His college roommate's family had a contact. Flights from Chicago were $280. He did not have $280. Zeppelin played to 200,000. It was their second-to-last show ever. He has told this story at every dinner party since 1979 and it never gets old because it never stops being true.

She was at Boston University. A friend called on a Saturday morning — Joni was playing the Common that afternoon, free, right in her backyard. She had an exam Monday morning, stayed to study. Has seen Joni four other times in her life. None of them were free on the Common.

Tickets were in hand. His daughter's college orientation was the same weekend, rescheduled twice already. He gave the tickets to his neighbor. Buffett passed away six weeks later. He has not spoken about it much since. His neighbor sends a fruit basket every Christmas.

Had a ticket to the legendary Labor Day run at The Gorge -- the one people still talk about, the one that got bootlegged a hundred times. Her car broke down in Idaho. She made it to Sunday night. The Saturday show was the one. Still has the unused Saturday ticket in a frame on her wall. Next to the Sunday stub.

The final Phish show before their first breakup. He was in the traffic jam on I-91 for eleven hours. Never made it in. Sat on the hood of his car listening to the sound bleed across the field from a mile away. He heard the last notes of the last song. Close enough to hurt. Not close enough to count.

104,793 people. The largest ticketed attendance ever at a US concert. George's actual final show, with Chesney, Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill — everyone on one stage. She had a ticket. Work called. A real emergency. She has never fully forgiven that client and never will. Watched the YouTube clips approximately 200 times.