Hearing issues & loud gigs: what are the loudest gigs that you have ever been to?

[rogerstodge]

Huw Lloyd Langton at the Red lion at Gravesend, only a small venue.... Jesus Christ, I also saw Iron Maiden at the same venue under the name of Sherpa Tanks,probably a warm up gig for a tour or summin, they were a tad quiter than Langton.
Also The Stranglers at the Lyceum Ballroom early 80s, the bass rattled my rib cage

Edited March 8, 2016 by rogerstodge

[Japhet]

I was at Led Zep at Earls Court but got so pissed I missed the entire thing crumpled in a heap by one of the pillars. You don't want to be hearing Moby Dick in that state.

[Agwin]

Paice Ashton and Lord years ago (late seventies) at Brum Odeon
Slade when they had their brief revival in popularity, in the eighties I think –again Brum Odeon.
Seen Sabbath, Maiden, Gillan, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Purple et al and never found it excessive although last time I saw Rammstein (on their Made in Germany tour) at whatever they’re calling the NEC this week I thought they were getting close to being uncomfortable.
Saw Dream Theater at Wolves Civic a couple of years ago and thought they could've been louder.
Gotta go, phone's ringing - oh, hang on, it's not the phone - it's my ears!

[Urban Bassman]

I've been to many a loud gig. I think the loudest may have been UFO at the now long closed Rainbow, Finsbury Park sometime in the late 70's or perhaps Gary Moore at the original Marquee Club again in the late 70's.

Happy days

[jimbobothy]

Heard a band play at Marsden Jazz Festival and when I had my -18dB earplugs in the noise was comfortable and actually much clearer. I really don't know why some venues have the level so high, they must know about their duty of care and potential hearing damage?

[chris_b]

[quote name='jimbobothy' timestamp='1457452666' post='2998730']
I really don't know why some venues have the level so high, they must know about their duty of care and potential hearing damage?
[/quote]

As soon as one gets sued and looses the case they'll all put limiters in.

[tony_m]

Other than various Motorhead tours over the years, the loudest of all the bands who played at our local venue back in the NWOBHM days (which included Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Samson, Saxon, Vardis et al, not to mention Blizzard of Ozz) was (suprisingly) those grand old pomp-rockers Magnum.

I still use that gig as a reference point when it comes to small venues, though I have to say Sunn O))) took things to a whole new level when I saw them a few years back in Manchester - not so much listen to as feel your internal organs being rearranged!

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='mike f' timestamp='1457449102' post='2998689']Motorhead didn't strike me as being too loud; just good n loud, if you know what I mean?[/quote]

It's the only way to feel the noise apparently.

Speaking of "feel the noize", Slade definitely the loudest consistently for me. Nod & Jim took keen interest in their sound & were always the most involved at sound-checks. At one gig at Blackpool Norbreck castle their sound guy Charlie was very upset that the ceiling was so low he couldn't use his full 26k PA system. He used to regularly complain of having a headache and was often on the cadge for aspirin.

edit: Saw The Blockheads last year and for the size of the venue (Kendal arts Centre) they were incredibly loud.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Big_Stu

[doomed]

Motorhead, Another Perfect Tour when Brian Robertson was in the band, Slayer, South Of Heaven tour, The Prodigy at Newport Centre.

[Roger2611]

Ellery Bop supporting Killing Joke 1986 Rock City, I was actually scared my heart was going to stop beating it was so loud, it basically emptied the hall as punter took refuge from the audio onslaught....not a pleasant experience at all

[Jazzneck]

Walter Trout and Popa Chubby Islington O2 couple of years ago.
Too loud widdle fest.
My mates bought the tickets. Barstewards.
Waste of time, effort and energy.
Kept going out for a smoke and recovery.
Reckon I saw/heard about 10 minutes total made up of 30 second slices of that sh*te and went home - deaf for days.

WOT'S HE SAYIN'?

Edited March 8, 2016 by Jazzneck

[hairychris]

Sunn O)))

Even with earplugs the volume, and insane amount of sub-bass, was making people throw up.

Definitely an experience.

EDIT:

Edited March 8, 2016 by hairychris

[Cato]

Metallica on the Black Album tour at the NEC.

The actual gig wasn't unusually loud, but the flash bangs they set off for the start of 'One' were defeaning and the accompanying pyrotechnics left me unable to see the stage clearly because of the green splodges burnt onto my retina for at least 5 minutes.

[Kirky]

Dinosaur Jr at the Mean Fiddler in the early 90s I think I refused to go see Mascis again and when I finally succumbed 16 or so years later at the Cockpit in Leeds he was just as bad. Never again.

[Bigjas]

Saw The Hamsters in Bristol many years ago, slims rig was so loud we had to retreat to the back of the venue after only a couple of songs. Also saw Muse in Brighton on the Absolution tour and they were mental loud, ears were ringing for days after that gig!!

Jas

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Forgot about hawk wind rainbow theatre, sonic attack tour. Best time I saw them .loud and sonic;)
I was at the Rollins / r h c p gig at Brixton,. Didn't notice the loudness so to speak. What I do remember is Henry shouting at an imaginary crowd member" if you think you're so tough.. " etc. Pretty boring . Oh, nearly forgot Motörhead at donington 1986? Apparently could be heard 10 miles away, according to people we met on the way home next day.
Sunn . Haven't heard of them . May check them out on you pube .

Edited March 8, 2016 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE

[Mykesbass]

Alice Cooper Hammersmith Odeon early 2000's. Couldn't hear the gig, just a wall of white noise. Ears were ringing that night and the next one. Really thought I'd done some serious damage so have worn plugs to gigs ever since.

[tony_m]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1457470980' post='2998947']
Forgot about hawk wind rainbow theatre, sonic attack tour. Best time I saw them .loud and sonic;)
I was at the Rollins / r h c p gig at Brixton,. Didn't notice the loudness so to speak. What I do remember is Henry shouting at an imaginary crowd member" if you think you're so tough.. " etc. Pretty boring . Oh, nearly forgot Motörhead at donington 1986? Apparently could be heard 10 miles away, according to people we met on the way home next day.
[b]Sunn . Haven't heard of them . May check them out on you pube .[/b]
[/quote]

Just don't expect any recognisable "tunes"!!! Though you can probably expect a man dressed as a tree, throat-singing...

[Subbeh]

I'd say Motörhead and Billy Idol, I've seen more bands than I can remember in venues of all sizes but those two stand out as by far the loudest I've ever seen.

[BrunoBass]

When I was about 16 we managed to blag tickets from a friend who'd moved to London and was working at EMI to see a small showcase by Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They hadn't yet released a record but were all over Melody Maker, NME etc. It was the first and only time that sheer volume and sound pressure has made me feel like I was going to vomit before my brain exploded. We stayed till the end though.

Some years later I saw Mansun at the Roadmender in Northampton. They were terrible and the volume and high frequency tone of their PA was painful. I left after three songs.

[Beer of the Bass]

I'm sure the loudest things I've heard have been sound systems rather than bands. The old-school reggae systems generally aren't that bad as the mids and highs are almost an afterthought, but some of the ones that play dubstep at assorted hippy fests are way more than I can stand!

[Spoombung]

Weirdly, The Thompson Twins; piercing Hi-fi noises at a freebie gig in Lsnchester poly on the eighties. I hated the two numbers I stayed for.

A few years ago a soul/Rock band called Gentlemen's Agreement.

Recently, Guapo, a proggy psychedelic outfit - unbearably loud.

[Fozza]

By far the loudest band I've ever seen was My Bloody Valentine at Manchester Apollo in 2008.

[ead]

One of the loudest I remember from way back was ELO. More recently Alice Cooper

[casapete]

Black Sabbath, Hammersmith Odeon in the late 70's. Dreadful.

Although the gig that left my hearing impaired for over a week was at Dingwalls in London, again late 1970's.
Think the band was The Count Bishops or maybe Blast Furnace and the Heatwaves, Charles Shaar Murray's
r'n'b outfit. ( Remember Alex Harvey staggering on to sing a bit too ...)
The PA consisted of multiple Bose 802's stacked high and wide together to create a wall of sound that was unbearable.
Even was painful right at the back of the room too, so didn't last all the gig.