🔗 Share this article

Envision finding yourself with a night off. You feel energized, ready for adventure, and looking to shake up your regular habits of relaxing at home. The world offers possibilities! Would you prefer a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as is often the case with these sorts of hypotheticals, is plainly: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically inquire: what's the show? Who's the partner? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?

Not many would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the choice was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust any part of the scenario, and it turns more complicated. Regarding the thousands surveyed presented with this choice through a major concert promoter, no further context was provided – and the result was revealed unambiguously and heavily supporting concerts.

Survey Results Show Unexpected Choices

A worldwide survey, polling thousands of participants from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, showed that concerts are now the most popular leisure activity, surpassing games, films and – absolutely – sex. If restricted to only one option of entertainment forever, 39% of respondents chose gigs, versus going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). Participants were over two times as inclined to prefer watching their top musician live (70%) instead of sexual activity (30%).

You show up hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and frequently you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it makes sense that a promotional study conducted for a gig organizer should come out so overwhelmingly preferring live shows – and, amid the playful spirit of a hypothetical choice, if your top performer is, say an iconic star, one can appreciate why watching him may be chosen instead of a routine experience. Yet this binary choice between live music or sexual activity, obviously silly though it may be, is noteworthy to think about amid the peculiar point we experience with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Gig Attendance

Lately, gig-going has become not just a shared activity but a serious endeavor. Major promoters appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “increased threefold each year”, and music festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Merely acquiring admissions now demands military-level planning, quick decision-making and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you manage, it’s not enough to simply turn up and watch the performance. There’s now an anticipation, particularly with pop fans, that you can boost your enjoyment value by seeing several shows (potentially going abroad), studying the performance lineup beforehand and memorizing the cues to perform and fan traditions created by earlier audiences.

Numerous concertgoers describe being shaken by their attendance at major tours: what seemed like a scripted production of thousands of people, in which particular fans turned up not knowing the protocol. Those lengthy concert series, producing huge revenue, showed of the extents that people will go to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer play, though the actual music seems increasingly overshadowed by the production.

The Situation of Current Relationships

Sex, conversely – a relatively cheap and common experience – faces dire straits. Based on modern research, nearly one in four of individuals had sex in an typical week, while about three in ten were sexually inactive. Elsewhere, current statistics showed that more than 25% of individuals said they had not sex even once in the last twelve months, up from lower numbers in earlier years. In these areas, the trend has been associated with less sexual activity in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the industry booming for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for passes. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “would you rather see a major tour often, or avoid intimacy?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of how people see the more consistent satisfaction.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are more similar than you might think. Each symbolizes the initiation of a connection, a practical trial of ideas or potential that could have built only in your head. You come with a general notion of what might happen, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating rests largely on if your enthusiasm and anticipations align with others. Regularly you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and later be hanging out for a smoke and some quiet time on your own. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or lessen the event (but absolutely assist the most dire occasions easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to concerts and intimacy hinges on finding that hard-to-find balance between comfort and excitement, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the remembrance of successful moments, the knowledge that it’s possible, that inspires us to try again: to {