Fare Thee Well...

June 26, 2015 5:45 PM

I am going to the Chicago shows. I have mail order commemorative tickets that are letter envelope sized with some amazing art work on the front of each ticket. I would like to keep the tickets and keep them in pristine condition. If I use them for entry, keeping them pristine much less keeping them at all is highly unlikely. It is a Dead show after all. Things happen.

Can I scan them, take a picture of them or generally have the barcode that is on the back of them for entry, or do I need to have the actual physical ticket with me to get into Soldier Field? I have searched for an actual cite for the answer and have not found it on the internet. That well could be a function of my search capabilities. If no one can point me to a definitive answer, I will call the Soldier Field box office, but I would really like to know now so that I can have them framed and presented as a gift to a friend next week before we go.

posted by AugustWest to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

You need your actual ticket. Not specific to Soldier Field, but they can't let you in with a copy or scan or photo of your ticket, because for all they know, someone is going to come along behind you wanting to get in with your actual ticket. Scams would flourish. Allowing this could also create a nightmare at the gate, backing up the line while someone has to key in a barcode rather than just scan it or call someone to look something up. It doesn't scale at all with crowds like you're going to have.

Store them in a zippered plastic bag and take them along for the ride. The marks they get from the journey are part of the story. Pristine only really matters for resale value, and clearly since it's for a gift, this isn't the kind of thing you'd put a price on anyway. Enjoy the shows!
posted by juliplease at 5:59 PM on June 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh and also, check the small print on the ticket. It probably covers photo-reproductions and copies.
posted by juliplease at 6:00 PM on June 26, 2015

Response by poster: Actually I go to shows and sporting events all the time where there are electronic tickets and home printed tickets. Generally, the first person to enter with the code gets in. All others turned away.

Also, not all the tickets for these shows are the commemorative ones. Many are ticket master. Those are either printed at home or a scan on your phone.
posted by AugustWest at 6:05 PM on June 26, 2015

Yeah, that makes sense. I just think there is a distinction between electronic/print-at-home tickets and physical tickets like you received.
posted by juliplease at 6:17 PM on June 26, 2015

Bring a book that it will fit into, and a rubber band to keep it closed.
posted by sacrifix at 6:44 PM on June 26, 2015 [3 favorites]

If they're scanning a bar code to get in, then the bar code is what you need whether it's on a phone, original or copy. Being a venue like Soldier Field, they'll be using bar code readers to scan people, and like you mentioned, will simply turn away a dupe (which won't be possible for you). If you're super worried, call the box office.
posted by homesickness at 9:39 PM on June 26, 2015

Maybe the box office can print you a duplicate/throwaway set? They will definitely do this for reserved seats, GA may be trickier.
posted by corvine at 3:35 AM on June 27, 2015