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Imagine finding yourself with a free evening. You are refreshed, eager for new things, and looking to change your regular habits of post-work slumping. The world awaits your choice! Could you opt for a) going to a gig or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as typically the case with such kinds of queries, is obviously: “It varies.” Mature individuals may reasonably ask: what is the concert? Who's the other person? Could it be likely to be good?

Not many would pick a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the choice was a magical night with a favorite star. But adjust one side of the scenario, and it turns less clearcut. In the case of the thousands surveyed posed this query from a major concert promoter, no additional context was given – and the result was revealed decisively and heavily preferring concerts.

Study Data Show Unexpected Choices

A worldwide study, questioning 40,000 people from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, revealed that concerts have become the most popular form of entertainment, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – absolutely – intimacy. If restricted to a single form of entertainment permanently, nearly four in ten selected gigs, compared to watching movies (17%) and games (14%). Participants were over two times as likely to select watching their top musician in concert (70%) over intimacy (30%).

You arrive expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and frequently you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Certainly it's expected that a PR survey commissioned by a live event company would result so heavily preferring concerts – and, in the freewheeling mood of a hypothetical choice, if your favourite artist is, say Paul McCartney, it's understandable why seeing him could prevail over a common or garden situation. But this binary choice between gigs or intimacy, plainly ridiculous even if it seems, is interesting to reflect on amid the peculiar point we experience with these two aspects.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

Lately, gig-going has grown beyond a group event but a intense competition. Major promoters duly point out that stadium attendance has “increased threefold year-over-year”, and music festivals are fully reserved more rapidly than previously. Merely acquiring admissions now demands extensive preparation, instant reactions and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Though you succeed, it isn't sufficient to simply turn up and experience the event. Currently there is an expectation, at least among pop fans, that you could increase your return on investment by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), learning the set list beforehand and understanding the rituals to hit and calls-and-responses developed through previous crowds.

Several attendees report feeling shaken by their participation at popular events: what seemed like a choreographed performance of massive crowds, in which certain attendees arrived unfamiliar with the routine. Those lengthy concert series, producing huge revenue, demonstrated of the degree to which people will go to experience a significant event and watch their preferred performer sing, though the real performance seems increasingly overshadowed by the production.

The Situation of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, on the other hand – a relatively cheap and accessible pleasure – faces challenging circumstances. Per contemporary studies, about a quarter of people engaged sexually in an average week, while about three in ten were not engaging. Elsewhere, recent data revealed that a significant portion of people admitted to avoiding intimacy a single time in the past year, up from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the trend has been attributed to reduced intimacy in youth demographics. Contrast this with the sector driving growth for stadium extravaganzas and the fierce battle for admissions. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a simple decision between both alternatives – “would you rather experience a popular event multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an sign of which is perceived as the more dependable enjoyment.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are closer aligned than you might think. Each symbolizes the initiation of a relationship, a real-world test of ideas or promise that may have developed solely in your imagination. You show up with some idea of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating relies heavily on whether your energy and anticipations match theirs. Quite often you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a cigarette and personal space on your own. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can potentially heighten or detract from the event (but absolutely assist the most dire experiences easier to weather).

Achieving Equilibrium

The wonder to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, consistency and change, work and relaxation. Certainly it's uncommon – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the understanding that it’s possible, that drives us to attempt once more: to {