Gershon Finds Art In Ticket Stubs

Music industry veteran and photographer Andy Gershon recently debuted a pop-up gallery in New York City featuring items that are fast becoming relics of the concert world – ticket stubs.

“A Personal Music Archive 1978–1994,” included ticket stubs from concerts Gershon attended over the years – everything from Bob Dylan to Nirvana, Elvis CostelloBlondiePrinceNeil Young, and the Grateful Dead – that he scanned and enlarged into prints.

He explained to Architectural Digest that he “missed the days of innocence” as a young concertgoer in the ’70s, and wanted to tell a story through the ticket stubs. “Back then you would save the ticket as a souvenir and buy a concert shirt and then wear the shirt the next day to show everyone you were there,” he said. “Now, there’s rarely a ticket at all. You’re scanned on the phone, and you go to the show and post iPhone photos to social media to show everyone you were there.”

Gershon, who worked with everyone from The Smashing Pumpkins, to Moby, and The White Stripes over the years as a label executive isn’t strictly focusing on photography these days. In addition to consulting work, he also manages Ok Go, RadkeyAllie X, and Bryan Ferry (in North America only).