Find a YES Concert Buddy: How to Meet Fellow Fans

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

You've seen the tour dates. The venue is close enough. You've already mentally budgeted for the ticket, the shirt, and the overpriced beer. And then you hit the wall every fan knows too well: who do you actually go with?

If you're a YES fan, you probably already know how this goes. Your friends like "normal" music. You mention a twenty-minute song with three distinct movements and a Rickenbacker solo in the middle, and they politely change the subject. Maybe you're the only person in your circle who can hum the bass line from "Roundabout" on command, and that's a lonely kind of talent.

So you start wondering whether going to a YES concert alone is weird. Short answer: it isn't. Prog shows in particular have a huge share of solo attendees — people who drove two hours by themselves because this is their band and they weren't going to miss it. Nobody is looking at you. Everyone is looking at the stage.

But "it's fine alone" and "it's better with someone" can both be true. Half the joy of a show like this is turning to someone during the Steve Howe solo and seeing the same look on their face. That's what we're solving for here.

How to find a concert buddy for YES

A few approaches work, and they're all easier than you think.

Ask wider than your immediate circle

Most people only ask the five friends they text every week. Try casting a bigger net. Post in your work Slack's music channel. Mention it to the person at the record store. Bring it up with your cousin's partner who once mentioned liking Rush. You'd be surprised how many people are one degree away from being into YES — they just never had a reason to say it out loud.

A friend of mine found her concert buddy because she wore a Close to the Edge shirt to a dentist appointment. The hygienist noticed. They've now been to four shows together.

Look for the people already going

Nearly every tour has fans organizing around it before the night itself. Pre-show meetups at a nearby pub, fan-run ticket exchanges, local chapters of long-running fan communities — these exist and they're usually welcoming to newcomers. YES has one of the most durable fanbases in rock, with people who've been following the band across multiple lineups since the seventies. They tend to be generous with newer fans.

Try the "arrive early" trick

If you genuinely can't find anyone in advance, show up 45 minutes early and stand near the merch line. It's the single most social spot in any venue. Comment on someone's tour shirt — especially an old one — and you'll get a story. You won't leave with a lifelong friend every time, but you'll have someone to talk to between sets, and that changes the whole night.

Still, all of this depends on luck and timing, and sometimes you just don't have either.

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 YES fans

Social platforms are still one of the fastest ways to find people for a YES concert, as long as you're specific.

Be concrete in your post. "Anyone like YES?" gets you nothing. "Going to the YES show at [venue] on [date], seated section, grabbing food beforehand — anyone want to join?" gets you replies. The date, the venue, and the plan do all the work.

Use the hashtags people actually search. The tour name, the band name, the venue name, and your city. Fans checking who else is going will search exactly those terms in the two weeks before a show.

Reddit is underrated here. Band-specific subreddits and your city's subreddit both get "who's going to this show" threads before most tours. If one doesn't exist yet, start it — you'll usually be the first of several people who were all waiting for someone else to post.

Check the Facebook event page. It's old-school, but for a band with a fanbase that skews a bit older, it's still where a lot of the conversation lives.

One honest caveat: social media gets you contact, not context. You'll know someone is going to the same show. You won't know whether you'll actually get along for a four-hour evening. That's the gap that concert buddy apps try to close.

Concert buddy apps for music lovers

This is a newer category, and it's grown fast because the problem is so common. Instead of broadcasting into the void and hoping, you're matched with people based on what you actually listen to.

The useful ones work roughly like this: you connect your music account, the app sees your real listening history, and it surfaces people whose taste genuinely overlaps with yours — not people who liked a YES post once in 2019. Then you match around a specific show.

That last part matters more than it sounds. Matching on "we both like prog rock" is vague. Matching on "we are both going to this show on this date" gives you a shared plan from minute one, which is a much easier way to start talking to a stranger.

Tips for meeting up safely

Meeting someone new is great; being sensible about it costs you nothing.

• Talk first. Exchange a few messages before the day. You'll learn a lot about whether the vibe fits.
• Meet in public, before the venue. A café or bar near the hall, in daylight if possible. Walking in together beats meeting in a dark parking lot.
• Tell one person your plans. Name, where you're going, when you expect to be home. Standard stuff.
• Buy your own ticket. Don't rely on someone else holding yours, and be cautious about paying a stranger in advance for a ticket you haven't seen.
• Keep your own exit. Know how you're getting home without depending on them. If the night isn't working, you can leave early and it's genuinely fine.
• Trust the gut feeling. If something's off, you don't owe anyone an explanation. Enjoy the show on your own and call it a win.

None of this is paranoid — it's just the same common sense you'd use meeting anyone new.

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If you'd rather skip the cold posting and find someone who already has YES deep in their listening history, that's basically what Livemate is for. You connect Spotify, it matches you with people whose taste actually lines up with yours, and you find each other around a specific show. No pretending to be into something you're not, no awkward "so what music do you like" opener — you already know.

And honestly, the band has been touring for over five decades. There's a whole lot of people out there who'd come with you. You just haven't met them yet.

Find your concert buddy on Livemate