I was just wondering, does anyone go to any live events when they’re travelling, either as a sitter or having secured a sitter to get away for a while?
I saw The Cure a few weeks ago near Edinburgh, and it got me thinking, there must be some great opportunities to see live events while travelling, and not just music.
Have any of you taken the opportunity to take in a live event while sitting, or have you maybe used Trusted Housesitters to secure a sitter so you could see your favourite band, or maybe visit a Ren Faire or conference? I’d love to hear all about it. Please share your experiences in the comments!
I went to see Roxette in Halmstad, Sweden in July 2025. At the time, I was pet sitting too with two sweet cats.
It was wonderful to have the opportunity. Roxette were my favourite band as a teenager, helped me improve my English (although they are from Sweden) and made my life so much more joyful through the years. Sadly the main vocalist Marie Fredriksson died in 2019 from cancer, but the remaining singer and songwriter Per Gessle paired up with another Swedish singer (Lena Philipsson) to tour the world and sing the old songs. Halmstad is the home city of Per, so the venue was extra special. The wife of the couple I was pet sitting for, told me that she also saw Roxette live as a teenager in South Africa.
I am a theater goer. I love Broadway shows, fabulous comedian acts, etc. I am lucky that my retirement community that encompasses three counties has 4 of these performing arts centers. One in a beautiful church turned into a performing arts theater with gorgeous stained glass windows. I have seen some great productions but we don’t always get all the great plays I want to see. There is a big city two hours away that does. I have arranged pet sits in that area to see certain productions. That area also has specialty food stores that we don’t have so I hope for a lot of freezer space to buy, freeze and take home. So a sit only two hours away can be a great getaway. Coming back to a purring kitty or a dog showering you with wet kisses is the icing on the cake.
I have such a huge appreciation for arts centres @SeniorSitter1 - I used to volunteer at one for a few years and got to see everything from pantomimes to vaudeville cabaret! It was also in a church, and they’ve kept so many of the original features.
What’s been the most memorable show you’ve seen so far?
And of course you’re right, coming home to a furry friend is a great way to end the night!
I have been going to the theatre since I was a teenager. I have seen many great productions. When visiting London 20 years ago I was impressed you can take your glass of wine in the theatre as here you have to finish in the lobby, ha. Probably my favorite production in my many years of going was Fiddler on the Roof with the actor Zero Mostel. He was the most talented actor ever. Being Jewish that production resonated with me. I saw it decades ago. They did a remake several years ago but I refused to see it. Zero is deceased and I didn’t want to see a revised production by a new generation. I wanted to keep my great memory.
Bummer, because a friend and I were supposed to see Michael Bublé perform in Malta during my last European trip, but I caught a bug. I didn’t think concert-goers would appreciate my coughing, so I skipped it. Several countries earlier, I had sat her cat while she returned to the U.S.
Previously, I did a repeat sit in Stratford-upon-Avon and saw a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Before that, I was in London and saw a performance at Shakespeare’s Globe. At the latter, which is a re-creation of his theatre that burned down, you sit on old-style benches and could rent butt cushions for comfort.
We have an outdoor amphitheatre next to the St-Lawrence in Trois-Rivières (Québec). where we live. II’s a great venue to watch concerts because we are seated outside but with a roof over our heads. In recent years we have seen Styx, Australian Pink Floyd and a cover band for Genesis twice (Peter Gabriel years). Last week we saw a cover band for The Doors and one for CCR. When getting on in age cover bands are sometimes the only way to hear the music live from bands of our youth. With Styx we had the original members with most of them well into their seventies but they still knew how to rock.
I went solo to see King Lear when I was in high school, because no one else wanted to go. It was dimly lit and I fell asleep on some poor man next to me. He was so kind — let me doze on his shoulder till I woke on my own.
Context: I tend to easily fall asleep when it’s dark, whether at the movies or stargazing. Hasn’t been a problem at other plays so far, though.
Not quite the same as the question, but prior sitters we had reached out to us when they were in the area. We got together at an outdoor movie in the park. We brought our dog to reunite with them, and brought extra chairs and a big picnic blanket. They brought some wine and appetizers. It was a lovely evening and so nice to re-connect with them. The movie was ‘Almost Famous’. We had seen it before, they hadn’t
Unfortunately getting a tad old to hit the mosh pit at concerts anymore but on a recent trip to the UK we were excited to go and see Hamilton, that was until we saw the ticket price. £500 each!!!
A few years ago we had a holiday in Tobago. On arrival everyone asked if we had come for the Jazz Festival. We said no, we didn’t know it was happening and jazz isn’t our thing.
Turned out it wasn’t really jazz at all and each night had a theme and there were tickets available for Diva Night. We got great tickets for it and saw Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Mary J Blige. It was a fabulous evening and we met some really friendly locals.
The bonus was all the stars were staying at our hotel (Diana in a private villa).
We searched music festivals for our next holiday in St Lucia and saw Air Supply and Michael Bolton.
Something special about listening to music on a warm evening under the stars.
Bucket list concert I didn’t even know was possible… No sitters involved, but I’ve been an Air Supply fan since high school; never thought I’d have a chance to see them. A concert during high-school years got cancelled. I’m not a big concert-goer normally. Last year I finally got to go to a concert (after it had been postponed from autumn into winter bringing weather travel worries). It was surreal to hear all these songs I loved so much growing up. I loved it so much I found somewhere to stay for a 2nd night and got a ticket for the 2nd show. It absolutely dumped snow that night. But I had an even better seat so it was a wonderful little trip.
Advantage of flying solo is you get the last single seat on the end of a row just a couple rows back
A few weeks ago I did a short 6 hour paid sit in a MOTORHOME. so that a couple of dog owners could attend an event, it wasn’t through THS, and didn’t involve an overnight stay.
I looked after 2 dogs in a motorhome parked up in Edinburgh from 6pm until midnight for a French couple touring Scotland, so that they could visit the EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO at the castle.. We had liaised privately on where they could/should park, for free, overnight, that allowed them to get a bus uphill to city centre, and to castle, then to walk home, downhill, in a place where I would feel safe.
I had my car parked right next to their vehicle. It all went wonderfully well, and I got a great review from them on the FB page where they had asked for a sitter.
Mind you, answering their request, publicly, wasn’t plain sailing, they were naturally expecting someone to home board their dogs, something I don’t do, and a Karen (in this case that actually was her name) asked me publicly on that thread if I had a licence from council for home boarding? She had no idea what our alternative arrangement was, and I think was after this sit for herself, and trying to oust the opposition, as she saw me.
We both ignored her comment.
I have been invited to visit this couple anytime I am in Brittany, France.
We went to see Morcheeba in Barcelona on a sit. So good, only 1000 people watching at Razzmatazz (for anyone who’s been there), just €20 a ticket and a great nod to the mid 90s #downbythesea
At the same time, Alison Moyet was supporting Tears for Fears as their special guest on the UK leg of the Tipping Point World Tour
She had already missed the first few dates as she caught COVID, then after only doing three dates, one of the Tears for Fears guys had an accident and the tour was abruptly cancelled.
She headed home (Brighton) much earlier than expected after only performing her set three times, so she had the idea of announcing a special ‘ one last time ’, one-date concert in her home town.
She announced it on Monday, tickets went on sale Tuesday, and the concert happened on Thursday – and we managed to nab a couple of tickets!
The venue was tiny, about 500 max – just her and a pianist. She forgot her words a couple of times and had to be reminded by the crowd, was taking requests from the audience, and was generally chit-chatting away between songs as if we were family and friends - An unforgettable night, just brilliant!
On a sit in West Sussex a couple of weeks ago, I got to go to Glyndebourne as it was only 30 minutes away, as well as two trips into London to go to the Globe. On every sit I try and find a classical concert or the theatre.
