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Imagine having a open night. You're feeling energized, open to experience, and looking to change your usual routine of evening scrolling. Your options awaits your choice! Do you opt for a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The response, as frequently the case with these types of questions, is plainly: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically wonder: what is the gig? Who is the partner? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would select a intense rock concert if the choice was one enchanted evening with a beloved celebrity. Yet change one side of the scenario, and it grows more complicated. For the 40,000 people presented with this choice through a live event company, no such context was given – and the result was revealed clearly and strongly preferring gigs.

Study Data Reveal Surprising Choices

An international study, interviewing 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 across 15 markets, found that live music are now the most popular form of entertainment, surpassing athletic events, movies and – yes – sex. Given the choice to a single form of enjoyment forever, nearly four in ten selected concerts, against watching movies (17%) and games (14%). Participants were more than twice as likely to choose watching their top musician in concert (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

You arrive anticipating pleasantly surprised – and quite often you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it makes sense that a promotional study carried out for a concert promoter would result so overwhelmingly supporting gigs – and, in the freewheeling tone of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, such as a legendary singer, one can appreciate why watching him might win out rather than a common or garden experience. Yet this two-option scenario between concerts or intimacy, obviously silly even if it seems, is interesting to consider given the odd juncture we face with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, gig-going has grown beyond a shared activity but a competitive sport. Event companies rightly note that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and live events sell out faster than ever. Merely acquiring admissions now requires military-level planning, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Although you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and enjoy the show. There’s now an anticipation, at least among music enthusiasts, that you can boost your experience quality by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), swotting up on the set list beforehand and memorizing the cues to follow and audience interactions developed through earlier audiences.

Several concertgoers describe being affected by their attendance at popular events: what seemed like a scripted production of thousands of people, where certain attendees turned up not knowing the routine. That 18-month event, generating billions, showed of the degree to which people will go to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer play, though the live sound grows somewhat secondary to the show.

The Situation of Modern Intimacy

Sexual activity, conversely – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – faces challenging circumstances. Based on recent surveys, about a quarter of individuals were intimate in an regular period, while just under a third were not engaging. Elsewhere, current statistics indicated that more than 25% of people admitted to avoiding sex a single time in the last twelve months, rising from lower numbers in the past. Across these regions, the change has been linked to less sexual activity in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the market booming for stadium extravaganzas and the intense rivalry for passes. Naturally it's more complicated as a simple decision between one or the other – “do you prefer attend a huge concert often, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of what is viewed as the more dependable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are closer aligned than you might think. Both represent the activation of a bond, a actual experience of impressions or potential that might have amassed just in your mind. You arrive with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being happily shocked – and how it ends up good or bad depends very much on if your enthusiasm and expectations match theirs. Quite often you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth, and afterwards be waiting around for a cigarette and some quiet time by yourself. Similarly for each, stimulants and beverages can either enhance or detract from the experience (but definitely make the worst experiences easier to weather).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to both gigs and sex hinges on finding that hard-to-find balance between comfort and excitement, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Naturally it happens only rarely – but it’s the memory of when it worked, the awareness that it can happen, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {