A Night Out to Remember: Is Live Music Honestly Preferred Over Sex?

Picture having a open night. You are rejuvenated, open to experience, and hoping to change your usual routine of relaxing at home. Life itself is your oyster! Could you opt for a) going to a gig or b) having sex? The answer, as is often seen with these types of hypotheticals, is clearly: “That depends.” Reasonable people might logically ask: what is the gig? Who is the partner? Is it likely to be good?

Hardly anyone would select a heavy metal lineup if the choice was one enchanted evening with a beloved celebrity. Yet change one side of the comparison, and it turns less clearcut. For the participants asked this question from a live event company, no such context was provided – and the response emerged unambiguously and overwhelmingly in favour of gigs.

Survey Results Show Unexpected Choices

A worldwide report, interviewing 40,000 people aged between 18 and 54 from different nations, found that gigs are now the number one form of entertainment, surpassing games, films and – absolutely – sex. Given the choice to a single form of entertainment for the rest of their lives, a significant portion picked gigs, against going to the cinema (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). Participants were significantly more as prone to choose seeing their favourite artist on stage (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You appear expecting to be happily shocked – and frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Context and Considerations

Certainly it's expected that a marketing research carried out for a concert promoter would result so strongly in favour of live shows – and, with the speculative mood of a either-or question, if your top performer is, say Paul McCartney, you can see why watching him might win out instead of a ordinary situation. However this two-option scenario between live music or sexual activity, obviously silly though it may be, is fascinating to think about considering the strange juncture we face with both.

The Transformation of Gig Attendance

Lately, live music participation has evolved into more than a shared activity but a intense competition. Event companies rightly note that arena crowds has “grown significantly annually”, and festivals sell out quicker than before. Merely acquiring admissions now demands detailed strategy, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Although you manage, that alone won't do to merely attend and experience the event. Nowadays exists an anticipation, at least among concertgoers, that you can boost your return on investment by seeing several shows (potentially going abroad), swotting up on the song selection beforehand and knowing your marks to hit and calls-and-responses created by past attendees.

Many attendees describe being shaken by their experience at large concerts: appearing as a scripted production of massive crowds, in which particular fans arrived unaware of the routine. Those lengthy concert series, earning massive sums, demonstrated of the degree to which attendees will push to experience a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer play, even if the real performance grows somewhat secondary to the production.

The Condition of Contemporary Sexuality

Intimacy, conversely – an affordable and common experience – experiences difficult times. Based on recent surveys, approximately 25% of adults were intimate in an average week, while nearly 30% were not engaging. In another major country, current statistics revealed that over a quarter of individuals reported not having sex a single time in the past year, rising from lower numbers in previous decades. In these areas, the change has been linked to less sexual activity among younger people. Juxtapose this with the sector expanding rapidly for major events and the fierce battle for passes. Certainly it’s not as simple as a basic option between both alternatives – “do you prefer attend a huge concert often, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of how people see the more consistent enjoyment.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than people often believe. They both embody the initiation of a bond, a real-world test of ideas or potential that could have built only in your head. You come with some idea of what might happen, but anticipating happily shocked – and how it ends up satisfying or frustrating relies heavily on how your vibe and anticipations correspond with partners. Frequently you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be hanging out for a break and some quiet time alone. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or reduce the situation (but absolutely assist the most dire experiences simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The appeal to live events and relationships hinges on locating that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it’s the memory of when they did, the knowledge that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to {