I go to all sorts of things on my own - just got home this evening from Paco Pena's Flamenco sin fronteras and earlier this week went to see Michael Clark's dance company. I went to both alone because none of my friends would want to come with me (more fool them, both were brilliant!).

I have been to gigs on my own and if there was someone I really wanted to see and no-one else did then I would go on my own - I went to Sigur Ros alone about 4 years ago.

It's nice to have someone to talk to about it afterwards, but it's not essential. I like being able to immerse myself without having to think about anyone else...

for exactly the same reasons that you gave. These days that is; before it was more a case of only having mates with no taste or interest in music at all. The only time I ever went to a gig with someone was when a friend of mine begged me to go with her to see Duran Duran...not my happiest memory.
But even though I'm independent and OK with going alone, I still wish I had at least ONE friend that shared my passion for music!
I find it quite unbelievable that in all of my 43 years, of all of the friends that I have had; nobody has been into music at all, or have only liked bands that I hate! How is that even possible ?

to see Justin Currie in a couple of weeks. My wife can't decide whether to go or not, my reasoning that her being there wouldn't add to the experience didn't go down too well. I followed it up by asking if me being at the next quilt fair (yes quilts) or bead exhibition (yes beads) she attended would add to her experience. My guess is I'll be going alone.

if you are only going to see a band if your wife wants to go ,you aren't going to see many bands

I'd say more than 50% of my gigs have been solo attendances- can be handy if you are recording the show.

You can often get excellent seats buying just one as it fills a gap.

gig goer. No-one in my circle seems to have similar tastes. Suits me fine

...either I can't find anyone suitably keen (Decemberists, Del Amitri), people I've taken in the past haven't wanted a second helping (Richard Thompson, Indigo Girls) or I've just been Johnny-no-mates at the time (Green on Red, The Who)

fairly often. For similar reasons.

Generally, I'd rather go on my own than drag people along to something that I'm not certain they'll enjoy.

On rare occasions, you can "convert" a friend - and that is very satisfying - but often I find I am concerned about whether they are enjoying it.

About a year ago I saw Kraftwerk with a really good friend of mine, which was fine - but he kept shouting into my ear during the show about this-and-that. He didn't know that this is a no-no.

And then inexplicably I found myself a little bit tearful during one part. He picked up on this and ridiculed me mercilessly. I am proud to declare that music can trigger an emotional reaction in me, but as far as he was concerned I had turned into Duncan Norvelle.

don't take your significant other to a gig you know they will hate as they will bend your ear about it throughout the gig and piss off surrounding gig goers

have been to classical concerts on my own, and why not! Sometimes it's good to go with friends, but you can have a different kind of fun alone. I wouldn't want to just do one or the other

made me leave grant lee buffalo mid flight so we could go home to give a friend of ours her birthday present

it was downhill from there.

I'm very fortunate in that my wife & I have been going to gig's together (mostly, sometimes with other friends) for about thirtyfive years! When I read this thread I thought I wonder whether she has enjoyed all of them? She usually lets me take the lead when it comes to music but occasionally she will pick up on something she's heard and give me odd clues which I have to decifer to identify who she has heard! I really like it when she finds something first. Getting back to the point I've been to a few gigs on my own. Notable ones that come to mind -

Kate Bush - Palladium (I was a young lad) it was fab.

Mogwai - Albert Hall - very suitable band to go on your own to.

Scritti Politti - Tate Gallery - great night had a chat with them
after(probably wouldn't have got round to that had my wife been with me).

I've seen lots of sets on my own while at festivals but that doesn't really count if you haven't bought tickets for that particular act.
Junior had a good point about getting better seats when you are buying just one.

Yep! Me too - I reckon I've been to at least 80% of gigs on my own. Why not? There are only two downsides 1. Nobody will save your space when you nip off to the toilet. 2. There's nobody to discuss a particularly special moment with afterwards. I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages though. In the old days you could end up being bored but these days with PDAs and smart phones you always have something to read in your pocket. Unusually (these days) I've got a 5 gigs in 30 days lineup at the moment (the disappointing Pavement were last night) and they're all solo except The Pixies which the FPO is tagging along for.

the Mott reunion warm-up at Monmouth. It was fun but I find that I generally only bother going out to watch these kinds of 'heritage' artists who I loved when I was a kid ( and when music meant everything ). These days, whenever my mate Anthony nudges me and says something like 'hey, let's go and see this great new American beardy singer songwriter that all the critics are raving about' I always make my excuses. A cold, usually.

The FPO didn't want to see Steely Dan.

... really like The Aliens, James Yorkson, Malcolm Middleton et al. The more noisier experiences tend to be solo turns though...

I'd rather have company, but if it's someone you really want to see and no-one else is interested, then what can you do? The advantage is that you can stand where you like, and not have to position yourself somewhere that allows the other half to see.

and to be the only person there. Bliss.

So how can you ever be alone again (naturally).

I've been to plenty solo but it helps if you give the air of a music journalist reviewing it for Sounds or suchlike. Failing that, wear a silk bomber jacket and pretend to be an A&R man. A friend of the band. In my case, when watching you-know-who, often mistaken as a member of the band and declining autographs.

Just fit in. Don't do, as I did when watching Pat Benatar while on holiday in Orlando, at The House Of Blues, being the only audience member in shorts. They understood when they realised I was British.

It is only cringey with sitting down gigs. And when I go to the bar and order "one lager please".

I can't even have lunch on my own. And I wouldn't dream of going to a pub on my own.

But I can go to the cinema on my own. Don't mind that at all. In fact I rather like it.

Sadly, this often means I don't go to gigs. Between job, kids and FPO, I'm lucky if I get to one every couple of months.

I'm going to a gig on my own for the first time in ages tonight, Alabama 3 & David Ford at the HMV Forum. The FPO would have come had it been logistically possible, we go to many gigs together. Last time I remember going solo was Decemberists in Cambridge 2 or 3 years ago.

Football I always go to alone, and I prefer it that way, you can stand where you like (non-league), turn up as early/late as you like, ditto leaving, and it's also easier to get one ticket for a big match than it is 2 or 3.

To take in The Space Ritual - Hawkwind,but I bumped into a lot of people I knew once I got to The Stadium in Liverpool so I suppose It doesn't count.
I used to go to the Flicks on my own frequently.No one of my acquaintance seemed as keen on the films of Eric Rohmer as me.Strange.

... I pulled. Unfortunately, it all fell apart in a text stand off debacle.

because my Wife and I have such different tastes - she is more mainstream/more retro - whereas I have a preference for the more modern stuff. Plus I couldn't see my wife going to the Shepherds Bush empire to stand and watch Corinne Bailey-Rae or the Felice Brothers - like I did.

Plus its cheaper for 1 person

FPO's off on a conference.

If you see me looking lonely, come and say hello.

to see Steely Dan Edinburgh Playhouse and might as well have been on me blimmin own as she frugged and watoosied all night (security allowing) in the adjoining aisle.

I'm lucky in that I do have a 'gig mate' - that as long as the music has a guitar &/or is loud he'll go. The problem is we have been going to gigs together for 25 years and the collective attention span is short for the gig and long for the beer/curry aspect - it don't take much for him to start looking at his watch.

So as a result I often go solo. Quite enjoy it. The gig is more important than the company. Couldn't find anyone to go to Joanna Newsom - so went alone. Guess what, they were right- the definition of Emperor's New Clothes and I was off to the train after about an hour of smug waiting and plucking. But sometimes it works well going on own - on a whim I got one ticket to see Philip Glass' Satyagraha at the London Coliseum. An Awe-inspiring thing that I would not have found anyone else to go to.

the recent Word in Your Ear gig. It was great. But then again, I knew I'd know people there.

I like going to gigs with people, I enjoy having someone to natter with before it starts, having someone to nudge happily when a particularly treasured song gets played and being able to discuss them with someone afterwards,

Unfortunately, my hubby doesn't like much of my music (he was particularly horrified by one particular Eels gig), and we don't get baysitters that often anyway.

My old gig mates have moved away from London.

And my London mates love Scouting for Girls, so no bloody way I'm going gigging with them.

Anyone want a gig buddy? I love live music! I miss it!

Once was a Sunday night sitting at home, dinner over and for want of a better thing to do I picked up the Glasgow Evening Times. Towards the end there was an ad for Anthrax at the Barralands (correct spelling). I called my two mates who were into them, both were somehow busy (it was after Anthrax's glory years). I got ants in my pants, I couldn't sit still. The Mum dropped me in Rutherglen where I got charged up on lager in Chapman's then a bus to the Barras. They were good, very good but not as mental as that State of Euphoria tour on an hot June nicht in 88, but I really enjoyed them.
Paradise Lost - Glasgow Garage on a wet Monday Feb. 89. Exceelent! a much underrated band.
The last time was a gig I'd planned in advance and was not missing, just none of my mates were into them - Big Audio Dynamite c. No. 10 Upping Street.
Fantastic! I met people I knew and loads I didn't, we ended up getting smashed in The Horseshoe after the gig.

The Bottom Line (see what I did there)
If you need to be there, then damn well go!

I don't mean in general. Simply that she can't be bothered staying on her feet all night (when, to paraphrase Withnail, she's there 'by mistake' because I've dragged her there...) so we tend to go together to seated venues: classical gigs, some stuff at the South Bank, etc.

I'm very used to being the only person I've EVER met who wants to see some of the bands I like, so I'm quite happy going on my tod.

Hey, Hannah! - you should post some of your favourite bands on this thread and get a discussion going... I'm sure it would be possible to get small pockets of the Massive meeting up for the odd gig here and there.

I've been to see a few bands on my own, sometimes with the expectation that I'll bump into someone I know there. In the main, Senora Malo and I like similar bands. Which is nice.

I see some people can't eat out on their own - I'd be a fair bit lighter if that was the case for me, as I often travel on my own for work. I don't mind eating on my own or going for a pint on my own at all. Last film I went to see on my own was Watchmen which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I saw Eli "Paperboy" Reed last year in Birmingham on my own - it was a good gig. In June, if I can arrange work around it I'll be going to see Jimmie Vaughan in London - currently I'm the only person I know who's going to that.

has been solo over half of the last 35 years. I learned very quickly that my mates were not keen to make their minds up instantly and the thought of missing out or not getting a good seat was a no-no.
When I met Ms Wayfarer, I found found a fellow gigger with broadly similar tastes, though both of us are happy to go on our own if the other isn't about.

I often go to gigs alone and am happy to do so, especially if it's something slightly esoteric. I have a supplementary question, however. What would going solo to a festival be like? I have two Latitude tickets but my colleague has had to drop out and it's unlikely that any of my other friends will be able to escape their adult responsibilities to accompany me. I know that for the most part it will be fine but I'm slightly concerned about looking like a lone oddball in the campsite, while jolly groups of friends all around gather for cocktails in their gazebos. Any thoughts?

about going to see Morrissey alone.

You stand on your own.

You leave on your own.

You go home and think "that was alright".

I went to The Decemberists on my own at the Festival Hall. That was fine, but I could have done without the audience interaction bit at the end, I felt a bit self-concious at that point.

I went to Portishead, that was ok and I stood at the Delays on my own when a mate pulled out last minute.

It's the waiting around that is the worse bit. Killing time after work, then the always interminable wait for the thing to start. I don't think I'd do it again. I can usually find one like minded soul. I'm always bemused when I see a group of about 6 at these things though. How do you find 5 mates who all want to see say...Doves and get organised to get tickets?

I find it much easier to go to the theatre on my tod. You know exactly when it's gonna start so all that waiting can be avoided the internal is only 20 minutes at most and these days you can just whip out your iphone and read Moby Dick or Sherlock Holmes or somesuch.

at the last gig I attended.

No way am I wearing my leather cap and lederhosen next time I go to see Buju Banton. :-(

... for about 5 years, now.

I suppose I've been 'into' music for 19 years, but I'd never felt confident enough to go to a gig by myself.

I'm glad I finally did decide that being shy and all that was faintly pathetic, and I now try to get to see one gig a month (or to make it slightly easier, 12 a year).

Music is incredibly personal to me, so being able to enjoy it by myself is rather a perfect fit.

The first gig I went to see by myself was Rufus Wainwright at the Newcastle Tyne Theatre. There does seem to be an odd link with Mr. Wainwright and my personal life, in that when ever I've been in a relationship and then booked 2 tickets to go and see him - I've been dumped.

If only I could get a young lady who takes my fancy to get to see him as a couple, I think I'd marry her on the spot.

When I was 13-15, I'd often go into Liverpool by train from St.Helens (40 minute ride for an all-stopper) on a Friday night with no ticket all by myself. I'd pay at the door & catch the last train back. I saw Bowie, Genesis, Mott the Hoople (supported by Queen), Tangerine Dream, Thin Lizzy, an allday of Reggae, 10cc, Gong and so on. I thought half were rubbish but the thing that amazes me is my parents let me!! No mobiles those days, either, and there were loads of others doing the same.

There's no way I'd let my kids do that now until they are at least 18.

Friends have been breeding and staying in or else have rubbish taste in music so I've had to start gig-going alone or missing bands I love.

Did Glasto last year alone, which was fine apart from not properly speaking to anyone for five days because I got funny looks if I tried to start a conversation, people weren't as friendly as I was expecting.

Would love to go to gigs with people because I've always thought of it as an experience that should be shared and talked about afterwards but it doesn't seem to an option these days

Very interesting thread. Very rarely have I been on my own at a gig but I often wish I was.

However I do like the idea of meeting various massive members along the way. How are we going to identify ourselves once in the venue?