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Imagine finding yourself with a open night. You are refreshed, eager for new things, and wanting to change your regular habits of post-work slumping. The world offers possibilities! Do you choose a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The response, as typically the case with these types of hypotheticals, is clearly: “It depends.” Reasonable people could understandably ask: what kind of the show? Who's the companion? Is it likely to be satisfying?

Few would choose a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a magical night with a favorite star. But adjust either end of the comparison, and it becomes more complicated. For the 40,000 people asked this question through a live event company, no further context was provided – and the response emerged clearly and overwhelmingly preferring gigs.

Survey Results Indicate Surprising Choices

A global report, polling 40,000 people ranging from 18 and 54 from 15 markets, showed that gigs are now the number one pastime, beating out games, movies and – yes – sexual intercourse. Given the choice to a single form of entertainment forever, 39% of respondents picked live music, against going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). They were also over two times as inclined to choose watching their top musician live (70%) rather than sex (30%).

You appear hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and regularly you might find with another person's locks in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it makes sense that a PR survey carried out for a concert promoter would result so strongly in favour of gigs – and, with the speculative mood of a hypothetical choice, if your top performer is, such as Paul McCartney, you can see why watching him may be chosen rather than a common or garden situation. Yet this either-or decision between live music or sex, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is noteworthy to think about amid the peculiar moment we experience with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, gig-going has evolved into more than a shared activity but a competitive sport. Major promoters rightly note that stadium attendance has “grown significantly each year”, and live events sell out quicker than before. Merely acquiring admissions now demands military-level planning, instant reactions and significant funds (or a high spending capacity). Although you manage, it’s not enough to just show up and watch the performance. Currently there is an assumption, at least among pop fans, that you might enhance your return on investment by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), studying the performance lineup beforehand and knowing your marks to follow and fan traditions established by earlier audiences.

Numerous attendees admit to shaken by their experience at major tours: what felt like a orchestrated show of massive crowds, to which some individuals came not knowing the routine. The extended concert series, generating billions, demonstrated of the extents that people will go to participate in a cultural moment and see their favourite artist sing, although the real performance seems increasingly less important than the show.

The Situation of Contemporary Sexuality

Sex, by contrast – a relatively cheap and common experience – faces dire straits. According to modern research, nearly one in four of adults were intimate in an typical week, while about three in ten were abstaining. In a different nation, current statistics revealed that over a quarter of individuals admitted to avoiding intimacy a single time in the past year, rising from smaller percentages in the past. In both territories, the shift has been associated with reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Juxtapose this with the sector driving growth for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for passes. Naturally it's more complicated as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “do you prefer see a major tour multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it might be an sign of which is perceived as the more reliable pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Sex and live music are closer aligned than one may assume. They both embody the initiation of a relationship, a practical trial of impressions or potential that might have amassed only in your head. You arrive with some idea of the probable outcome, but anticipating happily shocked – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating depends very much on how your vibe and anticipations align with others. Frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a cigarette and personal space alone. Similarly for each, stimulants and beverages can either enhance or reduce the situation (but certainly help the most unpleasant situations easier to weather).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on finding that perfect combination between familiarity and novelty, similarity and difference, work and relaxation. Naturally it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the understanding that it’s possible, that inspires us to attempt once more: to {