Find a JO1 Concert Buddy: How to Meet Fellow Fans

Want to go to a JO1 concert but don't have anyone to go with?

You refreshed the ticket page at exactly 10:00 AM, your hands were shaking, and somehow — somehow — you got a seat. Then the excitement hit a wall: who are you actually going with?

If you're the only JO1 fan in your friend group, you know this feeling. Your best friend says "who's JO1 again?" Your coworker nods politely when you mention Kawashiri Ren. Nobody in your immediate circle is going to scream the fanchants for "INFINITY" with you.

Here's the thing most people don't realize: going to a JO1 concert alone is way more common than you think. At a typical dome show, a solid chunk of the crowd came solo. Nobody is looking at you. Everyone is looking at the stage.

But "it's fine to go alone" and "it would be more fun with someone" can both be true at the same time. The pre-show coffee, the merch line debate over which photocard set to buy, the walk to the station afterward where you both can't form sentences yet — that's half the experience. So if you're looking for a JO1 concert buddy, that's a completely reasonable thing to want.

Let's talk about how to actually find one.

How to find a concert buddy for JO1

Start with the people already near you

Before going full stranger-mode, do a quick audit. JAM (that's us, the JO1 fandom) are everywhere, and people are often quieter about their fandom than you'd expect.

• Post a casual story: "Got tickets to the JO1 tour, who's going??" You'd be surprised how often someone replies.
• Check if anyone at work or school has a JO1 keyring on their bag. Lanyard culture is real.
• Ask the friend who likes K-pop generally. People who stan other groups are often happy to tag along — and JO1's live performance converts people fast.

Think about what kind of buddy you actually want

This sounds obvious but it saves a lot of awkwardness. There's a big difference between:

• A full-day buddy — merch line at 9 AM, lunch, the show, dinner after
• A seat neighbor — you meet at the venue, sit together, say bye at the gate
• A text buddy — you don't even meet, you just have someone to send "HE LOOKED AT ME" to in real time

All three are valid. If you're nervous about meeting strangers, start at the lighter end. A lot of long-term concert friendships started as "we just chatted in the merch line."

Match on the details, not just the group

"I like JO1" is a start, but the fun is in the specifics. Are you both Sho-biased? Do you both think the Love Seeker era was the peak? Are you the type who wants to be in the standing block, or do you want a calm seat where you can actually watch?

When you match on this level, the conversation flows naturally and the whole day feels less like a blind date. If you're reaching out to someone new, lead with your bias and your favorite setlist moment. It's a much better opener than "hi, going to the concert?"

Don't skip the show just because no one's free. try Livemate and find someone who's into the same artists.

Using social media to find JO1 fans

Social media is where most JAM find each other, and each platform has its own vibe.

X (Twitter)

Still the main hub for Japanese fandom. Search by tour name plus the date and venue — people post looking for company constantly. Hashtags combining the tour name with 同行募集 ("looking for a concert companion") will surface a lot of posts.

A good self-intro post includes:

• Which date and venue you're going to
• Your seat type (arena / stand / standing)
• Your bias and roughly how long you've been a fan
• Your age range and general vibe (quiet vs. loud, how much you want to talk)

The last one matters more than people think. A fan who wants to chat all through the opening act and a fan who wants silence are both great people, just not great for each other.

Instagram

Better for finding people in your area. Story polls and location tags work well, and visual accounts make it easier to get a sense of someone before you message them.

Fan communities and Discord

There are JO1 fan servers and local meetup groups where people organize together for specific shows. Lurk for a bit, join a few conversations, and then mention your date. People in these spaces already know each other, which adds a layer of accountability.

The catch with social media

The downside is noise. You'll scroll past a hundred posts for every one that actually fits your date, your venue, and your energy level. And on an open platform, there's no real verification — you're mostly going on vibes and follower count.

Concert buddy apps for music lovers

This is where apps built specifically for this problem come in handy. Instead of searching through a timeline hoping to stumble onto someone compatible, you're starting from a pool of people who are already there to find someone to go with.

What to look for in an app:

• Music taste matching, not just "likes K-pop" — the more granular the better
• Profile verification of some kind
• In-app chat so you can talk without handing over your personal contact info right away
• Event-based matching so you can find someone for a specific date, not just a general friend

Apps built around music interests tend to work better than general friend-finding apps, because the shared starting point is so much stronger. You already know you'll have something to talk about for three hours straight.

Tips for meeting up safely

Meeting someone from the internet is normal now, but a few basics make it much more comfortable.

Chat before you commit. A week of casual messages tells you a lot. If someone dodges simple questions or pushes to move off-platform immediately, that's your signal.

Meet in public, before the venue. A café or the station near the arena, 30 to 60 minutes early. Daylight, people around, easy to leave.

Tell someone your plan. Send a friend the venue, the time, and the person's profile. Standard stuff, takes ten seconds.

Keep personal info personal at first. Your home address, workplace, and full name can wait. Nothing about buying merch together requires any of that.

Buy your own ticket. Never send money to someone you just met for a ticket they're "holding" for you. Ticket scams spike hard around JO1 tour dates specifically because demand is so high.

Give yourself an exit. Have a reason you need to head home right after the show if things feel off. You will almost certainly not need it, but having it lets you relax.

Trust the gut check. If something feels weird in the first ten minutes, you're allowed to go enjoy the concert by yourself. You've still got your ticket. Nothing is lost.

Finding someone who actually gets it

The best concert buddy isn't just someone with a ticket for the same night — it's someone whose taste overlaps with yours enough that you're both losing it at the same moment in the setlist.

That's the idea behind Livemate. It's a platform for finding people to go to live shows with, and it connects to your Spotify so matching is based on what you actually listen to. If JO1 is on heavy rotation for you, you'll see other people where that's true too — plus whatever else fills out your library. A lot of the time you'll find someone who shares three or four artists with you, not just one, which makes the conversation easy from the first message.

You can find someone for a specific show, chat in the app before deciding to meet, and keep things at whatever pace feels right. No pressure to become best friends — though honestly, that happens a lot.

Your next JO1 concert doesn't have to be a solo mission. There are thousands of JAM out there in exactly your situation, holding a ticket and wondering the same thing you are.

Find your concert buddy on Livemate