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Envision having a free evening. You are refreshed, open to experience, and wanting to shake up your regular habits of post-work slumping. Life itself offers possibilities! Do you prefer a) attending a concert or b) engaging in intimacy? The response, as is often the case with these sorts of questions, is clearly: “That depends.” Thinking adults may reasonably wonder: what's the show? With whom is the companion? Could it be expected to be satisfying?

Hardly anyone would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. However tweak one side of the scenario, and it turns more complicated. For the participants asked this question by a gig organization, no additional context was offered – and the response came out unambiguously and heavily preferring live music events.

Study Data Show Surprising Trends

A worldwide survey, interviewing 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 in 15 markets, found that gigs have become the number one form of entertainment, surpassing athletic events, films and – yes – intimacy. If restricted to one type of entertainment forever, a significant portion picked gigs, versus going to the cinema (17%) and games (14%). The group was over two times as inclined to prefer seeing their favourite artist on stage (70%) over sex (30%).

You arrive anticipating happily shocked – and frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it's expected that a PR survey commissioned by a concert promoter should come out so overwhelmingly in favour of concerts – and, amid the playful tone of a would-you-rather, if your favourite artist is, for example a legendary singer, one can appreciate why watching him might win out rather than a routine encounter. However this either-or decision between gigs or sex, plainly ridiculous even if it seems, is noteworthy to consider amid the peculiar juncture we experience with these two aspects.

The Change of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, concert attendance has evolved into more than a shared activity but a intense competition. Major promoters rightly note that arena crowds has “increased threefold each year”, and live events are fully reserved faster than ever. Just obtaining admissions now needs military-level planning, quick decision-making and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Although you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and experience the event. Nowadays exists an anticipation, at least among pop fans, that you might enhance your return on investment by going multiple times (including overseas trips), swotting up on the song selection in advance and knowing your marks to perform and audience interactions developed through earlier audiences.

Several fans report feeling shaken by their participation at popular events: what seemed like a orchestrated show of huge audiences, to which particular fans came unfamiliar with the routine. That 18-month concert series, earning massive sums, demonstrated of the degree to which people will go to experience a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer perform, although the live sound grows somewhat less important than the production.

The Condition of Contemporary Sexuality

Sexual activity, conversely – a relatively cheap and accessible pleasure – faces difficult times. Based on recent surveys, about a quarter of individuals had sex in an regular period, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In a different nation, modern figures indicated that more than 25% of individuals admitted to avoiding sexual activity at all in the previous year, up from fewer people in the past. In these areas, the change has been linked to less sexual activity among younger people. Compare this with the sector driving growth for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for admissions. Of course it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between one or the other – “would you rather experience a popular event often, or avoid intimacy?” – but it's possibly an signal of which is perceived as the more consistent enjoyment.

Interesting Comparisons

Sex and live music are closer aligned than one may assume. Each symbolizes the initiation of a connection, a actual experience of impressions or possibility that could have built solely in your imagination. You show up with some idea of the probable outcome, but anticipating happily shocked – and how it ends up enjoyable or disappointing rests largely on how your vibe and hopes correspond with partners. Regularly you might find with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a smoke and a moment alone on your own. Similarly for each, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or reduce the event (but absolutely assist the most dire occasions easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The magic to both gigs and sex depends on finding that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, consistency and change, work and relaxation. Naturally it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the knowledge that success is achievable, that motivates us to give it another shot: to {