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Envision having a open night. You are rejuvenated, eager for new things, and looking to break from your regular habits of evening scrolling. Life itself awaits your choice! Do you opt for a) attending a concert or b) being with a partner? The answer, as is often the case with these types of hypotheticals, is clearly: “It depends.” Thinking adults may reasonably wonder: what's the concert? Who's the partner? Is it going to be good?

Not many would select a heavy metal lineup if the other option was a dream date with a favorite star. Yet change any part of the scenario, and it grows more complicated. In the case of the 40,000 people presented with this choice through a major concert promoter, no additional clarification was given – and the response came out decisively and overwhelmingly preferring concerts.

Survey Results Indicate Interesting Preferences

A worldwide survey, questioning thousands of participants from 18 and 54 across multiple countries, showed that live music have become the world’s top pastime, ranking above athletic events, cinema and – yes – sexual intercourse. When limited to one type of entertainment forever, a significant portion picked concerts, against going to the cinema (17%) and games (14%). Participants were more than twice as likely to prefer seeing their favourite artist live (70%) instead of intimacy (30%).

You appear expecting to be delightfully amazed – and regularly you’ll end up with a stranger's hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Of course it's expected that a promotional study conducted for a concert promoter might conclude so overwhelmingly preferring concerts – and, in the freewheeling tone of a would-you-rather, if your top performer is, such as Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why attending his concert could prevail over a routine experience. Yet this two-option scenario between concerts or sex, clearly absurd though it may be, is interesting to think about given the odd point we face with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

Over the past few years, concert attendance has grown beyond a group event but a serious endeavor. Major promoters appropriately highlight that large venue turnout has “grown significantly each year”, and festivals get booked up faster than ever. Simply getting admissions now demands detailed strategy, quick decision-making and deep finances (or a substantial budget). Though you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to just show up and experience the event. Nowadays exists an expectation, particularly with music enthusiasts, that you could increase your enjoyment value by seeing several shows (potentially going abroad), swotting up on the set list beforehand and knowing your marks to perform and calls-and-responses developed through earlier audiences.

Numerous attendees report feeling scarred by their experience at major tours: what felt like a orchestrated show of thousands of people, where particular fans turned up unaware of the protocol. The extended event, earning massive sums, was proof of the lengths to which people will go to participate in a significant event and watch their preferred performer perform, though the real performance seems increasingly less important than the spectacle.

The State of Current Relationships

Intimacy, by contrast – an accessible and common experience – faces difficult times. According to contemporary studies, about a quarter of people had sex in an regular period, while just under a third were sexually inactive. In a different nation, recent data showed that over a quarter of people admitted to avoiding sexual activity even once in the last twelve months, rising from lower numbers in earlier years. Across these regions, the shift has been attributed to decreased encounters in youth demographics. Compare this with the industry driving growth for large concerts and the intense rivalry for passes. Certainly it isn't straightforward as a straightforward choice between one or the other – “do you prefer experience a popular event multiple times, or avoid intimacy?” – but it might be an indication of how people see the more reliable enjoyment.

Surprising Parallels

Relationships and gigs are more comparable than people often believe. Each symbolizes the initiation of a relationship, a actual experience of expectations or possibility that could have built only in your head. You show up with a basic expectation of the probable outcome, but anticipating pleasantly surprised – and whether it proves satisfying or frustrating relies heavily on if your enthusiasm and expectations align with others. Frequently you could wind up with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and later be waiting around for a break and some quiet time on your own. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can sometimes improve or detract from the experience (but definitely make the most dire situations simpler to handle).

Finding the Balance

The appeal to live events and relationships depends on locating that hard-to-find balance between the known and the new, similarity and difference, challenge and comfort. Of course it occurs infrequently – but it's the recollection of successful moments, the understanding that it’s possible, that drives us to try again: to {