I went to a concert alone for the first time
Normally I would buy two tickets, put it in the calendar and then I was ready to go to a theater or playhouse. Now that life is going differently than usual, I go alone. Because why wait when you can take yourself along?
It was Sunday and suddenly I felt like going to a concert. Something with piano, preferably with some strings, so I fired up the Concertgebouw website. Karsu and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta popped up and there were still two tickets available. I texted a friend and she wanted to join after a thorough check of her schedule. I opened the screen and: sold out! If there's one thing I hate, it's sold-out events that I want to attend.
Right by the stage
I'm really not easily thrown off, so I immediately moved to Ticketswap. In Amsterdam, I had absolutely no chance, as everyone was swapping tickets into their carts at an alarming speed. Luckily, they also had tickets at Tivoli in Utrecht, even closer to home. The only downside was that I had to go alone. Something about ‘man away and no babysitter’.
For days I pondered. Should I do this, should I not? And while I was doomscrolling in bed on a Saturday morning, one ticket became available. I tapped, checked out, and suddenly I was going to a concert alone. For the first time in my life. After some fieldwork, it turned out I was also looking right at the stage. Which makes me believe it was meant to be. I'm taking myself on a date and I find that almost (!) just as exciting as when someone else does it.
More lost than ever
It reassures me that the house lights will go out soon and the couples will disappear. At the moment the concert starts, the music washes over you and you are alone. Or are you? You can't just whisper to the person next to you how something affects you, give a squeeze of a hand, or discuss which piece of music brought tears to your cheeks. There are two scenarios. Either I feel more lost than ever or I never want to go to a concert with anyone else again. Or the middle ground is that it was fun, but I still prefer to go with a plus one. Only that would make this story a lot less dramatic.
There I went, by train towards Utrecht. A bit nicely dressed, because that's how I was raised. First, I ended up in the wrong line at TivoliVredenburg, but I was directed with a determined smile towards the main hall. In the foyer, I started waiting for the show to begin, along with all the other concertgoers. So far, no discomfort. The only thing that passed me by was the aperitif before the show, because standing in line at the bar by myself felt just a bit too far.
A bit magical
The advantage of such an evening is that I can be good with myself. I travel quite regularly alone for work and, it turns out, it feels similar. You behave in TivoliVredenburg waiting for a concert by Karsu and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta the same way you do in a coffee shop at Schiphol waiting for your flight. I didn't know that, but now I do. Once inside, my spot was quickly found and indeed the lights go out, the show starts, and suddenly it doesn't matter that I'm alone. Applauding is something you do together, just like cheering to let everyone know how fantastic you thought it was. Getting lost in the show can be done entirely with yourself; you don't need anyone for that. It was perhaps even a bit magical. So alone on that red upholstery of TivoliVredenburg.
This solo date is definitely a recommendation. You really don't need anyone to go to a concert or the theater. Although I don't know how it is when you're among the Swifties. The only downside of the evening? That the woman next to me was wearing a murderous heavy perfume, which made me have to gasp for air every time from the neighbor on the other side. But otherwise, I would do it again next week.
