An Evening to Remember: Is Attending Gigs Truly Chosen Over Sex?

Picture having a free evening. You feel rejuvenated, open to experience, and looking to break from your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Could you prefer a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as frequently true with these types of hypotheticals, is clearly: “That depends.” Mature individuals could understandably ask: what kind of the show? Who's the companion? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?

Few would choose a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change either end of the equation, and it grows more complicated. Regarding the thousands surveyed posed this query from a live event company, no further context was provided – and the answer was revealed unambiguously and heavily supporting concerts.

Study Data Show Interesting Trends

An international study, interviewing a large sample from 18 and 54 in different nations, showed that concerts currently stand as the most popular leisure activity, ranking above games, movies and – absolutely – sexual intercourse. If restricted to one type of enjoyment for the rest of their lives, a significant portion picked live music, versus film attendance (17%) and games (14%). They were also significantly more as inclined to choose watching their top musician in concert (70%) rather than sex (30%).

You show up anticipating happily shocked – and regularly you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Naturally it's expected that a promotional study carried out for a live event company should come out so overwhelmingly preferring live shows – and, with the speculative tone of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, for example a legendary singer, one can appreciate why seeing him may be chosen instead of a common or garden situation. Yet this two-option scenario between live music or sex, obviously silly though it may be, is noteworthy to think about amid the peculiar juncture we’re at with these two aspects.

The Change of Live Music Experience

In recent years, gig-going has become not just a shared activity but a competitive sport. Major promoters appropriately highlight that stadium attendance has “tripled annually”, and festivals sell out quicker than before. Just obtaining tickets now requires military-level planning, rapid-fire response times and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Even if you’re successful, that alone won't do to just show up and watch the performance. Currently there is an anticipation, especially for concertgoers, that you can boost your enjoyment value by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), learning the set list beforehand and understanding the rituals to hit and fan traditions established by earlier audiences.

Numerous concertgoers describe being affected by their attendance at large concerts: what felt like a scripted production of massive crowds, to which certain attendees came not knowing the protocol. That 18-month concert series, producing huge revenue, showed of the lengths to which attendees will push to feel part of a cultural moment and see their favourite artist play, although the real performance grows somewhat secondary to the spectacle.

The Condition of Current Relationships

Sexual activity, by contrast – an affordable and common experience – is in challenging circumstances. Based on recent surveys, about a quarter of individuals engaged sexually in an average week, while about three in ten were abstaining. In another major country, current statistics revealed that more than 25% of people reported not having intimacy even once in the previous year, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. In these areas, the change has been linked to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Contrast this with the sector expanding rapidly for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for passes. Certainly it’s not as simple as a simple decision between both alternatives – “could you choose attend a huge concert multiple times, or avoid intimacy?” – but it's possibly an sign of which is perceived as the more consistent pleasure.

Interesting Comparisons

Sex and live music are more similar than one may assume. They both embody the commencement of a connection, a actual experience of ideas or possibility that could have built just in your mind. You show up with a basic expectation of what might happen, but expecting to be delightfully amazed – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating relies heavily on how your vibe and anticipations correspond with partners. Quite often you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be waiting around for a smoke and a moment alone on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can sometimes improve or detract from the situation (but absolutely assist the worst situations more bearable).

Achieving Equilibrium

The wonder to both gigs and sex relies on locating that hard-to-find balance between the known and the new, sameness and variation, effort and ease. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it’s the memory of when they did, the knowledge that success is achievable, that motivates us to try again: to {