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Imagine finding yourself with a open night. You feel energized, eager for new things, and looking to change your typical schedule of evening scrolling. The world awaits your choice! Do you choose a) going to a gig or b) having sex? The outcome, as frequently seen with such kinds of questions, is plainly: “It depends.” Reasonable people might logically ask: what's the concert? With whom is the companion? Will it be going to be good?

Not many would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the alternative was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust either end of the comparison, and it turns less obvious. Regarding the thousands surveyed posed this query by a live event company, no additional details was offered – and the result emerged decisively and heavily in favour of concerts.

Study Data Reveal Interesting Trends

A global report, questioning thousands of participants from 18 and 54 across 15 markets, showed that live music currently stand as the number one form of entertainment, beating out athletic events, films and – indeed – intimacy. When limited to a single form of enjoyment permanently, a significant portion picked live music, compared to watching movies (17%) and games (14%). They were also more than twice as inclined to select seeing their favourite artist on stage (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You show up expecting to be delightfully amazed – and regularly you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it’s not surprising that a promotional study commissioned by a live event company should come out so heavily preferring gigs – and, with the speculative spirit of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, such as a legendary singer, you can see why attending his concert could prevail over a routine experience. But this binary choice between concerts or sexual activity, clearly absurd even if it seems, is noteworthy to reflect on amid the peculiar moment we face with these two aspects.

The Change of Gig Attendance

Over the past few years, concert attendance has become not just a communal experience but a serious endeavor. Event companies appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “increased threefold year-over-year”, and festivals sell out quicker than before. Just obtaining passes now requires detailed strategy, quick decision-making and bottomless pockets (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and enjoy the show. There’s now an expectation, at least among pop fans, that you might enhance your return on investment by going multiple times (including overseas trips), learning the performance lineup ahead of time and understanding the rituals to perform and audience interactions established by past attendees.

Many fans describe being scarred by their attendance at major tours: what felt like a scripted production of thousands of people, in which certain attendees turned up unaware of the steps. That 18-month event, producing huge revenue, demonstrated of the lengths to which people will go to experience a historic occasion and watch their preferred performer sing, though the live sound appears more and more secondary to the show.

The Condition of Contemporary Sexuality

Sex, by contrast – an affordable and accessible pleasure – faces challenging circumstances. According to contemporary studies, nearly one in four of adults were intimate in an typical week, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In another major country, modern figures indicated that more than 25% of adults admitted to avoiding intimacy at all in the last twelve months, rising from lower numbers in earlier years. In these areas, the trend has been linked to reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Contrast this with the market booming for large concerts and the fierce battle for tickets. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a basic option between both alternatives – “do you prefer see a major tour often, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an sign of what is viewed as the more reliable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are closer aligned than people often believe. They both embody the activation of a connection, a actual experience of impressions or promise that may have developed just in your mind. You arrive with a general notion of what might happen, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and if it turns out enjoyable or disappointing depends very much on if your enthusiasm and hopes match theirs. Quite often you might find with another person's locks in your mouth, and following be waiting around for a break and some quiet time on your own. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can either enhance or reduce the event (but certainly help the most dire situations easier to weather).

Seeking Harmony

The magic to concerts and intimacy depends on discovering that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, consistency and change, effort and ease. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {