Once a souvenir, now a swipe

Times have changed. Now, QR codes and digital confirmations have replaced printed stubs, leaving memories buried in inboxes. Artist Blaise Hayward’s Tickets Please series revives an appreciation for lost ticket design, a sentiment echoed in Elizabeth Goodspeed’s Casual Archivist newsletter.

What do we lose without a physical memento? Can a digital receipt hold the same sentimental value? And in an era of NFTs and digital collectibles, could printed tickets make a comeback, not just as proof of entry, but as a design worth preserving?

There’s no clear answer. But one thing is certain: technology moves forward, whether we like it or not. Change can be unsettling, but musician and actor Tirthankar Poddar, better known as 2Blue, believes adaptation is inevitable. “When the electric light bulb was invented, plenty of older folks weren’t happy. But can you imagine living without it now?” he says, arguing that digital concert tickets are just another step forward.

For those who miss the charm of printed stubs, he offers a reassuring thought: That old typography, those colors and logos haven’t disappeared, they have just gone digital. He sees it as an upgrade, one that prevents tickets from getting lost, keeps them safe in a digital wallet, and even spares them from getting ruined in the rain.

The emotional connection to a physical ticket? 2Blue believes the real magic isn’t in the paper, it’s in the people. “Music is God’s work. And when we gather at a concert, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. The energy of a live crowd, the shared joy of singing along, the feeling of being in the moment, that’s what makes a concert special, not a ticket stub tucked away in a drawer. We can’t hold on too tightly to the past, the past doesn’t need us anymore. The future does,” he says.

For some, a ticket will always be just a means to get inside. But for others, it’s a piece of history — one that still deserves a place in the modern world.

Abbas Razvi also tells us that concerts have always been about more than just the music — they’re about the memories. “I’ve been going to concerts for a little over 20 years now, and I started off collecting ticket stubs as souvenirs,” says the bassist of thrash-laced death metal band GODLESS and a seasoned gig organiser. “It used to be a thing fans of bands did earlier.” Back then, a ticket stub was a tangible reminder of a night that meant something.

But the the tide is turning, and Razvi understands why. “I get the convenience of QR codes,” he says. “It’s so much faster, easier, and even speeds up the process of entering a concert while eliminating the fake ticket problem.” Efficiency is key and digital tickets have made access flawless, cutting down on long lines and the risks of counterfeiting.

Still, in metal — a genre where fans are collectors at heart, snap- ping up merch, vinyl, and special edition CDs — some festivals continue to honour the tradition of the physical ticket. “To this day, you have the option of a physical ticket stub along with your digital ticket, for an extra surcharge,” Razvi explains. It’s a small but meaningful compromise: fans get the convenience of a digital ticket while still having the chance to hold onto something real. “They’ll even ship it out to you,” he adds.