only one song but all in all it was about the experience and we didn’t regret it one bit. I actually was most amazed that the production folks had to so such a big set up for just one song. It was basically a 5 plus hour set up process for the weeknd to sing for 4 minutes. But hey it’s show biz.

Honestly, it depends on who the performer is.
I went for a The Weeknd and got there at 5AM and I still was mid way in the audience. Pushed my way to the front but it didn’t matter because the VIP section in the front held up signs that blocked our view either way.
Online said they would start at 8am and end around 9am. The Weeknd started at 8:50 and ended at 8:56. four hours for six minutes.
Just stay in bed because the people are rude and you won’t be able to see anything anyways

Unless you have a fan pass or vip pass this is not worth going to. They let the VIP and fan pass people in before the regular admission lines. So if you camp out you’re screwed. I had a VIP pass and I got there early and still had a bad spot. The way they have the stage set up isn’t great. There’s a huge opening between the performers and the audience. The rows are narrow so unless you’re in the first few rows your view sucks. It really is a waste of time unless you’re a tourist who wants to experience a live taping. I would not recommend to local residents.

Wear comfortable shoes!
Came here to see Mariah Carey (not my idea) and got on line at 6:00 am. It was already around the corner on 5^th Avenue but we still got into the concert area.
The line didn’t move until around 7:15 — 7:30 and then there is just a lot of standing on hard flagstones until show time. The Today hosts came out at 8:00 and at 8:30 and then the show started at 8:42. It was actually fun.
Make sure you make your poster is distinctive so you can see yourself on camera. We stood by some people who had a hot pink poster with big letters on it and when we checked it out on the DVR, we were able to see ourselves. It would also help to wear a shirt that stands out.
So, my advice is to get there early if you want to get close to the stage, wear comfortable shoes because you’ll be standing for at least 3 hours, and wear/​carry something bright and colorful so you get on camera.

Pretty much always a fun time here, but you have to wake up do early. I go to the other show concerts at Central Park too but I really like coming to Rockefeller Center. It is just really early in the morning. I have seen Chris Brown here twice, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, Pink, Lincoln Park, and a few others over the years. For Cb, I was here about 535 am, last June on a Friday. I just happened to be off that day and was coming from a club so headed here to support #TeamBreezy. I would definitely come back here. I had pretty good position in the crowd. I came once for some country like Jason Aladeen, not 100% my favorite kind of music but I liked how hyped up the rest of the crowd got. Get there really early especially if it us someone really big like Nicki Minaj or Katy Perry.

Always a fun time as a VIP pass holder at this mini concert series. Call time is a crazy 4am to wait in line to get in but the staff really does a great job at crowd control and making sure the process to get into the quarantined standing room only space is organized. I’ve seen everyone from Sting to NKOTB to Miley Cyrus to Shakira most recently. I think it’s a bit nutty that people camp outside for days sometimes hoping to score a space in front of the stage but I guess if you have the time why the heck not! And as quickly as they get you in and film the segment they are also very efficient and quick about getting you out and resuming the rest of your mundane day.

I came here recently and absolutely loved it. I got to see this rising artist. She is not super famous so the crowd was small. I thought the producers did a good job telling people where to stand/​watch the show if they want to get on TV. I am sure it gets much more crowded when more popular or famous stars come to perform. I can’t wait to come back and visit!

Suprisingly organized

Love this thing when I can wake up, Once saw Annie Lennox there performing outside with Dave Stewart during winter at 30 °F — and there were not as many people as i’d expect so I was pretty close to the stage. The performance was spectacular — i’ll remember for life.

5 Stars to Psy’s GANGNAM STYLE performance/​concert!!! ^_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​^
Can’t beat a free live concert in NYC and yes I went to go see it at 5am in the morning!!! Only downside is the HUGE crowds but Psy’s Gangnam performance maded up for it!

My husband is Navy and wanted to stop by the Today Show with his Navy friends since they were in town for school w/​the Navy. They wanted to make sure they would get a spot to be on tv. We got up bright and early and headed to the city to be on the Today Show. We stayed maybe an hr or so. Not much to keep us entertained while they are in the studio presenting the news. I am not sure what I was expecting from the Today Show. On tv, it looks a lot bigger area outside with the fans outside screaming and trying to get on tv. The area was not large at all. It was a good experience. Nick Lashay was the guest star, but he did not come out of the studio.

Sooooooooo maybe this was better two years ago when the last person made their review. I went recently for Bruno Mars, who by the way had the biggest crowd of the concert series this summer– the pictures other Unilocalers took are TAME compared to his performance! After 8hrs of waiting at night and in the rain AND being among the first 20 – 30 people in line, the Today Show and NYC police let us down with their inattentiveness and their complete disorganization.
V.I.P., the family of anyone who works for The Today Show, showed up right before the concert and they were the FIRST to go in. Then those who held Fan Passes were next, mind you, they also came later than most people on the general admission line. There was supposedly 100 fan passes, but somehow or another more than 150 people got in with fan passes. So after alllllllllllll of that, the general admission folk (me) were let in only to be in the back of the plaza! We waited alllllllllll that time just to see a small piece of Bruno’s fedora. I didn’t last long enough to wait around for the ACTUAL performance, we left around 20minutes after sound check.
Things that are free, especially in NYC, attract a large array of people and some of those people, I wanted to stay away from. you know those people who’ve never been to a real or general admission concert so don’t know how to act, have a tendency of screaming in your ear, elbowing you in the shoulder blade, pushing to get passed you when you were waiting HOURS before them, or asking you to move up when there’s no room. lol. In all honesty, it would have been better if there was a way for them to execute this in a better, more organized, and fair way. But I will say that I’d rather PAY to see Bruno Mars or any other growing or famous artist and be around fellow fans and be in that atmosphere than deal with people who’re just coming to be on TV.

I saw Rock of Ages perform at the Today Show’s Toyota Concert Series and it was amazing. I believe the partnership between NBC and any group that performs just works out perfectly.
It is a great way to whore both the show and the associated act. Also, it is free for the fans and great for those who enjoy showing up early to see their favorite group in concert.
There are a few artists I’d like to see in the concert series. I cannot wait to see what they have for us next year.

Over the years I’ve taken advantage of the Today Show’s free Toyota Concert Series. Each summer NBC offers this experience & with upcoming performances by big name acts like Coldplay, Rascal Flatts, Chris Brown & Kenny Chesney– it’s definitely worth checking out! I’ve seen 3 acts & at the risk of completely embarrassing myself by admitting my taste in music, I’ve watched live performances by Enrique Iglesias, Avril Lavigne, and most recently New Kids on the Block, and I’ve fully enjoyed each show. There were extreme highs– when I touched Enrique’s leather-​clad butt & also the lows– standing outside in the freezing cold rain, completely soaked to the bone. There were also some other note-​worthy moments– like when Avril was warming up at 6am with zero makeup on & the largest zit ever on her face in full view! Later when she came out for the actual taped segment, her face appeared flawless– damn those celebs & their miracle-​working makeup artists!
Yes, you must report to Rockefeller Plaza between 4 – 5 am to get a decent view of the stage area-don’t believe me? Ask my friends who arrived at 655 & who could only barely hear the music. You wait for hours but the buzz of the crowd keeps you going. Sometimes there are promotions taking place so you might score some free swag too. Just when you think you desperately need a bathroom break, the performer arrives & does a few warm ups, interacting with the crowd where the cheering screams are plenty & the toilets are very few! Usually you get to see 3 – 4 songs performed& although I’m fully aware that I could probably purchase some tickets to see an actual show– in my eyes the Toyota Summer Concert Series is an experience all in its own. Definitely worth seeing if you have a few days in NYC. And if a free concert by your favorite artist isn’t enticing enough, well there’s always the chance that you might score a smile from the delightful Matt Lauer himself!