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As festival season heats up, more people than ever are getting into solo gig-going. Recent research commissioned by the ticketing marketplace viagogo found that nearly two-fifths of music fans (39 per cent) have made plans to head to a music event solo this summer. Meanwhile, nearly a third (32 per cent) have already flown solo at a gig or festival.
Any lingering stigma around the trend is dissipating fast – 70 per cent of music lovers agree that solo gig-going is now “cool” and “socially acceptable” rather than a taboo. “When you go to a music event on your own, it can be really liberating,” says Dr Ally Jaffee, an NHS trainee psychiatrist and live music aficionado. “There’s a real sense of self-fulfillment in knowing you haven’t missed out on seeing your favourite band because you were nervous about going it alone.”
In fact, the research found that 38 per cent of music fans noticed an improvement in their self-confidence while going solo to a music event. Meanwhile, 20 per cent said they noticed an improvement in their happiness and found they experienced a reduction in their anxiety levels.
Dr Jaffee believes there are several reasons why solo gig-going can be less fraught and more rewarding than attending in a group. “In the research, some people said they get anxiety when they bring other people to a gig – they’re constantly worrying whether everyone else is having fun,” she said. “But when you go solo, you can completely focus on the music, leading to a deeper, more immersive experience where you really allow yourself to be in the moment.”
Going solo can also be less stressful because you get to navigate the event on your own terms. You choose when to arrive, where to stand and whether to stick around for the encore. This flexibility can be especially helpful at a festival where there are multiple stages and potential set clashes. When you go solo, you’ll never have to miss your favourite band because your friends want to secure a prime slot for the headliner on another stage.
Interestingly, while Gen Z are most likely to have attended a festival solo – 56 per cent said they’ve done so already – so-called “boomers” are the most open to the idea. More than three quarters (76 per cent) of music fans in the 55-64 age range agreed that solo gig-going was “cool” and “socially acceptable”.
The research also found regional variations in solo gig-going. Music fans in Belfast and London are most likely to have attended a festival on their own, with 47 per cent in each city saying they’ve already done so. However, music fans in Birmingham (44 per cent), Liverpool (41 per cent) and Leeds (37 per cent) aren’t too far behind.
Despite the nationwide rise in solo gig-going, 22 per cent of UK music fans told viagogo that they felt “too anxious” to attend a major concert on their own and 24 per cent lack confidence in their own company. Dr Jaffee notes that it’s “completely normal to feel nervous” beforehand and points out “other people going solo probably feel that way too”.
It’s also important to remember that going solo doesn’t mean spending the entire event alone. Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) solo gig-goers said they made friends at music events. “You’ll probably find you strike up conversations while queuing for the loos or waiting for a band to come on,” Dr Jaffee says. “And you’ll also find that when you make those connections, any nerves you may have had will soon disappear.”
Dr Jaffee acknowledges that “it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed” when you first walk into a festival field, but says there are ways to prevent your body from going into “sympathetic overdrive”, or a prolonged state of stress. “Try to remind yourself that the crowd is just an external stressor that you perceive as a threat; it’s not an actual threat,” she adds.
But if you do find yourself feeling overwhelmed, Dr Jaffee recommends employing the popular “box breathing” technique. “It’s so simple to do wherever you are,” she explains. “You just breathe in for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then hold it for another four seconds. If you want, you can draw a box shape with your index finger as you go through the stages.”
Dr Jaffee believes that people can overcome any fears or worries about going solo. “It’s just about taking that initial leap of faith and being comfortable in the knowledge that you don’t actually need company to make you feel whole and fully enjoy an event,” she says.
Once you do take the plunge, Dr Jaffee believes that solo gig-going “can actually improve self-confidence and give a greater sense of self-identity, which is a really powerful thing”. And in the process, you’ll get to see a lot of great live music entirely on your own terms.
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