The Great Ticket Stub Project
You’d never know it from my time in Memphis, but I grew up at gigs. I’ve been holding on to my ticket stubs since the beginning. When my parents sold the house they’d been in for 25 years last summer, I had the task of going through everything of mine that was there. In the process, another slew of ticket stubs emerged, ones I’d forgotten about. I added those to the ones I already had gathered together, and I decided I was going to do something meaningful with them.
When I first moved to Memphis, I went to Michael’s craft store and about had a meltdown trying to find a "normal" scrap book. Seems scrapbooking has now become a verb, which I find most unfortunate. It was nearly impossible to find a plain book with black pages amidst all the themed stickers and glitter glue, but I did it. I got about 10 pages filled, and then internship really began, and the project was suspended.
Today, I was reading some of the new questions on Ask Metafilter, and this one popped up, which got me thinking again about my ticket stub project. That link lead to this one, and before I knew it, I was in the kitchen, moving around the directional lamp trying to get lighting right to begin photographing my collection. I didn’t get far, but it’s a start.
Here are a few of my favorite ticket stubs from way, WAY back when. (For a little context, know that I was 13 for most of 1983.):
I camped out overnight at the Fox Theatre Box Office for this ticket. At the concert, I swooned! I really think I passed out from sheer excitement! As a result, I went home right afterwards, while my friends actually met him!
There is another post that will occur in which I will explain how the song "Wolves, Lower" changed my life. This was the beginning of a love affair I had with this band. All ages at the Agora. My dreams had been answered!
Got a change to talk to Fred for a long while at the backstage door afterwards. He was very sweet to my friend Heather and I.
I got to meet all of the B-52s in person, and I got everyone’s autographs on the back of my ticket stub… even Ricky’s.
Will the ticket stug project ever come to fruition? Will it ever be complete? I think it will be, but it won’t be any time soon. In the meantime, at least I can share a little of it with you. It’s silly, but the collection brings me immense joy. So many memories crammed into such a small space.
Comment by Renee
April 13, 2005 @ 7:20 pm
Now I wish I’d saved my stubs, although you have been to way more cooler concerts. Remember when Thompson Twins played at school? That was my first real concert, other than Simon and Garfunkel w/ my folks. I got autographs on one stub from members of INXS at 6 Flags when they opened for the Go-Gos. And this one time, the bass player for Berlin brushed by me (more like shoved) once when I saw them at the Fox. I also remember seeing Sting ride by in a limo after the show and I touched his window. God, we (I) were (am a) geeks…