Music has the incredible power to unite people all over the world, but what happens when your friends don’t share your music taste? Do you skip the concert or do you go solo? Is it weird to go to a concert alone?

As someone who’s attended 1,000+ concerts, going to a concert alone might just be the best concert experience of your life. And, to highlight why, let me tell you about the time that attending Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour alone turned into free tickets, unforgettable friendships, and an international adventure. 

The Solo Swiftie at The Eras Tour

The Eras Tour is the largest tour most of us will see in our lifetimes, shattering records for attendance and demand across the world. Scoring any tickets felt like winning the lottery.  Many fans, myself included, jumped at the chance to secure any ticket available, even if it meant going alone just for the opportunity to see Taylor Swift on this tour.

With each Eras Tour location, the number of Solo Swifties attending has grown as people realize they’ll be surrounded fellow Taylor Swift fans and often adopted into a crew. Even though you hear about this and you have the ticket, anxiety and questions about going to a concert alone start to surface closer to the show date. Will people be kind? Will I lose my spot on floor if I use the toilet? Will I even have a good time at a concert alone? 

But going to a concert alone also comes with the freedom to craft your own perfect experience. Over the years, Mike (my concert partner in crime) and I have attended dozens of concerts solo, always making friends along the way. Some of our best friendships started while one of us was at a show solo waiting in line for our favorite bands to start. 

The Magic of Concert Line Buddies 

For The Eras Tour Lisboa, Mike and I started to line up at at about 1 PM at Benfica Stadium for N1 of Taylor Swift, just 3 hours before doors opened for VIP ticket holders. This landed us at 190th in line, which we knew would lead to an amazing spot on the rail for the show. As we waited in the blazing sun, we struck up conversations with fellow Swifties in line about our favorite Eras, everyone’s creative outfits, and how far we all traveled for the show. 

Among the Swifties in line was Nati, a solo concert-goer who had traveled from Barcelona just for the show. Dressed in a black “Rep Bitch” tank, she immediately stood out as a stark contrast to my fully pink Lover Era outfit. She gave off all the good vibes and because Reputation is one of my top albums, we started talking immediately.

Nati told us she actually tried to invite people to come with her, but she didn’t have any Swiftie friends back home in Spain. She decided to make the solo trip to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing Taylor Swift – since Taylor’s never performed in Nati’s home country of Uruguay!

If you’re attending a concert alone, lining up early is one of the best ways to meet new friends that have the same music taste! These early line opportunities are usually for the die hard fans that are just as dedicated to the artist as you are, and you have the easiest ice breaker: the concert itself.

From Solo to Crew: Making Friends as a Solo Concert Goer

Waiting in line together under the makeshift shade of our jackets for 3+ hours was all it took for us to become fast friends. By the time the doors opened, we’d decided to stick together for the entire show, teaming up to secure a prime rail spot near the stage. 

If you go solo to a concert, the best thing about being adopted by a little group is that it’s way easier to hold down your spot with 3+ people compared to just one or two. And, all three of us were committed to scoring the best spot possible for the show. It didn’t hurt that Nati is shorter than I am, and I’m only 5’3” (160cm)! 

Nati, Mike, and I ended up finding a spot surrounded by some of the coolest and nicest Swifties we’d met all day. Doors opened around 4 PM and Paramore didn’t start until 7 PM, so we had another 3 hours of trading friendship bracelets and getting to know our concert neighbors before the show.

If you attend a concert alone (and don’t have a 3-hour line like most Taylor Swift and Phish shows), you can also meet amazing concert neighbors if you enter the venue early. Again, the people that go into the show and lock down their spots early tend to be the biggest fans! 

Our concert neighbors came from all over the world for this show: Spain, Greece, France, Germany, USA, Portugal, and Uruguay! It was amazing being surrounded by Swifties from around the world in our little group on the floor. Our newly expanded concert group took turns holding down spots while others became runners for food, beer, water, espresso, and toilet breaks. 

Once the show started, it was like a dream come true. Every single one of us cried at some point… some of us more than others.

NONE of us expected to be so close to Taylor while she was performing, which made it even more special. And for all of us, it was the very first time hearing The Tortured Poets Department live. When “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” started… you could feel Female Rage: The Musical take place for all 60k Swifties in the stadium. 

The thing is, all of us joined together for these experiences. We laughed, sang, embraced, cried, and danced together – regardless of who attended the concert alone and who went with a group. During the show, we were all just there for the music. 

A Twist of Fate – From Solo Swiftie to Free Tickets

After a magical night, the three of us (because Nati is now a core member of our concert crew), stuck together to make it home through the chaos. We did a post-show debrief while eating food truck hot dogs on the curb near a metro stop. Concert and music festival debriefs are some of the best parts of having a concert crew and new friends. You get to relive your highlights while they’re still fresh in your mind. More singing, more laughing, more hugging, and more crying as we waited for the metro to calm down a little.

Somehow, we managed to squeeze like sardines onto the metro (a true Portuguese experience) before heading back to our separate homes. At this point, we didn’t know the next time we’d all see each other… little did we know we’d be back at it less than 24 hours later.

Mike skipped out on the food truck food, so the two of us ordered some delivery when we finally made it to our boat Airbnb at 2:30AM. This is when the twist of fate took place. Mike was woken up the next morning with the need to sprint to the toilet, realizing that 3AM Uber Eats maybe wasn’t the best idea. One thing we learned from N1 of The Eras Tour is that our floor section didn’t have any toilet paper the entire time. You might see  where this is going, but if not…

After a couple hours of going back and forth on this difficult decision, Mike realized he couldn’t attend N2 of The Eras Tour thanks to the extra gift of food poisoning he got from the early morning/ late night food. I immediately thought of Nati who only had tickets for N1 and texted, “Do you want to see Taylor again with me tonight?!” 

She immediately messaged back, “Canceling all my plans, girl, YES!”

Me: “I just want to experience the show with someone that loves Taylor as much as I do, so the ticket is on me!”

If you’ve been to The Eras Tour, especially GA Floor, you know just how exhausting it is. It’s an 18+ hour day of standing and dancing in the heat, but I knew we’d both be down to do it all over again. 

This time, I had my Reputation Era outfit on and we entered the front right floor section as two full-fledged “Rep Bitches”. Complete strangers less than 24 hours before and now experiencing the magic of The Eras Tour together all over again. 

More tears, more singing, more dancing, and more Taylor Swift. For Nati, going to a concert alone turned into free Taylor Swift tickets and a Swiftie friend / concert buddy for life! But… in an even crazier turn of events, this wasn’t the end. 

Free Eras Tour Tickets & Unplanned Adventure to Madrid

Just when I thought this week of Taylor Swift couldn’t get any better, I got a text from Nati right after Mike and I arrived home in Lagos, Portugal:

“hey girl, do you want to come with me to Taylor in Madrid in two days??” 

Me: *no words* 

A million thoughts swarmed through my head. How will I get there? Can I really do that? Will my body be able to handle a third Taylor Swift show? Is this real life?

Me 5 minutes later: “I’m booking an overnight bus now to Madrid. WTF AHHH. Head first, Fearless. YES!”

The next thing I knew, I was on a 14-hour overnight bus ride from Lagos, Portugal to Madrid, Spain for my very own solo trip to The Eras Tour. And basically, Taylor was right when she says karma takes all my friends to the summit because Nati and I ended up attending this Madrid show in section 500 with VIP tickets. 

Here’s a vlog about the entire experience:

Why You Should Try Attending a Concert Alone

Going solo to a concert is not just about the music; it’s about embracing the unexpected. Whether it’s meeting concert buddies in line, getting closer to the stage, or dancing your heart out without inhibition, the experience is yours to create. If Nati didn’t decide to go to The Eras Tour alone and I didn’t decide to go to Madrid on a solo trip, we would’ve both missed out on an extra opportunity to see Taylor Swift while making everlasting memories along the way.

…This whole blog is to answer one key question:

Is it weird to go to a concert alone?

No! And it might just change your life. 

Tips for Going to a Concert Alone

Here’s a list we created full of tips for attending a concert alone if you’re looking to go solo to your next show. It includes everything from what to bring, how to plan your route to the concert, and what it’s like making friends at a concert alone.

I also want to take this chance to answer some additional FAQs we’ve had for attending your first concert by yourself:

1. Do people go to concerts alone?

Yes! You will not be the only person attending the concert by yourself when you go. You’ll likely end up meeting other solo concert-goers! 

2. What should I bring to my first concert?

Concert ear plugs like Loop Experience Plus, hand sanitizer for filthy restrooms, and a phone leash are at the top of our list for must-haves at concerts! 

You can find a more comprehensive list of concert essentials here. Just make sure to check the rules for your venue and show to confirm which items are allowed and which aren’t inside the show!

3. Is it safe to go by myself to a concert?

Just like any solo experience, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings but generally, concert goers are some of the most supportive people! 

Our other blog has more details and tips for staying safe while at a concert alone.

4. What happens if my concert ticket is invalid?

With the insanity that is the ticket resale market, it’s not uncommon to hear about anxiety around invalid tickets. From our polls, about 90% of tickets purchased on resale markets work totally fine.

Of course, that means at least 10% of people experience issues with their concert tickets, and that number is growing with high demand events like The Eras Tour. We originally wrote an article for tips for buying resale Taylor Swift tickets, but the ticket sites we use are applicable for all concerts. 

If your ticket is invalid, what happens next completely depends on how you acquired it. If you were the original purchaser from the original sale and your ticket is invalid, your account may have been hacked. This is when you’ll want to immediately go to customer support at the venue while contacting the ticket vendor (i.e. Ticketmaster) support as well. 

If you purchased from a resale market and your concert ticket is invalid, there’s almost nothing someone at the venue can do. Your best option is to contact customer support of whichever resale site you purchased the tickets from via email, phone, chat, and social media. If you bought them through a private sale, your only option is to contact the buyer directly.

Having an invalid ticket can be even worse when you’re going to a concert alone. Sometimes, it’s worth it to give up on the invalid ticket and try to score a last minute tickets at the door for smaller shows  or online for big shows and pursue a refund for your invalid ticket after the fact. 

5. Do you have tips for dealing with anxiety at concerts?

If you experience anxiety in crowds or at concerts, bringing items like earplugs or tinted sunglasses and standing more towards the back of the venue can help mitigate anxiety so that you can relax and have a great time. 

Some of the items I bring with me to concerts to help in large crowds are: 

• Concert earplugs
• Tinted heart glasses to help dim the lights
• Hand sanitizer for sticky hands or dirty toilet areas
• A cotton mask for when I feel like I’m breathing everyone else’s breath
• Phone leash so I don’t need to worry about my phone being stolen
• My own water bottle if allowed

Some of the things I do to help lower anxiety at concerts include:

• Stand in the back of the venue when crowds are too much
• Take a toilet break as a break from the crowd
• Hydrate a lot – dehydration makes everything seem worse
• Intentionally focus on the musicians instead of the people around me
• Move spots if the people around me are causing me anxiety (this is a great benefit of going to a concert alone when there is a GA section) 

If you experience severe anxiety or a panic attack at a concert when alone, immediately seek medical help if you can or ask someone near you to help you find medical personnel. We saw several people at The Eras Tour suffer from panic attacks due to the sheer overwhelming size of the crowds. 

6. Should I go to a concert alone?

Yes! You should try it at least once. You can start with a small show if you’re nervous and then expand to high demand shows or even music festivals! 

The next time your favorite artist is in town and your friends can’t make it, don’t hesitate. Go solo—it might just change your life.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more live music and international living content!