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Envision finding yourself with a open night. You feel energized, ready for adventure, and wanting to change your regular habits of evening scrolling. Your options is your oyster! Do you prefer a) going to a gig or b) being with a partner? The response, as is often true with these sorts of queries, is clearly: “That depends.” Thinking adults could understandably inquire: what's the show? With whom is the other person? Is it going to be enjoyable?

Few would select a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the other option was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust either end of the comparison, and it grows more complicated. Regarding the participants presented with this choice by a major concert promoter, no further details was offered – and the result was revealed decisively and overwhelmingly preferring gigs.

Research Findings Show Interesting Choices

A worldwide report, polling thousands of participants from 18 and 54 from different nations, found that live music have become the world’s top form of entertainment, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – yes – sex. When limited to only one option of enjoyment forever, a significant portion selected gigs, against going to the cinema (17%) and games (14%). Participants were over two times as prone to prefer watching their top musician on stage (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You show up expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it makes sense that a promotional study commissioned by a live event company might conclude so overwhelmingly in favour of live shows – and, with the speculative tone of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, say an iconic star, one can appreciate why watching him may be chosen over a routine experience. But this binary choice between live music or intimacy, clearly absurd as it is, is noteworthy to reflect on amid the peculiar point we experience with each.

The Transformation of Concert Culture

In recent years, gig-going has evolved into more than a communal experience but a competitive sport. Major promoters rightly note that large venue turnout has “increased threefold each year”, and music festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Merely acquiring passes now demands military-level planning, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you manage, it’s not enough to merely attend and experience the event. Nowadays exists an anticipation, particularly with concertgoers, that you could increase your experience quality by going multiple times (including overseas trips), swotting up on the song selection beforehand and memorizing the cues to perform and fan traditions established by earlier audiences.

Several attendees admit to scarred by their participation at large concerts: appearing as a scripted production of massive crowds, to which some individuals arrived unfamiliar with the routine. That 18-month event, producing huge revenue, demonstrated of the lengths to which fans will travel to experience a cultural moment and see their favourite artist perform, even if the live sound appears more and more less important than the show.

The Condition of Contemporary Sexuality

Sex, conversely – an accessible and accessible pleasure – is in difficult times. According to contemporary studies, nearly one in four of individuals engaged sexually in an average week, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In another major country, modern figures showed that more than 25% of people said they had not sexual activity a single time in the past year, rising from smaller percentages in previous decades. In both territories, the trend has been linked to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Contrast this with the sector expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the cutthroat competition for tickets. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a simple decision between both alternatives – “would you rather experience a popular event often, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of what is viewed as the more dependable enjoyment.

Interesting Comparisons

Relationships and gigs are more comparable than you might think. Both represent the initiation of a bond, a real-world test of expectations or possibility that might have amassed just in your mind. You show up with a basic expectation of how it’s likely to go, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and if it turns out enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on if your enthusiasm and anticipations correspond with partners. Quite often you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a smoke and a moment alone by yourself. Similarly for each, substances and drinks can potentially heighten or reduce the experience (but definitely make the worst occasions simpler to handle).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to both gigs and sex depends on finding that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, sameness and variation, challenge and comfort. Of course it happens only rarely – but it’s the memory of when it worked, the understanding that it’s possible, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {