The +1 problem
For most people, a +1 is a klaxon of exclusivity. A freebie for you and a friend to some sought-after event, or if it’s for a wedding, it’s an opportunity to debut a new relationship and scream, “SEE?! I won’t die alone!” But if all you ever received for any event - live music, cinema, comedy show - was entry for you and just one other friend, you’d feel the exclusivity light fade quite quickly.
Almost every gig that I attend and most cinema screenings, the +1 is all I will ever get, and I don’t mean this in the sense of being on the guest list for a premiere or seeking out the VIP area. This is the most general of admissions in the the most mundane of areas for the most standard showtimes any day of the week. I don’t even mean this in the quest for a free extra ticket for a pal/a carer/a PA, even though that does lessen the cost/blow of most events where I have the same viewpoint for eternity.