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Envision having a free evening. You feel refreshed, eager for new things, and wanting to shake up your usual routine of evening scrolling. The world is your oyster! Would you choose a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The response, as is often true with these sorts of queries, is plainly: “That depends.” Mature individuals may reasonably wonder: what's the show? Who is the companion? Will it be likely to be good?

Few would choose a Limp Bizkit/Slipknot/Korn triple bill if the choice was one enchanted evening with Jonathan Bailey. However tweak any part of the scenario, and it grows more complicated. In the case of the 40,000 people posed this query from a live event company, no such context was offered – and the response emerged clearly and overwhelmingly supporting concerts.

Research Findings Indicate Interesting Preferences

A global survey, questioning thousands of participants aged between 18 and 54 in 15 markets, revealed that gigs have become the number one pastime, ranking above sports, films and – yes – sexual intercourse. When limited to one type of enjoyment for the rest of their lives, 39% of respondents chose live music, compared to watching movies (17%) and games (14%). The group was over two times as prone to select watching their top musician live (70%) over sex (30%).

You show up hopeful of being happily shocked – and quite often you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth

Factors and Reflections

Certainly it’s not surprising that a PR survey conducted for a gig organizer might conclude so heavily in favour of concerts – and, amid the playful mood of a would-you-rather, if your preferred musician is, such as Paul McCartney, one can appreciate why seeing him may be chosen instead of a ordinary encounter. But this binary choice between live music or sexual activity, obviously silly though it may be, is noteworthy to reflect on given the odd juncture we’re at with these two aspects.

The Transformation of Live Music Experience

In recent years, live music participation has grown beyond a communal experience but a intense competition. Live organizations rightly note that stadium attendance has “increased threefold each year”, and music festivals get booked up quicker than before. Just obtaining passes now demands extensive preparation, instant reactions and bottomless pockets (or a substantial budget). Even if you’re successful, it isn't sufficient to just show up and enjoy the show. Nowadays exists an assumption, at least among pop fans, that you could increase your return on investment by attending more than once (potentially going abroad), studying the performance lineup in advance and knowing your marks to perform and calls-and-responses established by past attendees.

Several concertgoers report feeling scarred by their participation at popular events: appearing as a scripted production of thousands of people, in which some individuals turned up unfamiliar with the routine. The extended concert series, generating billions, was proof of the lengths to which people will go to feel part of a significant event and watch their preferred performer perform, though the live sound appears more and more secondary to the production.

The State of Contemporary Sexuality

Sex, by contrast – a relatively cheap and common experience – is in challenging circumstances. Per recent surveys, about a quarter of people engaged sexually in an average week, while about three in ten were abstaining. In another major country, current statistics revealed that a significant portion of individuals admitted to avoiding sexual activity a single time in the past year, increasing from lower numbers in earlier years. In both territories, the trend has been linked to less sexual activity among younger people. Juxtapose this with the market driving growth for large concerts and the fierce battle for passes. Naturally it isn't straightforward as a simple decision between either option – “could you choose experience a popular event repeatedly, or remain abstinent?” – but it might be an signal of what is viewed as the more reliable pleasure.

Unexpected Similarities

Relationships and gigs are more similar than one may assume. Both represent the initiation of a connection, a real-world test of impressions or potential that could have built only in your head. You come with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but hopeful of being pleasantly surprised – and if it turns out good or bad rests largely on whether your energy and hopes align with others. Frequently you might find with a stranger's hair in your mouth, and afterwards be lingering for a cigarette and personal space on your own. And, in both cases, stimulants and beverages can potentially heighten or lessen the situation (but certainly help the worst experiences easier to weather).

Seeking Harmony

The appeal to live events and relationships relies on locating that elusive sweet spot between the known and the new, similarity and difference, effort and ease. Certainly it's uncommon – but it's the remembrance of when it worked, the understanding that success is achievable, that inspires us to give it another shot: to {