Criminally loud concerts

[Tupac]

Saw RHCP in Raleigh NC on saturday. Phenomenal show, except... it was too damn loud! Me and my friend were in the cheap seats as far back as you could possibly go, but I had to plug my ears at a few points it was so loud. The people who sat up front must've been in agony. I've been to a few arena shows before and they were never as loud as this.

My ears have been ringing slightly since then, definitely got some damage from that night. Worst thing is I had ear plugs, I just left them in the car.

My question is: how is this okay? I can't imagine whoever was responsible for the loudness would think "Yep... sounds good to me!" unless they already had some hearing damage themselves. Why does this happen, and how is there not a lawsuit frenzy over hearing damage due to concerts?

 

[Funky Ghost]

You would have hated the Scorpions in the '80's.

Here in Sacramento outdoor venues started to be regulated around the early 90's. There was a hard set db limit which was strictly enforced. I'm of a mind that you go to a concert, it's part and parcel with the evening. Loud, for some, is the point. Rock, especially so.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

My first concert was Violence & Testament in a small venue. When Greg Christian hit some notes, we could feel it in our bones.
That's the loudest one I can recall, because after that I started bringing hearing protection.

 

[Stinsok]

Robin Trower in a medium sized club. We shoved cigarette filters in our ears. He overpowered the PA and the rest of the band might as well had not shown up.

 

[Scoops]

 

[knumbskull]

I saw Sunn 0))) in a smallish club. That was like a full body massage.

 

[ArtechnikA]

I literally never leave the house without ear plugs in my pocket.
(Alpines, nice little rugged aluminum canister.)
When I'm not playing music, I'm doing live sound.
My ears are my business.
Despite my age, I still have most of my hearing, even with a bit of persistent tinnitus in one ear...
Plan to keep it that way.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Wouldn't you rather not have tinnitus?

 

[ThudThudThud]

I sat in a rehearsal room just 20' from Motorhead. They didn't turn down.
I don't think my hearing recovered.

I saw Alice Cooper in a small-ish theater. The standard set was okay, but when they came on for the encore - in street clothes - I swear they played all the hits at '11.'
I couldn't hear properly for a week.

I once saw James Taylor in a bowl setting. I sat near the mixing console. It was very quiet. You could hear absolutely every note. It was lovely.

 

[Mike N]

Manowar.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I sat in a rehearsal room just 20' from Motorhead. They didn't turn down.
I don't think my hearing recovered.

I saw Alice Cooper in a small-ish theater. The standard set was okay, but when they came on for the encore - in street clothes - I swear they played all the hits at '11.'
I couldn't hear properly for a week.

I once saw James Taylor in a bowl setting. I sat near the mixing console. It was very quiet. You could hear absolutely every note. It was lovely.

Saw both Motorhead and Alice Cooper on the same ticket back in the late 80's / Pittsburgh....I feel your pain.

Riis

 

[obimark]

I saw Judas Priest almost front row, right in front of the PA--- had ear plugs but still screwed up my hearing some. My advice- DON'T do it, tinnitus is not worth it (Not from your own playing or seeing other bands).

 

[Spectrum]

A few years ago I saw an outdoor concert in DC, Thievery Corporation were the headliners. The sound was awful. Super loud, and all mud. Even at a distance with earplugs it was almost painful. The people up front must have been dying, but they were all pretty baked as far as I could tell. The sound was so muddy I couldn't even tell the notes apart or pick out any instruments. I really don't understand how somebody at a professional show like that gets paid to do such a awful job at sound.

 

[farace]

One particular cymbal hit during an Iggy Pop concert had my ear whistling for a couple of weeks.

But honestly, I don't understand loud for the sake of being the loudest. Went to a D Generation show once in a small club. I'd like to say I saw them, but I didn't. They were so loud they drove nearly everyone out onto the sidewalk, where it was still loud. And this was a club whose clientele were not averse to loudness. I love feeling the air vibrating in my chest, but this was way over the top.

Had the weird experience once, when going to see a friend's band at a punk club in New Haven back in the '80s, of the sound being so loud that I couldnt hear the band at all. I was up by the stage and could see lips moving, see fingers hitting strings, sticks hitting drums, but it was somehow too loud to hear. I moved to the back of the room, and I could hear them back there, albeit obscenely loud.

Somehow I've still got most of my hearing.

 

[farace]

Oh, and as an add-on, there was a discussion awhile back regarding one of those clubs, and the question came up about why the sound was so bad. Someone responded that the soundman was deaf, and that if you put your fingers in your ears, it actually sounds pretty good. So we tried it . . . it was true!

 

[Gab124]

I don't support more regulations on anything, except environment, but man most shows are just way too loud and the bands sound like crap because of it. Why is beyond me - why would you want your band to sound bad????? Anyway, since people are mostly dumb I always bring hearing protection.

 

[hondo4life]

A some point in the past, someone decided louder=better. I would like to go back and stab their ears out with a soldering iron.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Motörhead's reputation preceded them, to the point that they were canceled from their date in North Carolina (along with Metal Church)
We had to drive to a smaller venue to see MH & MC.

 

[Flabass]

Ted Nugent.

 

[two fingers]

I'm all for a concert being loud enough to sound live. But it can get ridiculous.

There was a blues guitarist who used to do larger clubs are here by the name of Gibb Droll. He had a smoking band with a Hammond organ player and everything. I used to go to his shows with -32dB earplugs in and it was still bothersome loud. I was one of only a few people in the room with plugs in. He had a Stevie Ray Vaughan type of tone and the high notes could weld steel.