A collection of eight owned and tour-used AAA and artist access passes belonging to Mark Gardener of Ride, spanning international festival and touring appearances from 2000 to 2019, accompanied by a copy of Ride The Network! magazine signed by all four members of the band. Three passes are accompanied by individual signed Letters of Authenticity from Gardener. The collection was acquired as a single lot from Omega Auctions (13 February 2024, Lot 479).
Historical Context
Ride are a British rock band formed in Oxford in 1988, comprising Mark Gardener (vocals, guitar), Andy Bell (vocals, guitar), Steve Queralt (bass), and Loz Colbert (drums). One of the defining acts of the early-1990s shoegaze movement, the band released four studio albums — Nowhere (1990), Going Blank Again (1992), Carnival of Light (1994), and Tarantula (1996) — before disbanding in 1996. They reunited in 2014, subsequently releasing Weather Diaries (2017) and This Is Not a Safe Place (2019), undertaking extensive international touring across both cycles.
Mark Gardener has remained an active solo and collaborative performer throughout the band’s hiatus and reunion periods. AAA (All Areas Access) passes of the type represented in this collection are issued to principal band members for specific events and tours, granting unrestricted backstage and stage access and serving as the primary physical credential carried by performers throughout a production.
Tour & Performance Use
The eight passes in this collection document Gardener’s activity across a range of international events. Three are accompanied by individual signed Letters of Authenticity from Gardener (each dated 15 September 2023), confirming personal use and sold to the prior owner, Eric Foust:
Lottsfjell Festival 2006 (Tønsberg, Norway, 20[x=#8211/]22 July) — laminated ARTIST credential naming Mark Gardener, with Sony Ericsson-branded red lanyard, accompanied by LOA.
Fuji Rock Festival 2000 — AAA laminated pass with floral festival artwork, with branded olive Fuji Rock lanyard, accompanied by LOA.
Ride “This Is Not a Safe Place” 2019 Australian Tour (8/28/2019[x=#8211/]9/7/2019) — holographic AAA laminated pass with SBM Presents lanyard; the reverse of the pass carries the tour itinerary detailing show dates across Auckland, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. Accompanied by LOA.
The remaining five passes — not individually LOA’d but acquired as part of the same authenticated collection lot — are: a Bilbao Live Festival artist access credential (blue); a Cabeza de Perro 6 ARTISTAS pass (Spanish festival, burgundy/gold); a Rye Music Festival / [x=#31206/][x=#30000/][x=#38899/][x=#20048/][x=#33410/] Shanghai 2019 performer credential (yellow, No. 0149); a Ride Weather Diaries era AAA pass (black, Ride /// branding); and a small ELECTRÓNICA zone access pass.
Included Items
Also included in this lot is a copy of Ride The Network! — The Official Magazine of The Ride Network, Issue 8, Autumn/Winter 2015 — signed on the cover by all four members of Ride: Mark Gardener, Andy Bell, Steve Queralt, and Loz Colbert.
Condition
Passes exhibit handling and wear consistent with active touring use. The signed magazine shows light wear consistent with age and handling.
Provenance
Acquired as Lot 479 from Omega Auctions, 13 February 2024 (Day 1: Audio Equipment and Music Memorabilia). Three passes accompanied by individual signed Letters of Authenticity from Mark Gardener, each dated 15 September 2023.
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
