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Picture finding yourself with a open night. You are rejuvenated, open to experience, and hoping to break from your usual routine of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Could you opt for a) going to a gig or b) being with a partner? The answer, as is often seen with these sorts of hypotheticals, is clearly: “That depends.” Mature individuals may reasonably ask: what is the show? Who is the other person? Will it be expected to be good?

Hardly anyone would pick a heavy metal lineup if the choice was a dream date with a beloved celebrity. Yet change one side of the scenario, and it turns less obvious. Regarding the thousands surveyed posed this query through a live event company, no such details was given – and the result emerged decisively and strongly preferring gigs.

Study Data Indicate Surprising Trends

A global survey, interviewing a large sample aged between 18 and 54 across 15 markets, revealed that gigs are now the number one leisure activity, surpassing games, movies and – indeed – intimacy. If restricted to only one option of entertainment for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents picked live music, versus film attendance (17%) and games (14%). The group was over two times as prone to choose seeing their favourite artist live (70%) instead of intimacy (30%).

You show up expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and quite often you could wind up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it’s not surprising that a PR survey commissioned by a gig organizer would result so overwhelmingly supporting gigs – and, in the freewheeling tone of a hypothetical choice, if your top performer is, say a legendary singer, you can see why watching him may be chosen over a routine experience. However this two-option scenario between concerts or sex, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is fascinating to consider amid the peculiar juncture we face with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Gig Attendance

In recent years, concert attendance has evolved into more than a shared activity but a competitive sport. Live organizations appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “grown significantly annually”, and live events get booked up more rapidly than previously. Simply getting admissions now requires military-level planning, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Although you’re successful, that alone won't do to merely attend and enjoy the show. Currently there is an anticipation, particularly with concertgoers, that you can boost your experience quality by attending more than once (even travelling internationally), studying the song selection beforehand and memorizing the cues to hit and calls-and-responses established by previous crowds.

Numerous fans admit to shaken by their participation at major tours: appearing as a scripted production of thousands of people, in which certain attendees came not knowing the protocol. Those lengthy concert series, generating billions, demonstrated of the lengths to which people will go to experience a cultural moment and experience their top musician play, even if the real performance appears more and more secondary to the production.

The State of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, conversely – an affordable and common experience – is in dire straits. Based on contemporary studies, nearly one in four of individuals were intimate in an average week, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. In another major country, current statistics revealed that a significant portion of individuals admitted to avoiding sex even once in the previous year, increasing from smaller percentages in earlier years. In both territories, the shift has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Contrast this with the market booming for major events and the cutthroat competition for passes. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a simple decision between either option – “could you choose see a major tour often, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an indication of which is perceived as the more reliable satisfaction.

Interesting Comparisons

Sex and live music are more comparable than one may assume. They both embody the activation of a relationship, a actual experience of ideas or possibility that might have amassed just in your mind. You arrive with a basic expectation of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and if it turns out good or bad depends very much on whether your energy and anticipations align with others. Frequently you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a cigarette and personal space alone. Likewise with either, stimulants and beverages can sometimes improve or reduce the situation (but certainly help the most unpleasant experiences more bearable).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to live events and relationships relies on finding that perfect combination between the known and the new, similarity and difference, challenge and comfort. Certainly it happens only rarely – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the understanding that it can happen, that drives us to attempt once more: to {