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Imagine having a open night. You are rejuvenated, eager for new things, and hoping to break from your usual routine of evening scrolling. Life itself is your oyster! Do you prefer a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The answer, as frequently true with such kinds of queries, is clearly: “It depends.” Reasonable people may reasonably ask: what's the show? Who's the companion? Could it be expected to be satisfying?

Not many would pick a heavy metal lineup if the choice was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change any part of the equation, and it grows less clearcut. In the case of the 40,000 people asked this question by a gig organization, no additional clarification was given – and the result emerged unambiguously and heavily in favour of live music events.

Study Data Show Surprising Choices

A worldwide report, interviewing thousands of participants ranging from 18 and 54 in multiple countries, showed that gigs are now the number one form of entertainment, beating out games, movies and – absolutely – sex. When limited to only one option of entertainment for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents chose live music, against watching movies (17%) and games (14%). The group was significantly more as likely to prefer attending their preferred performer on stage (70%) over sex (30%).

You appear hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and quite often you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Naturally it's expected that a marketing research carried out for a live event company should come out so strongly in favour of live shows – and, in the freewheeling mood of a hypothetical choice, if your top performer is, for example Paul McCartney, it's understandable why attending his concert might win out over a routine encounter. But this either-or decision between live music or intimacy, plainly ridiculous as it is, is interesting to consider considering the strange point we’re at with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, live music participation has become not just a shared activity but a intense competition. Live organizations rightly note that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and music festivals sell out faster than ever. Simply getting passes now needs extensive preparation, instant reactions and significant funds (or a substantial budget). Though you manage, that alone won't do to simply turn up and watch the performance. There’s now an assumption, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you could increase your return on investment by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), studying the song selection in advance and knowing your marks to perform and fan traditions established by earlier audiences.

Many concertgoers describe being affected by their participation at large concerts: appearing as a orchestrated show of thousands of people, to which certain attendees came not knowing the routine. That 18-month event, earning massive sums, was proof of the lengths to which attendees will push to feel part of a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer play, although the live sound grows somewhat less important than the spectacle.

The Condition of Current Relationships

Intimacy, conversely – an accessible and available enjoyment – faces dire straits. Per recent surveys, about a quarter of individuals engaged sexually in an typical week, while about three in ten were sexually inactive. Elsewhere, current statistics indicated that over a quarter of individuals admitted to avoiding sex at all in the previous year, rising from lower numbers in earlier years. In both territories, the shift has been associated with less sexual activity with younger generations. Juxtapose this with the market expanding rapidly for major events and the cutthroat competition for tickets. Of course it's more complicated as a simple decision between one or the other – “would you rather experience a popular event often, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of which is perceived as the more consistent pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are closer aligned than you might think. Each symbolizes the commencement of a bond, a practical trial of impressions or potential that could have built just in your mind. You show up with some idea of the probable outcome, but expecting to be happily shocked – and whether it proves good or bad depends very much on if your enthusiasm and expectations align with others. Frequently you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a cigarette and a moment alone by yourself. Similarly for each, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or lessen the situation (but definitely make the most dire situations more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to concerts and intimacy hinges on discovering that perfect combination between familiarity and novelty, consistency and change, effort and ease. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the understanding that success is achievable, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {