Recently, by accident, I walked out of a local bar/venue with their darts in my back pocket.
I sat down in my car and realized what I had done.
Don’t worry. They were rubber darts.
But here’s my point.
Even though the darts was an accidental theft, this made me think about how we buy or take certain objects with us from the show in order to remember our experience.
But I have a question.
What’s more important, the physical objects(ticket stubs, CDs or t-shirts) we use to remember the moment or the actual memory (our sense of awe, wonder and escape) we store in our brains. Or do the two mutually depend on each other?
I ask this because some of my most worn t-shirts are concert shirts from my favorite concerts. And I don’t buy a shirt to every show I go to. I only buy shirts at shows that really move me. I also try to take the poster off the wall at the venue if the show is really good and I want to add to my collection of concert posters.
I know concert promoters and music industry marketers are fully aware of this, so it’s no surprise that merch tables are a huge part of the concert experience. Some people go to them before the show and wear the shirt during the show, while others wait till the end to buy the shirt, poster or CD.
And I’ve been intregued by sites like Concertaholics who post ticket stubs and other memorbilia to recall and celebrate their favorite shows.
So, yes, concerts are special moments and we do use physical objects to remember the great moments in other parts of our lives because our emotions are important to us as human beings but often the emotions that make us tick are so hard to grasp so we use physical symbols to mark or remind us of what is, or was, important to us.
But, again, what’s more important? The physical object or the memory we create in our minds? And do we need one to remember the other?
What are some of your favorite shows?
And how have you remembered them?