attend a gig

Meaning

To go to a live music performance, usually in a smaller or more intimate venue like a pub, club, or small theater. While 'attend' sounds slightly formal, combining it with 'gig' is very common in British and Australian English, while American English might prefer 'go to a gig'. It has a casual, music-loving vibe.

Examples

• Are you planning to attend a gig this weekend, or are you just staying in?

  Are you planning to attend a gig this weekend, or are you just staying in?

• I used to attend a gig almost every week when I lived in London.

  I used to attend a gig almost every week when I lived in London.

• They love to attend a gig whenever their favorite local indie band plays.

  They love to attend a gig whenever their favorite local indie band plays.

• It's much cheaper to attend a gig at a local pub than to go to a massive stadium concert.

  It's much cheaper to attend a gig at a local pub than to go to a massive stadium concert.

• We decided to attend a gig last night on a whim and discovered an amazing new artist.

  We decided to attend a gig last night on a whim and discovered an amazing new artist.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I attended to a gig yesterday.

  ✓ I attended a gig yesterday.

  'Attend' is a transitive verb in this context and does not require the preposition 'to'.

• ✗ We went to attend a big concert gig of Taylor Swift.

  ✓ We went to a Taylor Swift concert.

  'Gig' is usually reserved for smaller, more intimate live music shows, not massive stadium pop concerts.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Do you want to ___ at the local pub tonight?

  💡 Go see a live music show.

  Show answer

  attend a gig

• If you love jazz, you should definitely ___ at the Blue Note.

  💡 Go to a live performance.

  Show answer

  attend a gig