OT - What's the loudest concert you've attended? - OT

SaltySam

Rage Against the Machine at Red Rocks in 1996.  I don’t remember it being ear-splitting loud, but it was a life experience.  The entire crowd jumped up and down in unison to People of the Sun and I just started screaming. 

Similar experience when I saw Tool in Lincoln, NE (of all places) last year.  MJK sang the opening lyrics to “The Pot” and I stood up and screamed.  I was just so pumped to finally see them live. 

Fun thread!

YukonRon

One other show that was horrible, loud and we just walked out on; Van Halen. Even the die hard fans were WTF? And left. EVH was stone drunk, played loud to the wrong song.

Had seen them outdoors in California YEARS AGO, they were really good, however the Diamond Dave Reunion Tour, in Louisville, indoors, was one of the worst shows I have ever been to in my life. Tour disbanded less than a month later. 

Word got out how bad they sucked. 

Canadianegger2020

Metallica , 1987 , Master of Puppets , Calgary Saddledome. Hearing was impaired for 3 days .

SoCal_Griller

Thats easy:  Ted Nugent, and he was in his late 60s.

EggNorth

Looks like Ted wins!

keener75

If I recall Big Sugar, Halloween night at the Stratford Rotary Arena was extremely loud and Clutch at Call the Office in London, Ontario was equally loud.
I would not put either one of these concerts at the top of my "best shows" list.
Metallica 2016 at the the Skydome in Toronto with the roof closed was deafening too. The sound was awful.

Hairless_Hand

I saw Skynrd open for Kid Rock at the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater in Tampa.  Kid Rock was loud as hell and had some groovy pyrotechnics in his show. 

GrateEggspectations

For many years and throughout university, I worked as an usher at a major national arts venue in my city. One of the perks of the job was being able to enjoy the shows. I had the pleasure of seeing many internationally renowned artists in a wide variety of artists, from the likes of BB King to Jethro Tull (loud!). But I also attended many concerts via my own interest in music. Cumulatively, I’ve seen a lot of live music. 

For me, the loudest, hands down, is Big Sugar (Gordie Johnson, who also played in Grady). After my first time seeing him play, I started buying massive bags of earplugs that I would distribute to other concert-goers during his subsequent shows. For those of you familiar with amplifiers, Gordie’s setup, which I emulated for years, consists of what is essentially a Fender Champ circuit at the front end daisy chained into an all-tube, 300 watt bass amplifier (“blue line” Ampeg SVT), which he runs pretty full bore on stage. The result is not for the faint of heart and is absolutely crushing, especially in a small venue (my favourite kind of show). IMO, it is the world’s best guitar tone. I ultimately didn’t get much use out of my copycat setup and ended up selling my sought after 300 watt vintage bass amp to a well-known musician, who bought it (via his tech) in time for a tour he was embarking upon. 

GrateEggspectations

In reading a lot of responses above, many have reported ringing ears and bouts of tinnitus. Like you, I have symptoms of tinnitus and I’m sure I’ve hurt my ears.

One of the smartest things I did growing up while playing in (loud!) bands and attending concerts was to get custom-made ear plugs. For a relatively modest fee, most hearing centres will take a mould if your ear canal and provide you with custom fitting earplugs into which you can insert cylindrical diaphragms that cut volume by various levels - mine are -15dbs, if memory serves. The result is very true to naked ear frequency response, albeit at a lower level, and is nothing like the wax or foam earplugs that you’ll find in the drugstore. They are also exceedingly comfortable and can be worn for long periods of time without issue. With the 15bd reduction, it’s possible to carry on conversation at normal volumes with them in. 

I would recommend that anyone seeing a lot of concerts (and especially playing in bands) consider them. I had many band mates who never wore earplugs, which I never understood. For the $200 or so dollars I spent to get them made 10 or so years ago, it was money very well spent. 

AprèsSki

GrateEggspectations said:

I would recommend that anyone seeing a lot of concerts (and especially playing in bands) consider them. I had many band mates who never wore earplugs, which I never understood. For the $200 or so dollars I spent to get them made 10 or so years ago, it was money very well spent. 

-----------

Great advice GrateEggspectations, in my day job as an industrial hygienist I spend a lot of time prescribing hearing protection to workers. If the $200s for customs are out of reach, or is hard to justify to check out hearing protection that also allows you to enjoy the music, the $15 Etymotic Research earplugs are a great starter set. I try to remember them for all shows that may get loud. Worth checking out, I even gave a pair to my MIL who complained about loud movie theaters. She is very pleased.

Yes I have intermittent tinnitus and shows probably contributed, along with a very loud car stereo in my youth. 

StillH2OEgger

EggNorth said:

Looks like Ted wins!

I saw Ted with Damn Yankees as the opener for Bad Company and recall that being loud as well.

aem

KISS. My first concert.

TennesseeEgger

AC/DC.
Pyramid. Memphis, TN.
Late 90's I believe.
It was incredibly loud, and I think, toward the end, they turned it up even more. It actually made it hard to enjoy.

GATraveller

Ice T with Bodycount
Georgia Theater, Athens GA 

Botch

There are two things I've read so far, that really disturb me:
1.  Damn Yankees opening for Bad Company, and
2.  Skynyrd opening for Kid Rock?!?!?!
 
WTFF???
 
(I don't think I've had a thread with this many responses, and it's been very enjoyable to read!  Thanks, folks!)  

stv8r

Black Sabbath. My parents had subscribed to a country music program at Merriwhether Post pavilion.  They cancelled a show and substituted Black Sabbath.  They drove my brother and I to it.  We were 16 and 14.  People in the parking lot were screaming "eat acid and kill your parents".  Needless to say my parents were concerned.  We were in the 6th row.  When we left my brother complained his ears were ringing for two weeks 

gonepostal

We went to the above mentioned Damn Yankees/Bad Company show twice that year. It had to be very close to 1990 give or take a year. The first one was indoors in a relatively small auditorium. I have been to a ton of shows since then but I don't think any have been that loud. And we weren't sitting all that close. The 2nd show that summer was outdoors and I remember that one for a different reason. During Bad Company's set as they played "Feel Like Making Love" a couple sitting nearby decided to take the song to heart. Shirt, bra, skirt, and then security swarmed in to make them stop. The looks on everybody's face...
Good memories with good friends to this day.

Anyway, Tommy Shaw of Styx, Damn Yankees, and now Styx again grew up in Montgomery. I deliver in his old neighborhood and last Fall actually did a 6 week trial run on the route where his mother once lived. I would still get junk mail for Tommy regarding medicare and insurance. Google shows that he is 66. 

I lost hearing on my left side a couple of years ago and without a doubt loud music played a role. If I knew then what I know now...

SGH

Botch said:

There are two things I've read so far, that really disturb me:
2.  Skynyrd opening for Kid Rock?!?!?!
 

I can shed some light on number 2. Lynyrd Skynyrd did not open for Kid Rock. What was left of Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for Kid Rock. 

No disrespect directed at KR, just simply stating a fact. The “real” Lynyrd Skynyrd ceased to exist on October 20, 1977 at 6:52pm CST.  

StillH2OEgger

gonepostal said:

We went to the above mentioned Damn Yankees/Bad Company show twice that year. It had to be very close to 1990 give or take a year. The first one was indoors in a relatively small auditorium. I have been to a ton of shows since then but I don't think any have been that loud. And we weren't sitting all that close. The 2nd show that summer was outdoors and I remember that one for a different reason. During Bad Company's set as they played "Feel Like Making Love" a couple sitting nearby decided to take the song to heart. Shirt, bra, skirt, and then security swarmed in to make them stop. The looks on everybody's face...
Good memories with good friends to this day.

Anyway, Tommy Shaw of Styx, Damn Yankees, and now Styx again grew up in Montgomery. I deliver in his old neighborhood and last Fall actually did a 6 week trial run on the route where his mother once lived. I would still get junk mail for Tommy regarding medicare and insurance. Google shows that he is 66. 

I lost hearing on my left side a couple of years ago and without a doubt loud music played a role. If I knew then what I know now...

I think your estimate on year is accurate. It was post Paul Rogers and his replacement Brian Howe had history with Nugent, which I assume is how they ended up on the same tour. I do recall a few Styx and Night Ranger songs in the St. Paul show I attended -- but it was 30 years ago, so don't quote me on that.

Webass

We went to a Gloria Estefan concert at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  We had backstage passes and VIP tix on the second row.  We had been to concerts but never sat anywhere that close.  I noticed everyone in the first row had ear plugs in, and of course we didn't.  By the end of the night I could barely hear and the next morning my hearing was totally gone.  It didn't start coming back until later that day and back to normal in 36 hours.    

flatsfishinfool

Ted Nugent, O'Connell Center UF. Second loudest was Led Zepplin in Mobile AL

SGH

I can’t narrow it down to one single concert that was the absolute loudest. But there are a handful that stand out as really loud to me. They are as follows. 

KISS Cobo Hall Detroit. 

KISS Ontario Canada. 

KISS Rio De Janeiro Brazil 

KISS Biloxi Coliseum 
Ronnie James Dio The Spectrum 
AC/DC Pensacola Civic Center 

BleedinGreen

The Roots at a small indoor festival venue in NYC 2012.  The tuba shook my fillings loose.  Still have flashbacks when I see one to this day.

northGAcock

My question to the group is..........How did the loud volume effect your enjoyment. Myself, I enjoy listening to music respectfully loud. I think music is to be enjoyed being able to hear the instruments. Doesn’t mean you have to play it so loud that it becomes distorted or blended back together as one. Nothing wrong with  “Turn it up” as you ready for the Southern National Ahem. Freebird. 

No 🎧

dmchicago

The concert I mentioned, I attended when I was 18 years old in 1978. 

It really wasn't about the complex interplay between the "musicians". It was about gettin' stoned and pumping fists.

SGH

northGAcock said:

My question to the group is..........How did the loud volume effect your enjoyment. 

When I was young the louder the better. Not so much now.  

EggNorth

SGH said:

northGAcock said:

My question to the group is..........How did the loud volume effect your enjoyment. 

When I was young the louder the better. Not so much now.  

Same here ... I do not turn it up to 11 much anymore.

Hairless_Hand

SGH said:

Botch said:

There are two things I've read so far, that really disturb me:
2.  Skynyrd opening for Kid Rock?!?!?!
 

I can shed some light on number 2. Lynyrd Skynyrd did not open for Kid Rock. What was left of Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for Kid Rock. 

No disrespect directed at KR, just simply stating a fact. The “real” Lynyrd Skynyrd ceased to exist on October 20, 1977 at 6:52pm CST.  

I figured that line up would ruffle some feathers. Our favorite forum historian and overall wearing razor aficionado @sgh nailed the explanation for the opening act for Kid Rock in Tampa.  

Wanasmoke

Allman Brothers Band. Wisconsin State Fair 1996. Out on the race track. Ears ringing for days.