It’s two minutes to Fast Money’s airtime and all systems are go. Well, almost…

“I’m not getting my IFB!”, notes Fast Money host Dylan Ratigan. “No problem. We’ve got time!” is the response that comes back. “We’ve got time…”

40 seconds to air. Ratigan calls an audible. “No IFB. I have your call!” as he points to Floor Manager Brad Rubin.

It’s showtime…

That Fast Money chose Silicon Valley as the location for its first ever live audience broadcast is no accident, any more than CNBC launching a Silicon Valley Bureau was an accident earlier in the year. Ratigan knows this place is still Ground Zero for tech in the world. With ties to the booming economies in China and India and raging battles over off-shoring, out-sourcing, and H1B Visas, Silicon Valley matters. What better place to take the “Cradle of Innovation Tour”?

Ratigan pulled triple duty today at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California; he started off with “The Call” and then later “Closing Bell” before the big live broadcast. Ratigan told ICN, “Its taken five years to recover from the speculative fever of the late 90s, but the intellectual and creative intensity that is uniquely found here is just now manifesting its digital and medical fingerprints all over the world and we are bringing all three of these shows here in order to illustrate the re-emergence and vitality of one of America’s greatest assets, the people, capital and ideas that come out of this part of the world. The cradle of innovation”

“You have to look no further than the news of this past week to see it, Intel, Google, Yahoo, Ebay, Medical Device Companies… the list goes on. The fact of the matter is the Valley is not only back but is in fact more powerful than it has ever been. It may not have the fever of the late 90’s, but its social and creative influence on the planet has never been more potent or pervasive.”

Just how techy is this place?

People in the audience were using Wi-Fi on their laptops to check the markets…

CNBC didn’t directly address this but I definitely came away from today’s show with the feeling that if the broadcast goes well for CNBC in terms of buzz and reaction, we could be seeing the beginning of a series of on the road Fast Money broadcasts similar to what goes on with the Mad Money Back to School College Tour. Time will tell.

But let’s back up to how today’s show came together…

The Computer History Museum is itself a piece of history. It was once one of the major buildings for 90’s powerhouse Silicon Graphics before the company collapsed under the onslaught of fast cheap Intel workstations.

The 300 plus overflow audience was comprised of all types of people; Senior investors, young chargers, and techy types.

Meanwhile, while the audience waited to be let in, the final preparations were being put in place for Fast Money while Ratigan finished up his stint on “Closing Bell” in one corner of the auditorium.

Ratigan was given a quick tour of the setup minutes before the audience started entering the auditorium.

Once seated, Fast Money Executive Producer Mary Duffy “warmed up” the audience by telling them what to expect and informing them of the usual dos and don’ts of live TV audiences. Not one cell phone went off during the broadcast that I could hear.

Duffy introduced Ratigan to a rousing round of applause. Ratigan is much bigger than I had realized and is every bit as animated off the air as on the air. It’s literally a case of what you see on TV is what you get in person. One by one, to a round of hoots and hollers, Ratigan introduced the Fast Money crew; “The Lone Wolf” Jeff Macke, “The Negotiator” Guy Adami, “The Chairwoman” Karen Finerman, and “The Pit Boss” Pete Najarian.

The audience was dialed in for the whole broadcast.

After the live broadcast ended, they shot a couple of promos which were both done in one take. This was followed by shooting the “Fast Money Web Extra” for the internet. A half hour break then occurred before the gang returned for an hour long Q&A Town Hall in conjunction with Charles Schwab. Schwab was a major sponsor of tonight’s broadcast. Everyone got Fast Money coffee mugs and I believe that a set of five San Jose Sharks jerseys were also given out.