🔗 Share this article

Imagine having a night off. You're feeling rejuvenated, open to experience, and looking to break from your typical schedule of evening scrolling. The world is your oyster! Do you opt for a) seeing live music or b) being with a partner? The answer, as typically the case with these types of questions, is plainly: “That depends.” Thinking adults may reasonably ask: what kind of the show? With whom is the other person? Could it be going to be good?

Not many would pick a heavy metal lineup if the other option was one enchanted evening with a favorite star. Yet change any part of the equation, and it becomes less obvious. Regarding the thousands surveyed posed this query through a gig organization, no such context was provided – and the result was revealed unambiguously and heavily preferring concerts.

Study Data Show Interesting Choices

A worldwide survey, questioning thousands of participants aged between 18 and 54 across 15 markets, showed that gigs have become the world’s top leisure activity, beating out athletic events, movies and – yes – sex. When limited to one type of activity forever, nearly four in ten picked concerts, versus going to the cinema (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also more than twice as inclined to select seeing their favourite artist live (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).

You appear anticipating delightfully amazed – and frequently you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Certainly it's expected that a marketing research conducted for a concert promoter might conclude so heavily in favour of live shows – and, in the freewheeling spirit of a either-or question, if your preferred musician is, for example an iconic star, one can appreciate why attending his concert may be chosen rather than a common or garden encounter. However this two-option scenario between live music or sexual activity, plainly ridiculous as it is, is noteworthy to consider given the odd point we’re at with both.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

In recent years, gig-going has grown beyond a communal experience but a serious endeavor. Event companies duly point out that arena crowds has “tripled year-over-year”, and music festivals are fully reserved faster than ever. Merely acquiring tickets now demands extensive preparation, quick decision-making and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Although you’re successful, it’s not enough to merely attend and enjoy the show. Currently there is an expectation, particularly with concertgoers, that you can boost your return on investment by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), swotting up on the set list in advance and understanding the rituals to perform and audience interactions created by earlier audiences.

Many concertgoers describe being shaken by their experience at large concerts: what felt like a scripted production of massive crowds, where some individuals turned up unfamiliar with the steps. That 18-month tour, generating billions, was proof of the degree to which fans will travel to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer sing, although the actual music appears more and more less important than the show.

The Condition of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, conversely – a relatively cheap and available enjoyment – experiences challenging circumstances. Per recent surveys, nearly one in four of people were intimate in an average week, while just under a third were not engaging. In another major country, modern figures revealed that a significant portion of people said they had not sex at all in the previous year, increasing from lower numbers in the past. In these areas, the change has been linked to reduced intimacy with younger generations. Juxtapose this with the sector expanding rapidly for stadium extravaganzas and the intense rivalry for admissions. Of course it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “could you choose attend a huge concert repeatedly, or avoid intimacy?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of what is viewed as the more consistent pleasure.

Surprising Parallels

Sex and live music are more similar than you might think. Each symbolizes the commencement of a bond, a actual experience of expectations or potential that could have built only in your head. You arrive with some idea of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being delightfully amazed – and whether it proves enjoyable or disappointing relies heavily on whether your energy and anticipations align with others. Quite often you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth, and afterwards be hanging out for a cigarette and personal space alone. And, in both cases, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or lessen the experience (but certainly help the worst experiences simpler to handle).

Achieving Equilibrium

The wonder to both gigs and sex relies on locating that perfect combination between the known and the new, sameness and variation, work and relaxation. Naturally it happens only rarely – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the knowledge that it’s possible, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {