More Matinees, Please

In March of 2023, Jamie Lee Curtis made a seemingly off-the-cuff comment on a red carpet that sent shockwaves through the internet and dominated headlines. Curtis publicly requested that her favorite musicians (calling out Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen specifically) start offering matinee shows. “Why are there no matinees? I’m curious,” she said. “I would love to go see Coldplay. I would love it. The problem is, I’m not going to see Coldplay if they start their show at 9 and there’s an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1PM” 

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At first thought, it might seem like this is something that would only be intriguing to older audiences, but many 30-somethings (even 20-somethings!) joined the chat back in 2023 to support this stance, and more than a year later the conversation is still refusing to die. Just last month, Spin Magazine posted this on their Instagram, reigniting the debate in the comments. Adding timely fuel to the fire are cultural trends like the sober curious movement continuing to grow in popularity (among all ages) and more people prioritizing rest and relaxation as well as meaningful experiences — and now suddenly, there are a lot of reasons why an earlier, healthier and potentially more mindful concert or event experience may present a very real opportunity for brands to take the lead and fulfill an overlooked consumer need.

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In a quest to uncover the opportunity lying in wait (or not), Karsh’s curiosity crew – aka our strategy team – purchased tickets to a 1PM show at the iconic Red Rocks to see what an earlier concert would actually be like in practice. Below, you’ll find our takeaways and learnings, but for the TL;DR crowd: we are unanimously sold on earlier events being the way of the future. Young, old, partying, or totally sober, there are reasons for literally everyone to get on board the matinee train. So without further ado…

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1. So. Much. Space. Space to sit, space to dance, space to put all of your stuff down without worrying that it will get trampled by neighbors… space to just breathe. It was glorious. On top of that, more space meant less waiting, too. From merch to drinks to bathrooms, the experience was blissfully line-free.  
2. More Kid-Friendly. Even at a more adult show like the one we went to (King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, for those curious), there were plenty of youngins in attendance – from babies to elementary-aged kiddos – wearing ear protection and enjoying the afternoon with their parents. The obvious things like bedtimes and low lighting aside, the aforementioned space also allowed parents to give their kids space to spread out, lay down, dance, whatever they felt like doing, and importantly, keep them safe and separate from more intense concert-goers.
3. Weeding Out Meh Fans. A daytime show during the work week seemed to solve a problem that reached new heights post-pandemic: bad fans. After observing that no one was really talking or being disruptive or doing anything other than enjoying the show in front of them, we realized that the whole “taking time off of work” thing must be the barrier needed to ensure that people who aren’t really invested in the show stay away.
4. Traffic. Although rush hour seems to no longer be restricted to pre-9AM and post-5PM, we still felt that the 11:30AM drive was about as good as it was going to get these days. We did hit some post-work traffic since we left the venue around 5PM, but getting to drive home in broad daylight versus being exhausted in the pitch black was significantly less stressful.
5. Energy & Sleep. Another glaring difference we pretty much immediately noticed was how much energy we had compared to shows that start at 8 or 9PM. It’s an outstanding thing to have an event correspond to the time of day that you’re most alert. The best part? You can still be in bed by 9PM, fully recharged for the next day. As more evidence emerges showing the link between mental health and sleep (with mental health being prioritized more than ever) and even sleep-obsessed subcultures popping up, the demand for events that don’t require people to throw off their nightly routines will likely increase as well.

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The perks of a matinee show raise the question of whether event norms should be revisited, especially as broader cultural trends suggest it’s the right time for this conversation. While a week day matinee might differ slightly from a weekend one, the core benefits and perks remain the same.

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Though it’s unclear if event start times will shift significantly, early signs are promising: matinee shows are starting to pop up, with recent examples like Vampire Weekend and The Kid LAROI in June of this year, as well as a recently announced Harvest Moon benefit concert with Stephens Still, Neil Young and John Mayer. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.