Inspired by the fake cabinet thread...
I would say the loudest concert I was ever at was Heart/Ted Nugent at Mile High Stadium in 1978. It was so loud that we left during Ted and it was still loud outside the stadium. That my hearing wasn't damaged permanently is a miracle. Runner-up: KISS reunion concert in '95 or whenever that happened... not only was it loud but the high mids of Ace's guitar were particularly painful.
Not the loudest show, but I stood too close to an amp seeing Marillion in Syracuse on the Holidays in Eden tour and my ears were still ringing the next morning. Scary.
Also, Pendragon was way too loud when they played at ProgFest in LA.
Glad I can still inspire anybody to do anything.Originally Posted by trurl
As I said in that thread, mine was McLaughlin/Santana touring "Love Devotion and Surrender." A runner up would be Steve Vai in a little (now defunct) club in North Hollywood called FM Station. That was before anybody who wasn't a Zappa fanboy knew who Steve Vai was.
I kind of remember Yes at HOB (year...???) in Atlanta being damn loud. Not quite ear bleed, but close. We were on the floor on Chris's side of the stage...
Judas Priest by a country mile, painfully loud, partially because it was at an indoor arena. When outdoors loud metal bands obviously have more air to use & to spread the sound. By comparison a year or 2 later Black Sabbath (original 4), also an indoor gig, wasn't anywhere near as loud.
I haven't been to a lot of shows but Queen on the "bicycle" tour was very loud. Openers Thin Lizzy were at a more decent volume and wiped the stage with Queen. I always take cotton for my ears to every show just in case things are too loud.
You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
Well, it WAS Johnny Winter @ Fox Atlanta in '76, until I had the unfortunate experience of having to walk out of :Circa during Rosfest.
Jeff Beck on his Who Else! tour in Phoenix at Symphony Hall. Our 2nd row-to-the-side seats were smack dab in front of the right-channel amp stacks which were positioned at the edge of the stage. Great views of Jennifer Batten, though...
-=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-
Circa at Rosfest was so loud that they alienated 75% (at least!) of the audience.
Also, I think that part of my hearing loss isn't from the years I sang in bands, but rather standing right in front of the 2 story high PA at an outdoor Zep concert in 1969 at Flushing Meadows!
Who knew in 1969? Decibel studies of rock music hadn't been done yet.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast tour, 8th row. There were huge cabs rigged above the stage, pointing right down on us. Ears rang for a week after. Downright painful!
Faust at the Offramp in 2002. It's a little club, maybe 1000 sf, built of concrete block. My pants cuffs were flapping (and I'm not kidding). Herve used a jack hammer on stage, ten feet away, and you couldn't hear it.
The volume at any show is determined by your location. As mentioned in previous posts, if you're right in front of the PA, it's going to be loud.
Around 1986 or so I saw Manowar at a club in Queens, NY. I was towards the back, and it was the loudest show I ever saw. Until I saw the Japanese band Boris a few years ago in a tiny club in Danbury, CT. I was wearing ear plugs the entire time, and my ears rang for days. Loud volume is a thing for Boris. If I remember correctly, I believe there were signs in the club recommending that patrons wear earplugs.
For me, it was the 1974 Emerson, Lake & Palmer show at the Providence Civic Center. I was in the 4th row on the floor in front of the PA on the right. My ears rang for 3 days. When I went to bed that night and put my head on the pillow, all I heard was "nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn."
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
Robin Trower, MSG, in 1976 (or so). We were in the third row, and it took weeks to recover.
They were ALL loud back in the daze, but a few that immediately sprinbg to mind:
Hendrix, 1967 (we stood at the lip of the stage)
Iron Butterfly, 1968
The Who, '69
Mott the Hoople, '70 (maybe THE loudest)
Mahavishnu Orch. (in a small club), '71
Pink Floyd, '73
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
Black Sabbath / Blue Öyster Cult "Black & Blue Tour" Boston Garden, 1980.
It was so loud that in that crappy building it was just a roaring noise. We couldn't even tell what was being played. We left without seeing Sabbath.
Over the years I attended enough shows that my tinnitus is permanent now. Low grade minor-scale chord playing inside both ears all the time. Wish I'd been smarter.
Yeti at Cattle Prog in 2002...pub venue so handfull of fans were within few feet from the speakers...about half of fans left before gig was over...
hahaha dude that is so cool!
Saxon in a small club circa 'Wheels of Steel'. Singer Biff asked the audience if it was 'Loud enuff ?' to which they shouted a resounding 'No', to which he instructed the PA guy to 'Turn the fucker up!'. The building was shaking !
Oh yeah, me too... for about 25 years now. It was a culmination of loud concerts I've attended and loud gigs and rehearsals I've played. I was accustomed to my ears ringing the next morning, but after playing with a particularly loud band one night, my ears were still ringing three days later. That's when I knew something was wrong. I wish I had been smarter too. I went without using earplugs for too long because I hated what they did to the sound... even expensive custom molded ones that are supposedly frequency attenuated. I've been paying for that ever since. Today, I'll even wear my earplugs to a soft jazz concert or gig. I should probably wear them in movie theaters too, come to think of it.
SUNN 0))) at Sonar in Baltimore. Even with hardcore earplugs it was damned unfathomable. Like RCarlberg said about Faust...body was actually vibrating and pant legs were flapping about.
Not gonna lie....LOVED it to bits.
Yes at Madison Square Garden June 15, 1979. Certainly the loudest but more importantly the best concert I have ever attended. I was in the front row, by the way. My ears rang on the way home but it didn't do any permanent damage.
Arena: AC/DC, Ballbreaker Tour
Club: Kansas circa 1995 in Wildwood, NJ
Chad
for me it was motorhead in 2011, neil young & crazy horse in 1977. there's more but i can't hear myself think
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