the demise of hard tickets….

WobbieWobbie Posts: 29,382
I recently saw the Rival Sons. The only way I could get a hard ticket was from a nice usher on my way out….she gave me a comp ticket. That night, I bought Big Head Todd tickets at the box office….they sent a link to my phone :angry: I recently ordered War on Drugs tix online….no option for a hard ticket. The only recent exception was Brian Fallon….he had the option of a hard tickets  for a $2.50 mailing fee. I hate that hard tickets are going away. It’s the same bummer if you want to collect “significant” sports tickets….the hard tickets basically don’t exist.
If I had known then what I know now...

Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Philly I & II, 16
Denver 22
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Comments

  • Dinosaur Jr, next year, allowed me to purchase a souvenir ticket that will be posted after the show.
  • WobbieWobbie Posts: 29,382
    glad to hear.

    don’t forget your earplugs! J plays LOUD!
    If I had known then what I know now...

    Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
    VIC 07
    EV LA1 08
    Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
    Columbus 10
    EV LA 11
    Vancouver 11
    Missoula 12
    Portland 13, Spokane 13
    St. Paul 14, Denver 14
    Philly I & II, 16
    Denver 22
  • eddieceddiec Posts: 3,832
    edited November 2021
    Yeah, I have pretty much every ticket stub for the concerts I've been to. 
    I went to a Black Pumas show that was digital tickets, so I made a ticket on the computer and used my work printer. Came out really good, you wouldn't notice the difference. 
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,592
    edited November 2021
    I'm all for cutting back on paper waste but this is ridiculous!  Is this a way for them to save paper or just another way for promoters and venues to add a few more cents to their profits?  Or another way to make a buck selling "souvenir tickets"?  Not the biggest reason, but this is another reason I'm glad I don't go to shows anymore.
    Post edited by brianlux on
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • jerparker20jerparker20 St. Paul, MN Posts: 2,399
    Ive been saving the wristbands from shows. Writing the perform name, venue name, and date. Not as cool as a ticket stub, but better than nothing.
  • eddieceddiec Posts: 3,832
    brianlux said:
    I'm all for cutting back on paper waste but this is ridiculous!  Is this a way for them to save paper or just another way for promoters and venues to add a few more cents to their profits?  Or another way to make a buck selling "souvenir tickets"?  Not the biggest reason, but this is another reason I'm glad I don't go to shows anymore.
    I think it cuts down on scalping as well.
  • GlowGirlGlowGirl New York, NY Posts: 9,694
    eddiec said:
    Yeah, I have pretty much every ticket stub for the concerts I've been to. 
    I went to a Black Pumas show that was digital tickets, so I made a ticket on the computer and used my work printer. Came out really good, you wouldn't notice the difference. 
    I have been doing the same thing. I have hundreds of tickets stubs dating back to high school. I keep them all in a ticket album. The last few shows I bought tickets for didn’t even give me the option to have them mailed to me. So, I have been creating my own and printing them out. It is not the same though. I would pay extra for a commemorative ticket, but they are not offered at every show. 
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,586
    Same same, have a bag full of tickets 
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • BR2428BR2428 Posts: 118
    I scanned all my ticket stubs into my computer for safe keeping. If these new tickets were digital facsimiles of old school tickets, I’d be good with having that for my “collection” if I can’t get the real thing anymore. 
  • ZodZod Posts: 9,943
    I have photo albums of all my stubs going back to about '92.  There's some missing because I didn't get OCD about it until later the 90s.   I'm really going to miss them.

    Even before Covid it was getting super hard to get hard copies.    Most of the time there was a way, but there were a few I couldn't and just printed a screenshot of what I had or the digital ticket to put in the album.

    We just bought ZZ Top/Cheap Trick tickets and usually the local venue has a will option, but not this time.   Could of gotten a digital ticket or print at home ticket.  Opted for print at home so I could put a copy in the album.

    I appreciate the ease of digital tickets.  I use them to see movies all the time now.  It works pretty good, but for collecting and reliving your memories, it's a shame they're fading away.
  • Flaming Lips actually had paper tix.  I was shocked.
  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    I miss hard tix for sure.  I also don't have a smart phone so that means printing out my barcodes on a full 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper..kind of wasteful
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,592
    Thankfully, I kept many of mine:
    IMG

    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • WobbieWobbie Posts: 29,382
    brianlux said:
    Thankfully, I kept many of mine:
    IMG

    is that a book you wrote?
    If I had known then what I know now...

    Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
    VIC 07
    EV LA1 08
    Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
    Columbus 10
    EV LA 11
    Vancouver 11
    Missoula 12
    Portland 13, Spokane 13
    St. Paul 14, Denver 14
    Philly I & II, 16
    Denver 22
  • Smaller ticket vendors, like AXS, still allow for will call tickets. Just got a real ticket at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta for Drive-by Truckers.
  • ST66483ST66483 Posts: 673
    Highly recommend Brian’s book above - a good read.
  • i'm ancient and have over 45 years of concert stubs. stored in collectible hockey card sheets, in 3 ring binders. 3 binders worth.
    i am not happy with this new paperless ticket trend.
    having my show ticket, on my phone, is a new low for me at live shows.
    and i've also seen people pay for cigarettes with their f'n wrist watch !!    i hate what we've become    ;)  
  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    i'm ancient and have over 45 years of concert stubs. stored in collectible hockey card sheets, in 3 ring binders. 3 binders worth.
    i am not happy with this new paperless ticket trend.
    having my show ticket, on my phone, is a new low for me at live shows.
    and i've also seen people pay for cigarettes with their f'n wrist watch !!    i hate what we've become    ;)  
    Yeah we are becoming mindless consumers with fewer tangible connections to reality or even our consumption in reality.  It is crazy.
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 28,258
    I loved the paper tickets collected about 400 of them 
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 35,808
    i've started printing the ones from my apple wallet. they all look the same except for the band name, but it's something. 
    Darwinspeed, all. 

    Cheers,

    HFD




  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,592
    edited November 2021
    Wobbie said:
    brianlux said:
    Thankfully, I kept many of mine:
    IMG

    is that a book you wrote?

    It is, copyright 2018, 258 pages.  Took a couple years to write it, six revisions, two major edits (thanks to my oh so patient wife!).  It's a bit frustrating though because there's so much more I want to add just from the last 3 years (but I did basically say at the end that the story never end until I do).
    I still have a few copies on Biblio.com as per below.  The not-so-good news:  I ain't no Robert Christgau or Greil Marcus or Mick Wall, etc.
    The good news:  the price is reasonable- each one cost me a little more to have published than the selling cost plus shipping, and each copy comes with a $1 million bill.   Neither Robert, Greil, nor Mick can make that claim.  :lol: 


    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,592
    ST66483 said:
    Highly recommend Brian’s book above - a good read.

    Thank you, ST. :blush:
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • GibsonGibson Toronto Posts: 2,507
    Wobbie said:
    I recently saw the Rival Sons. The only way I could get a hard ticket was from a nice usher on my way out….she gave me a comp ticket. That night, I bought Big Head Todd tickets at the box office….they sent a link to my phone :angry: I recently ordered War on Drugs tix online….no option for a hard ticket. The only recent exception was Brian Fallon….he had the option of a hard tickets  for a $2.50 mailing fee. I hate that hard tickets are going away. It’s the same bummer if you want to collect “significant” sports tickets….the hard tickets basically don’t exist.
    Keep your eyes peeled on the mail. I had this option for a show late last year (not Fallon) and the tickets never arrived. I had to call Ticketmaster and get them to switch over to e-tickets. 

    I finally got a half assed explanation that even though the option for hard tickets was selectable, the venue and TM weren't doing hard tickets anymore.

    I know its an easy adjustment to make, but anything involving ticketmaster support has been like pulling teeth lately.
    1998: Barrie  2000: Toronto  2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Toronto  2006: Toronto 1&2, Paris, Milan, Torino, Pistoia  2009: Calgary, Vancouver  2011: Canada  2013: London, Wrigley, Philly 1&2  2014: St. Louis, ACL 1, Detroit  2016: Lexington, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto 1&2, Fenway 1&2, Wrigley 1&2  2017: EV - Louisville  2018: London 1&2, Milan, Padova, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 1&2, Fenway 1&2  2020: Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton  2021: London 1&2  2022: Hamilton, Toronto  2023: Chicago 1&2, Noblesville  2024:

  • CopperTomCopperTom Posts: 2,989
    I went to the World Series and have no stubs.  No commerative ticket option either.  I'm very disappointed. 
  • jjflashjjflash Posts: 4,815
    I hear ya, @Wobbie! The hard tickets serve a similar purpose as a t-shirt, poster, button, etc....they're relics from the show, paper fingerprints that bookmark the moment. 

    A few weeks ago I road tripped to Asheville to visit a college buddy and see Billy Strings play. Soon as I got to his house he pulled out a ziplock baggie stuffed with ticket stubs. We thumbed thru them, kinda like old baseball cards, at least half of them were from shows we'd seen together twenty+ years ago. The stubs brought back some great memories. 

    Although it sometimes feels like frittering away money, I'll often pay the extra five bucks to get a hard ticket. It's a rare occasion that I go thru my old stubs...it's probably been ten years since the the last time...but it's a great walk down memory lane when it does happen. Plus I've been to so many shows thru the years that without the stubs there are some I'd probably forget, haha.
  • MalrothMalroth broken down chevrolet Posts: 2,483
    CopperTom said:
    I went to the World Series and have no stubs.  No commerative ticket option either.  I'm very disappointed. 

    Yeah that hurts, no cubs world series stub.
    I have a couple cork boards that I stick concert stubs on, but the print out tickets just aren't as cool.
    The worst of times..they don't phase me,
    even if I look and act really crazy.
  • kramer73kramer73 Posts: 2,594
    Check out Etsy.  There are some people who will make a ticket for you.  I’m going to do that for a concert in January for my ticket stub book.  

    I will be honest, the first show I bought a ticket for earlier this year did not have a paper ticket, and I really almost didn’t get a ticket because there wasn’t a hard ticket.  
  • GlowGirlGlowGirl New York, NY Posts: 9,694
    kramer73 said:
    Check out Etsy.  There are some people who will make a ticket for you.  I’m going to do that for a concert in January for my ticket stub book.  

    I will be honest, the first show I bought a ticket for earlier this year did not have a paper ticket, and I really almost didn’t get a ticket because there wasn’t a hard ticket.  
    Thanks. I may do that. This past year I wasn’t able to even have the option of a hard ticket for several shows I went to. There was no mail option. I found a template online that mimics a ticket. I just put in all of the information from the downloaded ticket. Then I print it out and put it in my ticket album. But it is not the same. The good thing is I have all the information on the fake ticket if I ever decide to get them made more properly. I will check out Etsy. Thanks. 
  • eeriepadaveeeriepadave West Chester, PA Posts: 40,710
    eddiec said:
    Yeah, I have pretty much every ticket stub for the concerts I've been to. 
    I went to a Black Pumas show that was digital tickets, so I made a ticket on the computer and used my work printer. Came out really good, you wouldn't notice the difference. 

    same here. have all of my hard tix except one which i lost at a concert (Static-x/PM5K). Sucks that it's going this way but I get it :neutral:
    bf959b1f-9b77-457c-baf8-038776f33339_zps8a6a389d.jpg?t=1365722973
    8/28/98- Camden, NJ
    10/31/09- Philly
    5/21/10- NYC
    9/2/12- Philly, PA
    7/19/13- Wrigley
    10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
    10/21/13- Philly, PA
    10/22/13- Philly, PA
    10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
    Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly
    Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly
  • kramer73kramer73 Posts: 2,594
    GlowGirl said:
    kramer73 said:
    Check out Etsy.  There are some people who will make a ticket for you.  I’m going to do that for a concert in January for my ticket stub book.  

    I will be honest, the first show I bought a ticket for earlier this year did not have a paper ticket, and I really almost didn’t get a ticket because there wasn’t a hard ticket.  
    Thanks. I may do that. This past year I wasn’t able to even have the option of a hard ticket for several shows I went to. There was no mail option. I found a template online that mimics a ticket. I just put in all of the information from the downloaded ticket. Then I print it out and put it in my ticket album. But it is not the same. The good thing is I have all the information on the fake ticket if I ever decide to get them made more properly. I will check out Etsy. Thanks. 
    This is the one I plan on using.  They have their own name thing in it, but I’m ok with that.  

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