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Envision being gifted with a night off. You are refreshed, eager for new things, and hoping to change your typical schedule of post-work slumping. Your options offers possibilities! Do you opt for a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The outcome, as frequently the case with these types of queries, is plainly: “It varies.” Thinking adults might logically ask: what's the concert? Who is the companion? Could it be going to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the other option was a magical night with a favorite star. However tweak any part of the scenario, and it becomes less obvious. For the participants posed this query by a gig organization, no such context was offered – and the answer came out clearly and heavily supporting live music events.

Survey Results Reveal Unexpected Trends

A global report, polling thousands of participants from 18 and 54 from multiple countries, revealed that gigs are now the most popular leisure activity, surpassing games, cinema and – yes – intimacy. When limited to only one option of activity for the rest of their lives, nearly four in ten chose live music, versus watching movies (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also significantly more as likely to prefer seeing their favourite artist on stage (70%) over sex (30%).

You arrive expecting to be delightfully amazed – and quite often you could wind up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Perspectives and Analysis

Of course it's expected that a PR survey carried out for a live event company would result so overwhelmingly in favour of live shows – and, amid the playful tone of a would-you-rather, if your favourite artist is, such as an iconic star, it's understandable why watching him might win out rather than a ordinary situation. However this either-or decision between gigs or intimacy, clearly absurd though it may be, is noteworthy to reflect on given the odd moment we’re at with both.

The Change of Gig Attendance

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a communal experience but a intense competition. Major promoters duly point out that arena crowds has “increased threefold annually”, and live events are fully reserved more rapidly than previously. Simply getting admissions now demands detailed strategy, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a high spending capacity). Although you succeed, that alone won't do to merely attend and experience the event. Nowadays exists an anticipation, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you can boost your return on investment by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), learning the performance lineup ahead of time and memorizing the cues to perform and audience interactions created by past attendees.

Numerous attendees report feeling shaken by their participation at major tours: appearing as a scripted production of huge audiences, to which particular fans came unfamiliar with the protocol. The extended concert series, earning massive sums, was proof of the lengths to which people will go to participate in a cultural moment and experience their top musician perform, although the real performance seems increasingly less important than the show.

The State of Current Relationships

Intimacy, on the other hand – an accessible and available enjoyment – experiences challenging circumstances. Based on modern research, nearly one in four of adults had sex in an average week, while nearly 30% were abstaining. Elsewhere, modern figures indicated that a significant portion of adults reported not having sexual activity a single time in the previous year, up from lower numbers in previous decades. Across these regions, the change has been linked to reduced intimacy among younger people. Compare this with the sector booming for stadium extravaganzas and the intense rivalry for passes. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a basic option between one or the other – “could you choose attend a huge concert repeatedly, or avoid intimacy?” – but it’s perhaps an sign of which is perceived as the more dependable enjoyment.

Interesting Comparisons

Sex and live music are more similar than you might think. Each symbolizes the activation of a bond, a real-world test of impressions or possibility that might have amassed only in your head. You arrive with a basic expectation of how it’s likely to go, but anticipating delightfully amazed – and if it turns out good or bad depends very much on how your vibe and expectations align with others. Regularly you could wind up with another person's locks in your mouth, and later be lingering for a cigarette and a moment alone on your own. Likewise with either, stimulants and beverages can potentially heighten or detract from the experience (but certainly help the most unpleasant experiences simpler to handle).

Seeking Harmony

The magic to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, consistency and change, work and relaxation. Certainly it occurs infrequently – but it's the remembrance of when they did, the awareness that it can happen, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {