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Picture being gifted with a free evening. You feel rejuvenated, open to experience, and looking to change your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Your options is your oyster! Could you opt for a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The answer, as typically the case with these sorts of questions, is plainly: “That depends.” Reasonable people might logically ask: what's the gig? With whom is the partner? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?

Not many would select a heavy metal lineup if the alternative was a magical night with a beloved celebrity. However tweak any part of the equation, and it becomes more complicated. In the case of the participants asked this question from a gig organization, no additional clarification was given – and the result emerged clearly and heavily in favour of concerts.

Research Findings Show Interesting Preferences

A global report, questioning a large sample ranging from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, revealed that concerts currently stand as the number one pastime, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. If restricted to a single form of enjoyment for the rest of their lives, nearly four in ten picked concerts, against film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also more than twice as likely to select watching their top musician on stage (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).

You appear anticipating delightfully amazed – and quite often you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it makes sense that a promotional study commissioned by a concert promoter should come out so heavily preferring concerts – and, in the freewheeling mood of a either-or question, if your preferred musician is, say Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why watching him may be chosen rather than a routine experience. But this two-option scenario between live music or intimacy, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is interesting to think about considering the strange moment we’re at with both.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a group event but a competitive sport. Major promoters rightly note that arena crowds has “tripled each year”, and music festivals get booked up quicker than before. Simply getting passes now demands military-level planning, quick decision-making and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Although you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to just show up and enjoy the show. There’s now an assumption, particularly with concertgoers, that you can boost your return on investment by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), learning the set list beforehand and understanding the rituals to follow and fan traditions developed through past attendees.

Many fans describe being scarred by their attendance at major tours: appearing as a orchestrated show of massive crowds, in which particular fans turned up not knowing the steps. Those lengthy event, generating billions, showed of the degree to which attendees will push to participate in a historic occasion and see their favourite artist perform, though the actual music grows somewhat less important than the spectacle.

The Situation of Contemporary Sexuality

Sexual activity, by contrast – an affordable and accessible pleasure – is in dire straits. Per modern research, nearly one in four of individuals had sex in an typical week, while about three in ten were abstaining. In another major country, modern figures showed that a significant portion of adults reported not having sexual activity at all in the last twelve months, rising from lower numbers in earlier years. Across these regions, the change has been attributed to less sexual activity in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the sector driving growth for stadium extravaganzas and the cutthroat competition for passes. Certainly it’s not as simple as a simple decision between either option – “could you choose see a major tour repeatedly, or stay celibate?” – but it's possibly an indication of how people see the more dependable satisfaction.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are more comparable than people often believe. Both represent the commencement of a bond, a practical trial of expectations or possibility that could have built just in your mind. You arrive with a basic expectation of how it’s likely to go, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and how it ends up good or bad relies heavily on if your enthusiasm and anticipations correspond with partners. Frequently you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a cigarette and personal space on your own. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can either enhance or reduce the event (but absolutely assist the most unpleasant occasions more bearable).

Seeking Harmony

The wonder to concerts and intimacy relies on finding that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Of course it's uncommon – but it's the recollection of when it worked, the awareness that success is achievable, that inspires us to try again: to {