Tech

I went to 'Cast Party' — the Coachella for the most dedicated podcast fans

Kim Renfro

2015-09-02T18:52:02Z

Like many others, the first podcast I ever listed to was "Serial" — the iconic breakout star of digital radio programming.

When I heard about a live podcast taping that included one of my new favorite shows — Gimlet Media's Reply All — my curiosity piqued.

A live podcast taping? I was game, but had low expectations. Podcasts are often recorded, mixed, and edited over a period of weeks. Why take that to a live stage?

I am gladly eating my words.

Cast Party Live was sold out the first night, with so much demand that a second night was added. The evening was filled with laughter, hilarious cameos, crazy dance performances, and nonstop entertainment.

Scroll down to see what made the night so awesome.

Cast Party Live was held at an NYU performance arts center.

A photo posted by Josh Withers (@joshuawithers)Jul 27, 2015 at 3:39pm PDT

Ticket holders lined up around the block nearly an hour before the doors even opened. Enormous satellite trucks parked outside, gearing up to broadcast the show live to movie theaters around the country.

Throughout the evening and into the next day, fans around the country who watched the simulcast in movie theaters shared photos on Instagram and Twitter.

Just saw Cast Party, a live show with a collection of amazing podcasts like @replyall, @radiolab and @nprinvisibilia. A little disappointed because Radiolab just performed a rerun of an old episode. Shame. But a decent show. #podcast #castparty #live #event #radio #canada #media

A photo posted by Scott Summerhayes (@scottsmrhays) on Jul 30, 2015 at 6:37pm PDTJul 30, 2015 at 6:37pm PDT

Seating inside in theater was general admission. Folks scrambled for open chairs and the best view. The stage was bright pink and purple, and the anticipation in the room was palpable.

A photo posted by Megan Burns (@mega_ginger)Jul 28, 2015 at 4:14pm PDT

Seth Lind, director of operations for "This American Life," co-created and produced the show. He was also our gracious (and self-deprecating) host for the evening.

The show started out with a hilarious pre-recorded clip about how popular podcasts have become.

The scripted sequence was a deadpan delivery of "Serial" host Sarah Koenig encountering New Yorkers who had never heard of podcasts. The audience roared with laughter.

The first podcast performance was from "Reply All", a show about the internet hosted by Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt.

This story focused on a poorly rated play (it only has 1.5 stars on Yelp) which also happens to hold the Guinness World Record for longest running Broadway show of all time.

The coolest part of the experience was getting to truly laugh out loud, along with my fellow viewers, as Goldman and Vogt bantered.

When listening to podcast on the train, sidewalk, or even at home, it feel unnatural to openly laugh. But here, at Cast Party Live, everyone was laughing together. It was like finally dancing to your favorite song as you watched the live performance.

After "Reply All" finished to wild cheers, a four-man-band called the Westerlies performed.

A photo posted by COCOON CENTRAL DANCE TEAM (@cocooncentraldanceteam)Jul 27, 2015 at 9:04pm PDT

Later on, a three-woman dance crew called the Cocoon Central Dance showed off their moves. Cocoon Central was particularly unique, with bright creative costumes, props, and a great narrative to their quirky choreography.

The next live podcast act was "Invisibilia," a series about the invisible forces that shape our lives.

A photo posted by Malin Palmqvist (@malin2882)Jul 28, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT

This "episode" was also surprisingly fun and used mixed mediums.

At one point in her story, a tale about breaking the four minute mile, host Lulu Miller was interrupted by her absent co-host. Elise Spiegel's voice came booming across the stage in a scripted but still entertaining admonishment.

Spiegel challenged Miller to tell the story in less than four minutes, a meta reference to the subject matter at hand. A countdown clock appeared, and the audience cheered raucously as Miller finished the performance in the exact allotted time, picked up the mic stand, and trotted offstage.

Then came two comedy-heavy groups whose performances felt more like a duo of hilarious skits than podcast episodes.

A photo posted by AndiGator (@an.gramify)Jul 28, 2015 at 9:00pm PDT

"The Truth" set up an elaborate "roast" of America — with each country personified into a stereotyped caricature. Then comedian Lauren Lapkus did a improv set with a surprise guest from Saturday Night Live: Bobby Moynihan. The set garnered some of the loudest laughs of the night.

There were fun quirks throughout the show that felt like inside jokes.

A photo posted by Alyssa Menard (@missalyss721)Jul 28, 2015 at 5:19pm PDT

When host Seth Lind paused the show to give a quick mention to the sponsors, Audible.com and Mail Chimp, he read the exact advertising copy that podcast listeners hear over and over again.

It was probably the only time a commercial has ever received a wild round of applause.

Then, the biggest moment yet — the very unexpected appearance of Ira Glass.

A photo posted by Ashley Engelman (@ashleyengelman)Jul 29, 2015 at 4:38pm PDT

Ira Glass, who happens to be Seth Lind's boss at "This American Life", fake fired him on the spot and stepped in with an iconic segue to the next podcast, stating simply: "Act five." (Those who have heard Glass' radio programs know that he leads into new parts of the shows by breaking them into acts.)

Lind then went off-script in the most genuine moment of the event, telling Glass that none of these podcasts would be in existence without his pioneering in radio storytelling.

The crowd began clapping and whooping in earnest to show their gratitude as well.

Glass introduced the final featured podcast: "Radiolab." Hosted by Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad, the story told was about Beethoven and the metronome.

A photo posted by Corey Smock (@cmichaelsmock)Jul 28, 2015 at 7:58pm PDT

The duo enlisted the help of a string quartet to demonstrate their points about Beethoven and his sense of tempo. It was a really fascinating experiment with sound and history and the interpretation of compositions.

The main complaint after the show on Twitter or Facebook was that this was apparently a re-run of Radiolab from 2013. As someone who had never listened to Radiolab before, this completely went over my head. But as the finale act, it is a legitimate complaint from those who have been dedicated Radiolab listeners. The other shows came with brand new material for Cast Party.

The evening closed with a group bow and lots of special thanks. Fans whooped and applauded and I was hoping for an encore.

A photo posted by Lana (@lanaadinne)Jul 29, 2015 at 5:39am PDT

The show had blown my expectations out of the water. I thought to myself right then, "if wasn't the year of the podcast already, that just sealed the deal."

Cast Party Live successfully took a medium that was previously an isolated consumer experience, and turned it into a ticketed entertainment hit.

To watch the full event, head to the Cast Party Live video page.

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