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Envision having a open night. You're feeling refreshed, ready for adventure, and hoping to change your usual routine of post-work slumping. Life itself offers possibilities! Could you prefer a) seeing live music or b) engaging in intimacy? The response, as is often the case with such kinds of hypotheticals, is plainly: “It depends.” Mature individuals might logically inquire: what is the show? Who's the partner? Will it be going to be good?

Not many would pick a intense rock concert if the alternative was a dream date with a beloved celebrity. However tweak either end of the comparison, and it turns less clearcut. In the case of the thousands surveyed asked this question from a major concert promoter, no such clarification was offered – and the response was revealed decisively and heavily preferring live music events.

Study Data Show Unexpected Choices

A worldwide study, polling a large sample from 18 and 54 across different nations, showed that concerts have become the world’s top pastime, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – yes – intimacy. Given the choice to a single form of entertainment for the rest of their lives, a significant portion chose concerts, versus film attendance (17%) and games (14%). They were also over two times as prone to prefer watching their top musician in concert (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

You arrive anticipating delightfully amazed – and quite often you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Naturally it makes sense that a marketing research carried out for a live event company might conclude so strongly in favour of gigs – and, in the freewheeling tone of a either-or question, if your top performer is, say an iconic star, it's understandable why attending his concert may be chosen rather than a routine situation. Yet this two-option scenario between gigs or sexual activity, obviously silly as it is, is interesting to reflect on considering the strange point we’re at with each.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

Lately, concert attendance has evolved into more than a group event but a serious endeavor. Event companies appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “tripled annually”, and live events get booked up faster than ever. Merely acquiring admissions now demands extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Though you succeed, it isn't sufficient to just show up and enjoy the show. Nowadays exists an assumption, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you can boost your return on investment by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), studying the set list ahead of time and knowing your marks to perform and fan traditions created by earlier audiences.

Many concertgoers describe being affected by their experience at large concerts: what felt like a choreographed performance of thousands of people, to which some individuals arrived unaware of the protocol. That 18-month concert series, producing huge revenue, showed of the extents that fans will travel to experience a historic occasion and experience their top musician perform, even if the live sound appears more and more overshadowed by the production.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Sexual activity, conversely – a relatively cheap and common experience – experiences dire straits. Per contemporary studies, nearly one in four of individuals engaged sexually in an typical week, while just under a third were sexually inactive. In another major country, modern figures indicated that over a quarter of individuals admitted to avoiding intimacy a single time in the previous year, up from fewer people in previous decades. In these areas, the change has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Compare this with the sector expanding rapidly for large concerts and the intense rivalry for admissions. Of course it's more complicated as a straightforward choice between one or the other – “do you prefer experience a popular event repeatedly, or avoid intimacy?” – but it's possibly an sign of which is perceived as the more reliable satisfaction.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than people often believe. They both embody the initiation of a bond, a practical trial of ideas or possibility that could have built only in your head. You show up with a general notion of the probable outcome, but hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on how your vibe and hopes match theirs. Quite often you could wind up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and following be waiting around for a smoke and some quiet time by yourself. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or lessen the event (but absolutely assist the most dire situations more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on finding that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, sameness and variation, challenge and comfort. Of course it happens only rarely – but it’s the memory of successful moments, the understanding that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to {