RUSH BACKSTAGE

[dave666]

Hello, I'm new to collecting music memorabilia and found this amazing hologram rush 2010 tour staff laminated backstage pass on amazon.com to frame with my tickets and pictures from the 2010 tour. http://amzn.com/B00F2JIU0G . I just got it and its amazing. Is it worth buying the other 2 laminated passes in the set as i'm sure they are as cool as this pass. How rare are they really? Any help would be great!

[HalfwayToGone]

Not sure how rare they are. Only a certain number are given out per show, but far more are made than are used, and there are a lot of tour dates. Considering that you can find guitar picks that Alex himself gave out for as little as $20, $99 seems quite a high price for a pass that was probably never even used by anyone, let alone by a member of the band. That said, regular/non-laminated passes for the same tour on eBay are currently being bid on at up to $60 or $80. Then again there is someone selling laminates from various tours as far back as 1981 for only $25 "buy it now."

 

So, it's really up to you whether these are "worth it" or not. Their actual value is basically what anyone is willing to pay, and falls into a fairly large range, but I would stay away from Amazon for such items, because the independent sellers there tend to gouge people. My band's first EP has been listed at over $200 by some sellers on Amazon, while you can sometimes find one on eBay for around $20 still in the shrink wrap. I don't think anyone has been dumb enough to pay that, and now those gougers are only asking for $50-$100 for a used copy (still way overpriced for a nobody band like mine or the other band on the CD). At the same time, there is one new one on amazon for less than $25 right now also. Always shop around.

[FOH Lights]

Not sure how rare they are. Only a certain number are given out per show, but far more are made than are used, and there are a lot of tour dates. Considering that you can find guitar picks that Alex himself gave out for as little as $20, $99 seems quite a high price for a pass that was probably never even used by anyone, let alone by a member of the band. That said, regular/non-laminated passes for the same tour on eBay are currently being bid on at up to $60 or $80. Then again there is someone selling laminates from various tours as far back as 1981 for only $25 "buy it now."

Hmmm, $60 to $80, huh? I've acumulated quite a few passes/laminates over the years, including 3 from the TM tour, and I had no idea that they were in demand. However, I'd never sell them. Not because of sentimental value or anything like that, but mainly because it wouldn't feel right profitting from something that was given to me by friends "on the inside". Frankly, I'm a little surprised that anyone from the organization would put them up for sale. It just sounds really out of character for any of the crew that I know. It must be someone whose not actually with the band.

[HalfwayToGone]

I hold onto stuff like that, because it's never from some band I think is tepid, and it's usually tied to a memory of meeting someone from the band, or getting guitar picks because a handful were thrown my way by Dimebag Darrell, for example (he used to run up and down the stage at the end of every show with a big plastic bag of picks, throwing handfuls of them everywhere like confetti).

 

Sometimes the person in the crew/management gave them away, and the person selling them is someone who is frequently given access because they work at the venue, or have some other connection to the business side. I once got a handful of Springsteen passes after a tour, because my friend worked at a music store owned by one of his close friends, and there were a ton of extras laying around in various colors. Those probably got thrown away years before the Internet or eBay or any of that existed.

Edited September 12, 2013 by HalfwayToGone

[ytserush]

There's always a chance of them being copies if you can't verify a backstory.

[andreww]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41eABbI8eRL.jpg

 

If you look at this pass its labeled as "Tour Staff". These passes generally are a lot more secure as the grant "all access" to the venue. They will always have a photo and name of the owner, which will usually be on the front for constant access. In the picture below you will see that some of the more recent "all access" laminates have a square on the front for a picture. The others would have that on the back. So if its "all access" and doesn't have a picture, its a reproduction or a never used blank (although it shouldn't be laminated with no picture. Official blanks would be unlaminated). So these are all fake IMO.

 

http://eil.com/images/main/Rush+-+Collection+Of+Tour+Pass+Laminates+-+TOUR+PASS+%2F+LAMINATE-462364.jpg

Edited September 23, 2013 by andreww

[FOH Lights]

If you look at this pass its labeled as "Tour Staff". These passes generally are a lot more secure as the grant "all access" to the venue. They will always have a photo and name of the owner, which will usually be on the front for constant access. In the picture below you will see that some of the more recent "all access" laminates have a square on the front for a picture. The others would have that on the back. So if its "all access" and doesn't have a picture, its a reproduction or a never used blank (although it shouldn't be laminated with no picture. Official blanks would be unlaminated). So these are all fake IMO.

I kind of have to disagree. I've been given VIP & All Access laminates (Rush & DMB) that don't have my picture on them - just the name written on the back. They look the same as artist & crew laminates, except without the picture and "Tour Staff" on them. That being said, It does look like some of the ones you posted could be fake. I've never seen a "Guest" laminate, but to be honest, I wasn't out on the Fly By Night tour. So, who knows??

[andreww]

I had a guest pass for Ozzy Osbourne during that era. It wasn't a laminate, it was a sticker that was dated and initialed in black marker. But thats what I'm saying, unless there is writing or a photo its fake or part of an overrun.

[glennb2112]

IMO i think they are fake..II have found that "cloth' passes are for guests, ect..and laminates are for Crew. Cloth passes have a place for the date and who issued the pass. Security reasons i guess. Most if not all Staff/Crew passes have their photo and aren't holograms.

[andreww]

IMO i think they are fake..II have found that "cloth' passes are for guests, ect..and laminates are for Crew. Cloth passes have a place for the date and who issued the pass. Security reasons i guess. Most if not all Staff/Crew passes have their photo and aren't holograms.

 

I wouldn't doubt that they are doing holograms now. If you can take a decent pic of a crew members laminate, any graphic designer can produce an identical copy with the help of the local Kinkos. Just another security measure.

[HalfwayToGone]

Laminates absolutely do not always have a photo. I've had backstage laminates twice (anthrax and Pantera), and neither had my photo on them or a spot for one. The anthrax laminate was plain white on the back, and the Pantera laminate was identical on both sides. Band and any crew that travel with the band for the entire tour get photo laminates, but anyone else who gets a laminate for only one show usually doesn't get a personalized laminate with a photo. Cloth passes are more commonly given to people on the guest list, or meet and greet guests, and some VIPs get them, but sometimes people with some close tie to the band or management can get a laminate which they may or may not have to return. I still have my Pantera laminate, but the anthrax one had to go back to the tour after the show. Also, the non-photo laminates often are not as unlimited access as the band and crew laminates.