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Envision being gifted with a open night. You feel refreshed, open to experience, and wanting to shake up your usual routine of relaxing at home. The world offers possibilities! Do you opt for a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The answer, as frequently seen with these sorts of questions, is obviously: “It varies.” Mature individuals may reasonably wonder: what's the concert? With whom is the partner? Could it be likely to be good?

Hardly anyone would choose a heavy metal lineup if the other option was one enchanted evening with a beloved celebrity. However tweak any part of the equation, and it grows less clearcut. For the 40,000 people asked this question by a major concert promoter, no further details was given – and the answer was revealed unambiguously and strongly in favour of gigs.

Study Data Reveal Unexpected Preferences

An international report, polling 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 across 15 markets, revealed that live music are now the most popular pastime, beating out sports, movies and – absolutely – sex. When limited to a single form of activity permanently, 39% of respondents selected gigs, versus going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). Participants were over two times as likely to choose seeing their favourite artist live (70%) instead of sexual activity (30%).

You show up hopeful of being happily shocked – and quite often you might find with another person's locks in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it makes sense that a marketing research commissioned by a gig organizer should come out so heavily supporting live shows – and, in the freewheeling mood 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 encounter. But this either-or decision between concerts or intimacy, plainly ridiculous even if it seems, is interesting to reflect on considering the strange juncture we’re at with both.

The Change of Concert Culture

Lately, concert attendance has grown beyond a communal experience but a competitive sport. Live organizations rightly note that stadium attendance has “grown significantly annually”, and festivals sell out faster than ever. Just obtaining passes now requires detailed strategy, instant reactions and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Though you succeed, that alone won't do to just show up and enjoy the show. Nowadays exists an assumption, at least among music enthusiasts, that you could increase your return on investment by attending more than once (even travelling internationally), swotting up on the song selection in advance and knowing your marks to follow and calls-and-responses developed through past attendees.

Numerous concertgoers admit to affected by their attendance at popular events: what seemed like a choreographed performance of thousands of people, to which particular fans turned up unfamiliar with the protocol. Those lengthy tour, generating billions, showed of the lengths to which people will go to experience a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer perform, although the live sound grows somewhat secondary to the production.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Sexual activity, conversely – an accessible and common experience – is in challenging circumstances. Per recent surveys, nearly one in four of people had sex in an regular period, while about three in ten were abstaining. In a different nation, modern figures indicated that a significant portion of individuals said they had not sexual activity at all in the past year, rising from lower numbers in the past. In both territories, the change has been attributed to less sexual activity with younger generations. Contrast this with the industry booming for large concerts and the fierce battle for passes. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between one or the other – “do you prefer see a major tour repeatedly, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of what is viewed as the more dependable enjoyment.

Interesting Comparisons

Sex and live music are closer aligned than people often believe. They both embody the commencement of a connection, a real-world test of expectations or potential that might have amassed solely in your imagination. You come with some idea of the probable outcome, but hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and how it ends up enjoyable or disappointing depends very much on whether your energy and hopes correspond with partners. Quite often you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and afterwards be waiting around for a cigarette and some quiet time on your own. And, in both cases, stimulants and beverages can potentially heighten or reduce the situation (but definitely make the worst experiences easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The magic to concerts and intimacy hinges on finding that perfect combination between the known and the new, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Of course it's uncommon – but it's the remembrance of when it worked, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to {