'It's a memory': Edmonton music fan shows off extensive collection of concert memorabilia
A die hard live music fan from Edmonton has more band shirts than days in the year, and has been to more than 640 concerts in the last four decades.
Allan Hemmings has been to so many concerts that it's nearly impossible to remember them all without some type of record.
Hemmings said he'll always remember his first concert; his mom bought him a ticket to see Kenny Rogers and The First Edition at the Jubilee Auditorium in 1974.
"Ever since then I've been on this 40 year ride."
Though he doesn't have that one, he started collecting his concert tickets in 1977, when he saw AC/DC on the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap tour.
"It's a memory. You can look at that ticket and remember what happened at that concert… at least I can," said Hemmings. "I've lost a few over the years, washed a few, but I've got 90 per cent of them."
The physical ticket stub is a way for Hemmings to represent his love of live music.
"To have that ticket, to feel that ticket," he said. "Merch didn't come out until [the] late 70s, so I wanted something to remember the concert by."
Allan Hemmings shows off part of his extensive concert ticket collection. April 11, 2022. (CTV News Edmonton)
Hemmings said the biggest mistake he's ever made at a concert was skipping the opening act. In 1986 he went to see Iron Maiden and was in the beer gardens instead of watching the opening band with his friend.
"When I came to the seat he said, 'You guys should've stayed, these guys were unreal.' And it was Guns N' Roses."
He made up for it by seeing them in 1991 and grabbing a t-shirt to commemorate the occasion.
In addition to collecting tickets, Hemmings also keeps concert shirts.
"People have called me up and wanted to buy my collection, 35-hundred bucks. I said, 'Not a chance.'"
Allan Hemmings shows his extensive concert shirt collection. April 11, 2022. (CTV News Edmonton)
Though he has no intention of ever selling his 380 shirt collection, he does have a plan for it when he's no longer around.
"Some day when I pass away, at my memorial, my sister is going to put a t-shirt in a bag and as you go out the door you grab a bag," he said. "That way every time you wear that shirt you think of me."
The tickets will live on too in the form of a coffee table that will go to his grandchildren.
"Lay all the tickets out in it, put glass on top, have it etched like a ticket and then that coffee table can be passed down."
Many of those tickets will be from Alice Cooper shows – one of his favorite artists.
"I like my music to have an edge," laughed Hemmings. "I try not to miss an Alice Cooper concert if it's in Edmonton, and I never have."
Tuesday night marked his 22nd Alice Cooper show, and 643rd concert, it was a bittersweet night for him.
"It'll probably be the last physical ticket I get because the concerts I have coming up are all digital tickets," he said.
Next on the list for Hemmings is The Stadium Tour featuring Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joe Scarpelli
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Security guard shot, critically injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.