🔗 Share this article

Imagine being gifted with a free evening. You are rejuvenated, open to experience, and hoping to break from your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Life itself is your oyster! Do you choose a) attending a concert or b) having sex? The outcome, as typically the case with such kinds of queries, is obviously: “It varies.” Thinking adults may reasonably inquire: what is the gig? Who's the partner? Is it going to be satisfying?

Hardly anyone would pick a intense rock concert if the other option was one enchanted evening with a favorite star. But adjust either end of the scenario, and it turns less clearcut. In the case of the 40,000 people asked this question through a gig organization, no such details was given – and the response came out clearly and overwhelmingly in favour of concerts.

Study Data Show Unexpected Preferences

A worldwide survey, polling thousands of participants from 18 and 54 in multiple countries, revealed that gigs have become the number one form of entertainment, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – yes – sex. If restricted to one type of entertainment for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents chose gigs, compared to watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). The group was over two times as likely to choose seeing their favourite artist in concert (70%) over sex (30%).

You arrive anticipating pleasantly surprised – and frequently you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Of course it makes sense that a PR survey carried out for a gig organizer would result so overwhelmingly supporting gigs – and, amid the playful spirit of a either-or question, if your preferred musician is, for example an iconic star, it's understandable why attending his concert might win out instead of a common or garden situation. But this either-or decision between live music or sexual activity, clearly absurd though it may be, is noteworthy to consider amid the peculiar juncture we face with each.

The Evolution of Concert Culture

Over the past few years, live music participation has grown beyond a group event but a competitive sport. Major promoters duly point out that stadium attendance has “grown significantly each year”, and festivals get booked up quicker than before. Simply getting admissions now demands extensive preparation, rapid-fire response times and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Although you succeed, that alone won't do to merely attend and watch the performance. Currently there is an anticipation, especially for music enthusiasts, that you could increase your enjoyment value by seeing several shows (even travelling internationally), swotting up on the performance lineup in advance and understanding the rituals to follow and fan traditions created by earlier audiences.

Several concertgoers admit to shaken by their participation at large concerts: appearing as a orchestrated show of huge audiences, in which certain attendees arrived not knowing the routine. That 18-month event, earning massive sums, was proof of the extents that people will go to feel part of a cultural moment and see their favourite artist sing, although the actual music grows somewhat less important than the show.

The Condition of Modern Intimacy

Sex, on the other hand – an accessible and available enjoyment – experiences challenging circumstances. Based on contemporary studies, about a quarter of individuals engaged sexually in an average week, while about three in ten were not engaging. Elsewhere, recent data revealed that more than 25% of individuals admitted to avoiding intimacy even once in the last twelve months, increasing from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the shift has been associated with decreased encounters among younger people. Contrast this with the market booming for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for tickets. Of course it isn't straightforward as a basic option between one or the other – “could you choose attend a huge concert often, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of how people see the more dependable enjoyment.

Interesting Comparisons

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than you might think. They both embody the activation of a connection, a real-world test of expectations or potential that could have built just in your mind. You come with some idea of the probable outcome, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on whether your energy and expectations correspond with partners. Frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be waiting around for a smoke and some quiet time on your own. Similarly for each, stimulants and beverages can sometimes improve or reduce the experience (but definitely make the worst situations easier to weather).

Finding the Balance

The wonder to concerts and intimacy relies on locating that perfect combination between the known and the new, consistency and change, effort and ease. Certainly it happens only rarely – but it's the recollection of when they did, the understanding that it can happen, that drives us to try again: to {