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Imagine being gifted with a open night. You are rejuvenated, eager for new things, and hoping to change your regular habits of post-work slumping. The world offers possibilities! Do you choose a) going to a gig or b) having sex? The answer, as typically seen with such kinds of hypotheticals, is clearly: “That depends.” Mature individuals could understandably wonder: what's the gig? With whom is the partner? Is it likely to be good?

Not many would choose a intense rock concert if the alternative was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust either end of the equation, and it grows less obvious. For the 40,000 people asked this question through a major concert promoter, no additional clarification was offered – and the result emerged decisively and heavily supporting live music events.

Survey Results Reveal Interesting Choices

An international survey, questioning a large sample ranging from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, found that live music currently stand as the most popular leisure activity, beating out games, cinema and – absolutely – intimacy. When limited to a single form of entertainment permanently, nearly four in ten picked gigs, versus film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). Participants were significantly more as inclined to prefer attending their preferred performer in concert (70%) rather than sex (30%).

You appear expecting to be happily shocked – and quite often you might find with another person's locks in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it's expected that a promotional study commissioned by a gig organizer might conclude so strongly in favour of concerts – and, in the freewheeling mood of a either-or question, if your preferred musician is, say Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why attending his concert could prevail over a common or garden experience. Yet this binary choice between concerts or sex, obviously silly though it may be, is noteworthy to think about amid the peculiar juncture we face with these two aspects.

The Change of Gig Attendance

Lately, gig-going has become not just a group event but a intense competition. Major promoters duly point out that stadium attendance has “increased threefold annually”, and music festivals sell out quicker than before. Just obtaining tickets now needs detailed strategy, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a generous credit card limit). Though you succeed, it’s not enough to merely attend and enjoy the show. Currently there is an expectation, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you could increase your experience quality by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), studying the set list ahead of time and memorizing the cues to hit and fan traditions created by past attendees.

Several attendees report feeling scarred by their experience at major tours: what felt like a scripted production of huge audiences, in which certain attendees came not knowing the steps. The extended tour, generating billions, showed of the extents that people will go to feel part of a historic occasion and see their favourite artist perform, even if the actual music seems increasingly overshadowed by the show.

The Situation of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, on the other hand – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – experiences difficult times. Per recent surveys, approximately 25% of people had sex in an typical week, while about three in ten were abstaining. Elsewhere, current statistics revealed that more than 25% of adults said they had not sexual activity a single time in the previous year, rising from lower numbers in earlier years. In these areas, the trend has been linked to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Compare this with the market expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the fierce battle for passes. Of course it isn't straightforward as a basic option between both alternatives – “would you rather see a major tour repeatedly, or stay celibate?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of which is perceived as the more reliable pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are more comparable than you might think. Both represent the activation of a relationship, a practical trial of impressions or possibility that may have developed only in your head. You arrive with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing rests largely on whether your energy and hopes align with others. Regularly you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth, and afterwards be hanging out for a break and some quiet time by yourself. And, in both cases, drugs and alcohol can either enhance or reduce the situation (but certainly help the most dire situations simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The magic to live events and relationships depends on discovering that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, similarity and difference, challenge and comfort. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of when they did, the knowledge that it can happen, that drives us to attempt once more: to {