🔗 Share this article

Imagine being gifted with a free evening. You're feeling energized, ready for adventure, and hoping to break from your typical schedule of relaxing at home. The world offers possibilities! Do you choose a) seeing live music or b) engaging in intimacy? The answer, as is often true with these types of queries, is clearly: “That depends.” Reasonable people could understandably inquire: what is the gig? Who's the partner? Could it be going to be satisfying?

Few would select a intense rock concert if the choice was a magical night with Jonathan Bailey. However tweak one side of the scenario, and it becomes less obvious. For the participants posed this query from a live event company, no additional context was provided – and the answer was revealed clearly and overwhelmingly supporting concerts.

Study Data Show Surprising Trends

A worldwide report, interviewing a large sample ranging from 18 and 54 in 15 markets, found that live music are now the world’s top pastime, ranking above games, movies and – absolutely – intimacy. When limited to one type of entertainment permanently, a significant portion picked live music, compared to going to the cinema (17%) and sports events (14%). Participants were significantly more as inclined to choose watching their top musician live (70%) rather than sexual activity (30%).

You arrive anticipating happily shocked – and quite often you might find with another person's locks in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Naturally it makes sense that a PR survey commissioned by a gig organizer would result so strongly in favour of concerts – and, with the speculative mood of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, for example an iconic star, one can appreciate why seeing him could prevail rather than a common or garden experience. Yet this two-option scenario between concerts or intimacy, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is interesting to think about considering the strange moment we face with both.

The Change of Live Music Experience

Lately, concert attendance has evolved into more than a shared activity but a serious endeavor. Major promoters appropriately highlight that arena crowds has “grown significantly year-over-year”, and music festivals get booked up faster than ever. Merely acquiring admissions now requires detailed strategy, instant reactions and bottomless pockets (or a high spending capacity). Although you succeed, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and watch the performance. Currently there is an assumption, particularly with pop fans, that you can boost your enjoyment value by attending more than once (including overseas trips), learning the song selection beforehand and memorizing the cues to follow and fan traditions created by past attendees.

Many fans describe being scarred by their participation at major tours: appearing as a orchestrated show of huge audiences, to which certain attendees turned up unaware of the routine. That 18-month tour, producing huge revenue, showed of the degree to which fans will travel to participate in a historic occasion and see their favourite artist play, although the real performance seems increasingly secondary to the production.

The Condition of Modern Intimacy

Intimacy, on the other hand – a relatively cheap and common experience – is in challenging circumstances. According to recent surveys, nearly one in four of individuals had sex in an average week, while about three in ten were sexually inactive. In a different nation, recent data showed that over a quarter of people admitted to avoiding sexual activity at all in the last twelve months, up from fewer people in the past. Across these regions, the shift has been associated with reduced intimacy with younger generations. Juxtapose this with the sector expanding rapidly for large concerts and the cutthroat competition for tickets. Naturally it’s not as simple as a simple decision between either option – “would you rather see a major tour multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of what is viewed as the more dependable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are more similar than you might think. They both embody the commencement of a connection, a practical trial of impressions or potential that could have built only in your head. You arrive with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and whether it proves good or bad relies heavily on whether your energy and expectations correspond with partners. Quite often you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a cigarette and some quiet time by yourself. Likewise with either, substances and drinks can either enhance or reduce the event (but certainly help the most unpleasant experiences simpler to handle).

Achieving Equilibrium

The magic to concerts and intimacy hinges on finding that hard-to-find balance between familiarity and novelty, consistency and change, challenge and comfort. Naturally it's uncommon – but it’s the memory of when it worked, the awareness that it’s possible, that inspires us to try again: to {