Used to all the time, first gig was Steeleye Span at the Leacock Folk Festival, around 45 years ago. I saw Supertramp play the local college just before Crime Of The Century came out, then there was a spate of great gigs in Bath, saw The Clash, The Jam, The Human League, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Girlsschool, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, (a gig I was so totally stoned at I’ve no clear recollection of it!) Saw Pink Floyd, Yes and a bunch of other bands in Bristol. More recently, since the early 90s I’ve tended to go with a mate with the same sort of tastes in music, but he doesn’t do festivals, so I’ve done IoW in 2015, and Greenman in 2016 and 17 on my own. I did Reading a couple of times once in the early 80s and once in, I think, 94 or 5. Saw Richard Thompson a week ago, thanks to a mate who had a ticket and couldn’t go.
Oh, saw Death Cab For Cutie in London a while back for free, via iTunes Festival, and David Byrne and St Vincent at the Roundhouse, went up to London on my own, booked a B&B near Hyde Park, visited Highgate Cemetary in the afternoon, walked from there to the gig. Next day walked across Hyde Park, had a look at the Diana memorial water feature and the Serpentine Gallery, then over to Borough Market for lunch and a beer, then went up The Shard, back to Paddington and back home. All on my own, first time I’d done anything like it, the weather was perfect, and it was one of the best weekends of my life,
Thing is, I’m perfectly happy with my own company, but I’ll strike up a conversation with other people, so I’m never rally alone. I’d rather go on my own and be happy and enjoy myself, than with someone who isn’t into the music and is only there grudgingly and is unhappy, which makes the whole thing miserable for both parties.
