OFF: Motorhead!

[Stephen Swann]

John A Swartz writes:
>
> Don't know about that, but as someone who has attended numerous concerts,
> I have to say that too much volume really ruins a show for me (well, not
> necessarily since I wear plugs to any gig that I suspect will be loud).
> Not only do I hate the ringing in my ears afterwards, but I've found that
> the overall SOUND is better when the volume is lower.

Got to agree.  In fact, *all* the best concerts I've been to (sound-wise)
were at moderate volume.

When I saw Hawkwind the first time, it was at the Hideaway Club in
St. Catherines.  They started out *too quiet*, then turned the sound
up until it was *perfect*, then kept on turning it up until it was too
loud.  Sigh.

Probably the best mixed concert I ever saw was the Eagles reunion
tour.  And that was at an outdoor stadium, with omnidirectional
speakers mounted on the tops of 15' poles.  It looked like a recipe
for disaster, but it sounded *perfect*, I could hear the nuances of
every instrument and vocal.

> But, I really believe in protecting my hearing.  I haven't got any loss that
> I know of, and I want to keep it that way -- 'cuz once it's gone, it's gone.

Mine is slightly damaged.  Oddly, the damage wasn't from the music per
se, it was from a friend of mine screaming into my ear to be heard
over the soundsystem.  He must have hit some kind of resonsant
frequency in my eardrum, because I went flat deaf in that ear for about
10 hours, and then had very reduced hearing for 3 to 4 days afterward.
I still don't hear as well from that ear.

I always carry some kind of ear protection these days, although I only
use it if the sound is "overly" loud.

As for the "loudest concert" thread... that would have to be, without
a shadow of a doubt, Metal Church.  I'll never forget when I first
walked into that concert hall... it literally *was* a "hall".  It was
about 75 or 80 feet "wide", but only about 25 or 30 feet deep - so you
couldn't really "move further back", there was no place to run.  :-)
Before the concert, I walked up and down the length of the stage,
surveying the armaments that were aimed at me.  There were speakers
everywhere: on the floor, on the stage, on the walls, suspended from
the ceiling struts... and stacks and stacks of amps, enough to power a
Disaster Area concert.  Before the concert started, a drum tech walked
out on stage and held a stick above one of the drums, and just let the
force of gravity drop it onto the drumskin: there was this *deafening*
report, like Thor had just boxed my ears.  I swear my eardrums popped
from the concussive force of the air.  Man, did I scramble to get some
earplugs before they did a full sound check.  ;-)

The concert turned out to be a real waste, too, because Metal Church's
*incredible* original vocalist had left, and been replaced by a
screechy "imitator".  Bleeah.

Steve
swann at panix.com