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Picture being gifted with a night off. You're feeling energized, open to experience, and hoping to change your typical schedule of relaxing at home. Life itself awaits your choice! Do you prefer a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The answer, as frequently true with such kinds of hypotheticals, is clearly: “That depends.” Reasonable people could understandably inquire: what is the concert? With whom is the companion? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?

Hardly anyone would select a heavy metal lineup if the choice was a dream date with Jonathan Bailey. But adjust either end of the comparison, and it becomes less clearcut. Regarding the thousands surveyed asked this question through a gig organization, no additional clarification was provided – and the result was revealed unambiguously and strongly supporting concerts.

Survey Results Reveal Surprising Choices

An international study, interviewing a large sample aged between 18 and 54 in multiple countries, showed that live music have become the number one leisure activity, beating out games, films and – absolutely – intimacy. If restricted to one type of entertainment for the rest of their lives, nearly four in ten selected gigs, compared to film attendance (17%) and sports events (14%). They were also over two times as inclined to choose watching their top musician live (70%) instead of sexual activity (30%).

You arrive expecting to be delightfully amazed – and frequently you’ll end up with another person's locks in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it’s not surprising that a marketing research commissioned by a gig organizer might conclude so heavily preferring concerts – and, with the speculative mood of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, such as an iconic star, it's understandable why watching him might win out over a common or garden situation. However this binary choice between concerts or intimacy, obviously silly though it may be, is noteworthy to consider considering the strange juncture we face with both.

The Evolution of Live Music Experience

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a shared activity but a competitive sport. Live organizations appropriately highlight that stadium attendance has “increased threefold each year”, and festivals are fully reserved quicker than before. Just obtaining admissions now needs extensive preparation, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Though you’re successful, it’s not enough to just show up and experience the event. Nowadays exists an anticipation, especially for pop fans, that you can boost your return on investment by going multiple times (including overseas trips), studying the song selection in advance and knowing your marks to follow and audience interactions established by previous crowds.

Numerous concertgoers admit to affected by their attendance at major tours: what felt like a scripted production of huge audiences, to which particular fans turned up unfamiliar with the routine. That 18-month tour, generating billions, showed of the extents that people will go to participate in a significant event and see their favourite artist sing, even if the actual music appears more and more secondary to the production.

The State of Current Relationships

Intimacy, by contrast – an accessible and available enjoyment – faces dire straits. Based on recent surveys, about a quarter of individuals were intimate in an typical week, while just under a third were abstaining. In another major country, recent data indicated that more than 25% of adults admitted to avoiding intimacy at all in the last twelve months, rising from smaller percentages in previous decades. In both territories, the shift has been linked to reduced intimacy among younger people. Juxtapose this with the sector driving growth for stadium extravaganzas and the fierce battle for tickets. Naturally it's more complicated as a basic option between both alternatives – “would you rather experience a popular event often, or avoid intimacy?” – but it’s perhaps an indication of how people see the more reliable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Intimacy and concerts are more comparable than you might think. Both represent the initiation of a connection, a practical trial of impressions or possibility that might have amassed only in your head. You arrive with a general notion of the probable outcome, but expecting to be delightfully amazed – and if it turns out good or bad depends very much on if your enthusiasm and anticipations match theirs. Quite often you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be lingering for a smoke and personal space on your own. And, in both cases, drugs and alcohol can potentially heighten or detract from the event (but certainly help the most unpleasant experiences more bearable).

Finding the Balance

The magic to concerts and intimacy relies on locating that hard-to-find balance between comfort and excitement, consistency and change, effort and ease. Of course it happens only rarely – but it’s the memory of when it worked, the understanding that it’s possible, that motivates us to try again: to {