Anyone else left deaf from last night?

I was upstairs. I wore earplugs. My ears are still ringing and I'm freakin. Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

My ears always ring just a tad. I bought good earplugs, but have yet to remember to bring them to a show….urgh. I was up in the Balcony and didn't find it insanely loud, though the last song seemed to jump out…

I keep my earplugs on top of my stack of tickets. That way I never forget them. Well…almost never.

Maybe I'm getting old…but when you have to wear earplugs at a show, isn't that a sign it's just way too friggin loud? When a band plays too loud I always suspect it's to cover up lack of talent. Not digging at whoever you saw, because I have no clue who it is, but that's always seemed to be the case at shows I was at, even before I turned into an old fart.

I was in the balcony as well - but straight in front of the band. Wall of tooth filling rattling sound (I was there for all three shows). You say your ears always ring a tad - what's worrying me is how long it's lasting - it's never lasted this long. Has yours?

it was fairly loud - at the start I was in front of the speakers on the right hand side so my right ear was hurting a little

then I moved more into the middle and was fine

Originally posted by cool_beanies:
I was in the balcony as well - but straight in front of the band. Wall of tooth filling rattling sound (I was there for all three shows). You say your ears always ring a tad - what's worrying me is how long it's lasting - it's never lasted this long. Has yours?

I saw a Buzzcocks show at the old 9:30 Club and my ears rang, loudly, for over a week. I was sure I'd done it, crossed the line, caused damage that could never be repaired, but it did go away.

Skeeter – good idea on the plugs. I thought hanging them up with my keys would work, but no dice!

I was standing right in front of the large speakers on Nicholaus' side for the entire night. I wore my earplugs and I have absolutely no ringing.

Fuck-a-bunch-of "if you're wearing earplugs, you're old" bullshit. Please. I want to enjoy the music and wearing plugs to each and every show means I'll be able to do so in the future. As last night's band (the Hives) and others have proven, bands can be loud and good simultaneously.

I had that ringing once, it will go away by tomorrow. It helps to have a g-friend in a band who nags you every time you go to a show. Plus, i now have a pair of earplugs virtually everywhere, my car, every satchel or bag i might have with me, at griflfriends house. Makes it easier and also serves as a reminder.

And it was very loud last night. Anyone who doesn't wear earplugs is stupid honestly. I'll have no sympathy for you when you're 55 and can't hear shit. And it will happen.

My ears ring 24/7. I've just gotten used to it after all these years. The only time I really notice is at night, that why I have to sleep with a fan running, to help drain out some of it.

It's not the ringing in my ears that bothers me so much, it's the voices in my head that give me trouble.

Ok this is encouraging to hear - that some of you have experienced it and it did go away eventually. I'll keep my fingers crossed. And to the person with tinnitus, the ringing 24/7 - 1) I am so sorry and 2) did you have a lot of these "ringing for a few days" episodes or did it just happen after one very loud show?
(I'm sorry to keep asking whiny questions but really people I will freak if I got permanent tinnitus from my first ever Hives concert - which I must add, was absolutely excellent. I don't know that it had to be that loud but it was really good…)

Originally posted by Random Citizen:
Fuck-a-bunch-of "if you're wearing earplugs, you're old" bullshit. Please. I want to enjoy the music and wearing plugs to each and every show means I'll be able to do so in the future.

That's my attitude these days. I put in 20+ years of shows without them, now I'm starting to see the effects. It's not really about things being too loud for me as much as it's about trying to not cause any further damage. Even the quieter shows can cause problems when you see as many shows as a lot of us do.

Don't some of you show regulars worry about hearing loss later in life?

Yeah my ears were ringing last night but suprisingly, it's stopped.

no………

i'm looking forwrd top being one of those deaf old bastards that bugs the hell out of everyone with their constant………….eh? what? speak up…………..

in fact i'll probably just do that for fun hearing loss or not…………

It's hip to be deaf…..evidently.

Ok all thanks for your posts and replies - it was somewhat encouraging. Let's hope the doctor agrees it's not permanent damage. And Bollocks, no it's not hip to be deaf - it's sadly a risk we all take with our hearing to enjoy live music. I read about a lawsuit against Smashing Pumpkins for ridiculous amounts of decibels - until we the fans start pressuring them to turn it down some nothing is going to change, so we might as well take all the precautions we can in the meantime…

Originally posted by poorlulu:
no………

i'm looking forwrd top being one of those deaf old bastards that bugs the hell out of everyone with their constant………….eh? what? speak up…………..

What's your definition of old? Because tinnitus usually becomes apparent in the late 30s-40s if you are exposed to loud sounds on a regular basis, sometimes earlier than that.

"Maybe I'm getting old…but when you have to wear earplugs at a show, isn't that a sign it's just way too friggin loud?"


Maybe I'm not old enough, but when you have to bring earplugs to wear at every show(stage security excepted), isn't that a sign that you're too damn old for the scene altogether ? I don't mean to be mean, and I'm absolutely certain I've touched a nerve here, but shit, people…WOW

-and of course it's hip to be deaf…just make sure the music don't turn you impotent