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Imagine finding yourself with a night off. You feel refreshed, open to experience, and looking to break from your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Your options is your oyster! Could you choose a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The response, as typically true with these sorts of hypotheticals, is obviously: “That depends.” Thinking adults might logically ask: what kind of the gig? Who is the companion? Will it be expected to be satisfying?

Not many would select a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a dream date with a favorite star. However tweak any part of the comparison, and it turns more complicated. In the case of the participants presented with this choice by a major concert promoter, no additional clarification was offered – and the answer came out unambiguously and strongly in favour of live music events.

Study Data Show Unexpected Trends

A global study, interviewing a large sample aged between 18 and 54 across different nations, found that gigs currently stand as the most popular pastime, ranking above games, cinema and – yes – sex. Given the choice to only one option of activity forever, 39% of respondents chose concerts, versus film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). The group was more than twice as prone to select seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You arrive hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and quite often you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it’s not surprising that a promotional study commissioned by a gig organizer might conclude so heavily supporting live shows – and, with the speculative tone of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, say Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why attending his concert may be chosen instead of a ordinary encounter. But this two-option scenario between live music or sex, clearly absurd though it may be, is interesting to consider given the odd juncture we face with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Gig Attendance

Lately, gig-going has grown beyond a shared activity but a intense competition. Event companies appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and festivals are fully reserved faster than ever. Just obtaining admissions now requires extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Though you’re successful, it’s not enough to just show up and watch the performance. Currently there is an anticipation, particularly with concertgoers, that you can boost your experience quality by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), studying the set list ahead of time and understanding the rituals to hit and fan traditions established by previous crowds.

Numerous concertgoers admit to affected by their participation at large concerts: what seemed like a orchestrated show of massive crowds, in which certain attendees came unfamiliar with the protocol. Those lengthy event, generating billions, showed of the extents that people will go to experience a significant event and experience their top musician perform, although the real performance appears more and more overshadowed by the spectacle.

The Situation of Modern Intimacy

Sexual activity, on the other hand – an affordable and accessible pleasure – faces dire straits. Per recent surveys, nearly one in four of people engaged sexually in an regular period, while about three in ten were abstaining. In another major country, modern figures showed that over a quarter of people admitted to avoiding sexual activity a single time in the last twelve months, up from lower numbers in earlier years. In both territories, the trend has been associated with reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Compare this with the industry booming for major events and the fierce battle for admissions. Of course it’s not as simple as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “could you choose experience a popular event multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an signal of which is perceived as the more reliable enjoyment.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are closer aligned than you might think. Each symbolizes the initiation of a relationship, a actual experience of impressions or potential that might have amassed only in your head. You show up with some idea of what might happen, but expecting to be delightfully amazed – and if it turns out good or bad depends very much on if your enthusiasm and hopes align with others. Quite often you could wind up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be waiting around for a smoke and personal space by yourself. Likewise with either, stimulants and beverages can either enhance or lessen the event (but definitely make the most dire situations easier to weather).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that elusive sweet spot between familiarity and novelty, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Of course it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the knowledge that success is achievable, that drives us to try again: to {