I agree on the lack of souvenirs piece, but I do enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing I can’t lose the ticket. What kills me about digital tickets is people who wait until they’re at the gate to fumble out their phone only to realize they don’t have a good connection, can’t figure out the app/wallet or try showing the emailed invoice. Fuck them.
Show tickets of any kind have become an absolutely stupid expensive endeavor through TicketMasters monopoly on distribution, venues and artists. I practically lived at Stubbs for a few years at $35/ticket barely a decade ago…now it seems any show anywhere is $120+ once you include the ‘convenience’ fee that you are required to pay.
Add on a gamed secondary market, $20 beers, $30 parking, ‘dynamic’ pricing like airlines ruining miles redemption…can be a miserable, expensive experience. Then again, the market seems to support $5,000 Taylor Swift or $25 in fees on a $35 Royals ticket so we collectively enable that shit.