Imagine being gifted with a free evening. You are rejuvenated, eager for new things, and wanting to shake up your typical schedule of evening scrolling. Your options offers possibilities! Do you choose a) attending a concert or b) engaging in intimacy? The outcome, as is often seen with such kinds of questions, is obviously: “It depends.” Reasonable people could understandably ask: what kind of the concert? With whom is the companion? Could it be likely to be good?
Hardly anyone would select a heavy metal lineup if the other option was one enchanted evening with Jonathan Bailey. Yet change either end of the equation, and it becomes less obvious. In the case of the participants asked this question by a live event company, no additional details was offered – and the result emerged clearly and overwhelmingly preferring concerts.
A worldwide survey, polling thousands of participants ranging from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, showed that live music are now the world’s top form of entertainment, beating out sports, films and – absolutely – sex. Given the choice to one type of activity permanently, nearly four in ten selected concerts, against film attendance (17%) and sports events (14%). The group was significantly more as inclined to prefer watching their top musician on stage (70%) over sexual activity (30%).
You arrive anticipating delightfully amazed – and regularly you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth
Of course it’s not surprising that a PR survey commissioned by a live event company might conclude so overwhelmingly in favour of live shows – and, with the speculative mood of a hypothetical choice, if your preferred musician is, such as Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why attending his concert may be chosen instead of a common or garden encounter. Yet this binary choice between gigs or sex, plainly ridiculous as it is, is interesting to reflect on given the odd point we face with both.
Over the past few years, gig-going has grown beyond a group event but a competitive sport. Live organizations duly point out that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and live events are fully reserved faster than ever. Just obtaining admissions now requires military-level planning, rapid-fire response times and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Though you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and enjoy the show. Nowadays exists an anticipation, at least among pop fans, that you could increase your enjoyment value by going multiple times (potentially going abroad), studying the performance lineup ahead of time and understanding the rituals to perform and fan traditions developed through previous crowds.
Several concertgoers admit to shaken by their experience at large concerts: appearing as a orchestrated show of thousands of people, to which particular fans arrived unfamiliar with the steps. The extended event, earning massive sums, demonstrated of the lengths to which fans will travel to feel part of a historic occasion and experience their top musician sing, though the actual music appears more and more less important than the production.
Sex, on the other hand – an accessible and common experience – experiences difficult times. According to modern research, nearly one in four of people were intimate in an regular period, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. Elsewhere, recent data showed that over a quarter of people reported not having intimacy at all in the previous year, up from fewer people in the past. In these areas, the change has been linked to reduced intimacy among younger people. Contrast this with the market expanding rapidly for large concerts and the fierce battle for admissions. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “could you choose attend a huge concert repeatedly, or avoid intimacy?” – but it might be an sign of which is perceived as the more dependable pleasure.
Intimacy and concerts are more comparable than one may assume. Both represent the commencement of a connection, a real-world test of impressions or promise that could have built just in your mind. You come with some idea of how it’s likely to go, but expecting to be delightfully amazed – and whether it proves good or bad depends very much on how your vibe and hopes align with others. Frequently you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and following be hanging out for a smoke and some quiet time by yourself. Similarly for each, drugs and alcohol can sometimes improve or lessen the experience (but definitely make the most unpleasant situations more bearable).
The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that elusive sweet spot between comfort and excitement, sameness and variation, challenge and comfort. Certainly it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the awareness that it’s possible, that motivates us to give it another shot: to {
A passionate writer and traveler sharing insights on personal growth and lifestyle from a UK perspective.
