A backstage pass is the sticker, wristband or laminate that lets its wearer past security into the parts of a venue a ticket does not cover. The grandest is the AAA, short for Access All Areas, normally reserved for the artist, management and key crew; humbler versions grant only after-show drinks, the first few songs for photographers or a meet-and-greet queue.
Passes often carry unique artwork and holograms to defeat forgers, and once a tour is over they turn into collectables. Even the mightiest lanyard has limits, though. The actor Owen Wilson has happily told how The Rolling Stones gave him an all-access laminate, meant to last a lifetime, at a show in Argentina. He explored so thoroughly that he ended up beside the stage just as Mick Jagger came running his way, and the next morning the band’s security team called to collect the pass.