Your Favorite Artist Might Introduce You to Your Next Best Friend
Key Takeaways
51% of fans have attended a show with someone they met online, rising to 57% of Gen Z.
Concerts help deepen existing relationships: 85% say shared live experiences make them feel closer to friends and family.
Live Nation surveyed 4,000 recent concert and festival attendees across 15 European markets in October 2026.
When Oasis returned to Wembley, one fan turned to Reddit looking for someone to attend the show with. Others joined the conversation, including someone traveling from Australia. They had tickets to one of the year's most anticipated reunions. What they needed was someone to go with.
In Munich, Coldplay fans gathered at a meetup organized by online fan community ColdplayXtra, complete with music, trivia and plenty of conversation ahead of the band's German stadium shows. BTS fans have used dedicated Reddit threads to arrange meetups by city and tour date.
These gatherings reflect a much wider pattern. New Live Nation research among 4,000 recent concert and festival attendees across 15 European markets finds that 51% have attended live music with someone they met through an online community, rising to 57% among Gen Z.
The study also reveals a broader challenge. While online communities make it easier to connect with people around the world, finding time to see friends in person remains difficult.
From Online Communities to Concert Crowds
Europe's concert calendar provides plenty of opportunities for those online connections to become face-to-face meetings.
Shakira's 13-show Madrid residency drew more than 700,000 fans. The Weeknd's UK and European stadium tour attracted more than 2.3 million people across 11 countries. And in London alone, Live Nation welcomed 3.6 million fans across 405 shows this summer, from small clubs to stadiums.
The research suggests that concertgoing is playing a role at both ends of the friendship spectrum: bringing online acquaintances together and introducing people who've never met before.
Some 54% of respondents say they met someone new who shared their interests at a concert or festival in the past year. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 60%.
The Friendship Problem
The most revealing findings may be about the friendships people already have.
Three in four surveyed fans say meeting new people is harder than it was five years ago. And 87% wish they had more opportunities to spend meaningful time with friends and family.
When asked about their biggest social challenges, respondents ranked finding time to see existing friends above affordability and meeting people who share their interests.
Live music appears to help close that gap.
85% say concerts and festivals give them a reason to make plans with people they already know. Another 83% say they're more likely to get together with friends when there's something specific to attend.
The effect goes beyond making plans. Four in five respondents say live music helps them maintain relationships with friends or family, while 85% say they feel closer to people after sharing an experience than after simply catching up.
Those findings give the research a broader significance. Concerts are occasions people plan around, often months in advance, at a time when finding space in busy schedules for friends and family can be difficult.
And fans expect online friendships to remain part of their concertgoing lives. Among respondents, 81% anticipate attending live music with people they've met online or through fan communities as often or more often in the future.
People have always gone to concerts with friends. Now, for some, it's where they finally meet.
About the Research
Live Nation commissioned a quantitative survey of 4,000 people who attended a concert or festival within the previous 12 months. Conducted in October 2026, the study covered 15 markets: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Poland, Finland, Belgium and Hungary.
All findings reflect responses from concert and festival attendees surveyed, rather than the general European population.
Authored by Alisha Strother, VP of Insights and Research at Live Nation