LOUDEST Concert and Tinnitus

Loudest sound fortunate enough to Not be next to:

1/4 mi. from me, a local cranking up an Allison 12 on his dragboat, straight exhausts. Even at my young age (Jr. High), I knew I shouldn’t (and wouldn’t) be next to it. Even at idle, the popping sounded like cannon shots....

Loudest sound I made on a personal level, Work-Related Division:

’Breaking up’ a 4’ x 8’ sheet of 1" thick brass on a panel saw for a client who could afford such cut into graphics (before CNC, we did it that way). 5hp Dayton motor on the rails, DC driven, pnematic ’hold-downs’ up to max.
Best speed was +/- 2" minute, since you couldn’t raise the saw to take multiple passes at it. Had cut aluminum sheets of similar thickness and Knew this would be slower and louder for a good while, and not pleasant to be around. Went into the office for a heads’ up: "If you’ve got a good reason or merely an excuse to leave the building, I’d recommend you do it." How long? "Best guess, 2 hours."

Closed the 3" fire door between offices and shop. Earplugs AND Earphones. Constant spraying of cutting fluid helped damp ’blade screech’, but still....🙄

The architects office next door asked wtf I was trying to kill, and could I be a little quieter about it.

"No, and I’d be the first to do so....."

"Oh..."

My tinnitus is better of late, my aids are dialed in to compensate....Phonex Audeos’.

Loudest concert?

Relatively recent: Smashing Pumpkins at the Orange Peel here in AVL, starting their latest tour at the time, sold out in less than an hour.

Wayyy too small a venue, a tighter-than SRO crowd, so loud from note one that it was hard to distinguish one song from the next. Yelling Into the Ear of one next to you brought 🤷‍♂️/🤷‍♀️🙄 mostly....

Only respite was to exit to the ’smokers’ gulag’, where it was still loud...but you could at least hear someone next to you....kinda....

We left early.....

Most of the damage to my hearing occurred from work-related machinery, even with the use of ’phones.

Concert sound systems, as a rule, didn’t make my ears freak.

The howling of the audience, the ’dirty white noise’ they could amass...

Would. My ears would give a ’pop’, and I knew I was done for the night.

Lately, I pull my aids and insert Vibes (re-usable) or Hearos (’roadie’ grade) plugs, but carry both....and stay back aways from the stacks.

I still go, but I’m picky ’bout it....

The local symphony is an ’aids event’, however.

Yup, surprise, I do ’do symphonic events’. Always a pleasant event to ’dress down’ for.... ;)

Bob mould with sugar was stupid loud and distorted. 
a few other notables- Catherine wheel, rage against the machine, Metallica, even Jeff Buckley hitting those high notes was too loud but it was oh so beautiful, 

Without a doubt, YES at Duke Indoor in 1972.  Worse, I moved to FL after graduation that year and saw them again at the old SPORTATORIUM in Hollywood, FL.  I had to do the same thing I did at Duke--I went to the furthest seat available at the very rear of the place and it was STILL hurting my ears.

I had just left our band, which itself was loud after playing for years in various bands at high volume standing in front of amps.  I personally had a SUNN Scepter, which was no shrinking violet itself.

THANKFULLY, in spite of attending MANY concerts over the years--the first was Ray Charles at the DOME in Virginia Beach in 1962--my hearing seems to be just fine.  Selling high-end audio beginning in 1974 helped me develop a more discerning ear.  I consider myself LUCKY based on my past exposure to very loud music for many years.

I confess, I still crank up the volume on the Maggies for some songs--Dicky and Duane's back-to-back guitar solos on "Stormy Monday" Live at the Fillmore East, Heart's version of the great Nillson tune "Without You" on Magazine, Felder and Walsh guitar solo on "Hotel California," Eagles version of the Charles Brown tune "Please Come Home for Christmas," and many others.  Since Maggies don't cause in "listening fatigue," it is a pleasure to crank them up sometimes.

Cheers!

The single loudest show was Neil Young and Crazy Horse, painfully loud and annoying. We walked out.

To many 70’s Electric Hot Tuna shows, most of them 5 hours plus is what took its toll on my hearing. Loved it!

My tinnitus is neck muscle related (cervicogenic tinnitus) or what I call IPad neck. Neck exercises and PT have been helpful, but it’s taken its toll on my enjoyment of listening to my system.

Triple bill in 1979 or so:  Pat Travers / Scorpions / Sammy Hagar; I was in first few rows and the cabinets were all sitting on the stage (not flown from ceiling)--ouch!  Plus Rush Hemispheres around that time as well (fantastic concert).  I do have tinnitus, though not at a level that it bothers me much of the time.  It does bother me some of the time.  I cannot tell if it is getting worse or not.  I suspect that mine is more due to car audio poor judgement (and not only when I was young(!)).