wild women don't get the blues

on attending a concert alone

this will be my last newsletter of the “season”—after this, i’ll be taking some time off to rest, write, and return with more mini-essays this summer!

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I bought the ticket to go see Mitski at Kings Theater on a whim.

I couldn’t believe that there were a few tickets left to see her show and, without thinking too much, bought one. The idea of wrangling friends who were big enough fans of hers to come with me sounded like too much work when there were so few tickets left. So why not just go alone?

As the concert date approached, though, I started getting anxious. Would I feel sad going alone? (More sad than usual when listening to Mitski’s music, which is the ultimate Sad Girl Music.) Would I enjoy it as much? Would I regret being alone, not sharing the experience with someone?

Because I do love live music, and I love to share it with friends who love what I love. Music has always felt like such a corporeal, bodily experience at its core. And getting to be in proximity with people I love listening to music I love? That’s just pure joy.

photo by Megan Matuzak for WXPN

Plus, there’s always this sense that any event with a big crowd can be a disaster, especially if you’re a woman, specifically a woman who is there alone.