Why do we drink alcohol at concerts? An exploration into the relationship between alcohol and live music settings.

Abstract

Consuming alcohol at concerts is arguably a big part of many live music cultures, and normalized to a point that it is accepted as part of the culture, without too much reflection on why. This thesis takes a look primarily at the social psychology of alcohol consumption in concert, but also lays out a brief history of music and alcohol in order to solidify the understanding that music and alcohol have long shared a bond. Further, it explores different aspects and concepts, mostly within social psychology, to understand why audiences consume alcohol at concerts. It takes an additional interest in how alcohol consumption is largely affected by other people. To explore this topic even further, an anonymous questionnaire was conducted to understand what audience members themselves believed were the reasons for alcohol consumption in concert. The questionnaire also takes a brief look at aspects such as genre and peer pressure.