An Evening to Cherish: Is Attending Gigs Really Preferred Over Sex?
Envision finding yourself with a night off. You feel refreshed, open to experience, and wanting to shake up your typical schedule of relaxing at home. The world awaits your choice! Would you choose a) going to a gig or b) being with a partner? The outcome, as frequently the case with these sorts of queries, is plainly: “That depends.” Reasonable people might logically wonder: what kind of the gig? With whom is the other person? Could it be likely to be enjoyable?
Few would pick a heavy metal lineup if the other option was one enchanted evening with a favorite star. But adjust any part of the comparison, and it becomes more complicated. Regarding the thousands surveyed presented with this choice through a major concert promoter, no additional context was given – and the answer was revealed unambiguously and heavily supporting gigs.
Research Findings Show Surprising Choices
A global survey, questioning thousands of participants from 18 and 54 in different nations, revealed that live music have become the most popular form of entertainment, beating out sports, cinema and – indeed – sexual intercourse. If restricted to a single form of activity for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents selected gigs, against film attendance (17%) and athletic competitions (14%). They were also more than twice as inclined to select seeing their favourite artist live (70%) over sex (30%).
You arrive expecting to be delightfully amazed – and regularly you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth
Context and Considerations
Naturally it’s not surprising that a marketing research carried out for a concert promoter would result so heavily in favour of concerts – and, amid the playful spirit of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, such as a legendary singer, one can appreciate why seeing him may be chosen rather than a common or garden situation. However this either-or decision between live music or sex, plainly ridiculous even if it seems, is interesting to reflect on amid the peculiar juncture we face with each.
The Evolution of Concert Culture
Lately, concert attendance has evolved into more than a communal experience but a intense competition. Event companies appropriately highlight that stadium attendance has “increased threefold each year”, and live events are fully reserved more rapidly than previously. Simply getting tickets now needs extensive preparation, instant reactions and deep finances (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to merely attend and enjoy the show. There’s now an anticipation, particularly with concertgoers, that you might enhance your experience quality by seeing several shows (including overseas trips), swotting up on the song selection beforehand and knowing your marks to perform and audience interactions developed through earlier audiences.
Numerous attendees report feeling scarred by their participation at major tours: appearing as a choreographed performance of thousands of people, to which certain attendees came unaware of the steps. Those lengthy concert series, generating billions, was proof of the extents that fans will travel to feel part of a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer sing, even if the actual music appears more and more overshadowed by the production.
The Condition of Current Relationships
Intimacy, conversely – an accessible and common experience – faces challenging circumstances. Based on contemporary studies, nearly one in four of adults engaged sexually in an typical week, while about three in ten were not engaging. In a different nation, modern figures revealed that over a quarter of people said they had not sex at all in the past year, rising from smaller percentages in the past. In both territories, the shift has been associated with reduced intimacy among younger people. Juxtapose this with the market booming for major events and the intense rivalry for tickets. Certainly it's more complicated as a straightforward choice between both alternatives – “could you choose experience a popular event multiple times, or remain abstinent?” – but it's possibly an sign of how people see the more reliable satisfaction.
Interesting Comparisons
Sex and live music are more comparable than one may assume. They both embody the activation of a bond, a practical trial of ideas or promise that may have developed just in your mind. You arrive with some idea of the probable outcome, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and how it ends up enjoyable or disappointing depends very much on if your enthusiasm and anticipations match theirs. Quite often you’ll end up with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and afterwards be lingering for a smoke and some quiet time on your own. Similarly for each, drugs and alcohol can either enhance or detract from the situation (but certainly help the most dire situations more bearable).
Finding the Balance
The wonder to live events and relationships hinges on finding that perfect combination between the known and the new, consistency and change, effort and ease. Certainly it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the understanding that success is achievable, that inspires us to try again: to {
