Lost & Found Chronicles

Every show leaves behind memories, and some also leave behind keys, glasses, blankets, …and an urn.

Welcome to the Pabst Theater Group Lost & Found Chronicles, a look at the strange, surprising, and occasionally shocking treasures left behind after the show ends.

The Line Outside

For some shows, the Lost & Found collection starts long before the doors even open. Take a look at the Widespread Panic on sale, for example. The line wraps around the block with dedicated fans camping out on the sidewalk for days. Once the venue doors open, the excitement takes over, and the sidewalk is suddenly littered with abandoned lawn chairs, cozy blankets, and extra layers of clothing.

But the outdoor gear is nothing compared to what happens inside the venue. A few years ago after a Panic show, our team recovered one single shoe and a pair of pants. The good news? We successfully reunited the owner with both. We still have questions, but we're glad they were reunited.

Things We Never Expected to Find

An urn, Yes, you read that correctly. We're still not entirely sure how someone leaves an urn behind at a concert, but it happened. Fortunately, after a little detective work, it was reunited with its family.

Another was from a guest who believed she dropped a bag of diamonds through a floor grate from her second floor seat. Our maintenance team spent considerable time searching hidden spaces and wall cavities for the missing treasure before she eventually concluded that she might not have brought the diamonds with her after all.

Then there was the purse at the Melanie Martinez show at the Riverside Theater in 2016. The next day, a purse was turned in and our team opened it in hopes of finding identification. Instead, its contents revealed it must have belonged to a little kid. It was full of play money, pink sunglasses with oversized plastic eyelashes attached to the frames, a fidget spinner, and a small notepad containing a single message “I hope things are better for you know (sic).”

What Happens to Unclaimed Items?

We do our best to reunite lost items with their owners, and if we find identifying information, our team goes into detective mode to track them down in our ticketing system.

Items that remain unclaimed are held for up to 60 days before being donated, recycled, or disposed of. And if you leave your glasses behind, they become a piece of Pabst Theater Group history. In 2021, our crew started the Glasses Ball. Five years later, it’s approaching 6 feet in diameter.

Lost something at a recent show?

Email lostandfound@ptglive.com with your name, a description of the item, and the show and venue where it may have been lost, and we'll do our best to help.