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- By Joseph Lang
- 12 Apr 2026
Imagine having a night off. You feel energized, eager for new things, and hoping to shake up your regular habits of evening scrolling. The world offers possibilities! Would you choose a) seeing live music or b) having sex? The response, as typically seen with these sorts of hypotheticals, is clearly: “It depends.” Mature individuals could understandably ask: what's the concert? Who's the companion? Will it be likely to be enjoyable?
Hardly anyone would pick a heavy metal lineup if the other option was one enchanted evening with a beloved celebrity. However tweak any part of the scenario, and it becomes less clearcut. Regarding the thousands surveyed asked this question by a live event company, no additional details was given – and the answer was revealed clearly and overwhelmingly in favour of live music events.
A global survey, polling a large sample aged between 18 and 54 from 15 markets, found that gigs currently stand as the most popular leisure activity, surpassing sports, cinema and – yes – intimacy. Given the choice to a single form of enjoyment forever, 39% of respondents chose live music, versus going to the cinema (17%) and games (14%). They were also over two times as likely to choose attending their preferred performer live (70%) rather than intimacy (30%).
You appear expecting to be delightfully amazed – and regularly you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth
Naturally it makes sense that a marketing research carried out for a live event company should come out so heavily preferring concerts – and, with the speculative tone of a either-or question, if your favourite artist is, say a legendary singer, it's understandable why seeing him could prevail over a common or garden encounter. However this either-or decision between gigs or intimacy, plainly ridiculous though it may be, is noteworthy to think about given the odd point we’re at with each.
In recent years, gig-going has become not just a communal experience but a serious endeavor. Event companies duly point out that large venue turnout has “tripled year-over-year”, and festivals get booked up more rapidly than previously. Merely acquiring tickets now demands military-level planning, instant reactions and significant funds (or a generous credit card limit). Even if you manage, it’s not enough to simply turn up and watch the performance. Currently there is an assumption, especially for concertgoers, that you can boost your experience quality by going multiple times (even travelling internationally), studying the set list in advance and knowing your marks to follow and fan traditions developed through earlier audiences.
Many fans report feeling scarred by their participation at popular events: appearing as a scripted production of huge audiences, to which some individuals turned up unaware of the steps. Those lengthy concert series, generating billions, was proof of the degree to which attendees will push to experience a cultural moment and watch their preferred performer perform, although the actual music appears more and more overshadowed by the spectacle.
Sexual activity, by contrast – an affordable and common experience – experiences difficult times. Per recent surveys, nearly one in four of people engaged sexually in an typical week, while nearly 30% were sexually inactive. In a different nation, modern figures revealed that a significant portion of individuals reported not having intimacy at all in the last twelve months, up from smaller percentages in previous decades. In both territories, the trend has been associated with decreased encounters with younger generations. Juxtapose this with the industry expanding rapidly for large concerts and the fierce battle for admissions. Of course it isn't straightforward as a basic option between either option – “do you prefer see a major tour repeatedly, or remain abstinent?” – but it might be an signal of how people see the more reliable enjoyment.
Sex and live music are more comparable than people often believe. They both embody the initiation of a connection, a actual experience of impressions or promise that might have amassed only in your head. You arrive with a general notion of how it’s likely to go, but expecting to be pleasantly surprised – and how it ends up good or bad depends very much on how your vibe and anticipations align with others. Frequently you might find with someone else’s hair in your mouth, and later be lingering for a cigarette and a moment alone alone. Likewise with either, drugs and alcohol can sometimes improve or lessen the experience (but definitely make the most unpleasant occasions simpler to handle).
The wonder to both gigs and sex hinges on discovering that perfect combination between the known and the new, consistency and change, effort and ease. Naturally it's uncommon – but it’s the memory of when they did, the knowledge that it can happen, that motivates us to attempt once more: to {