The Loudest Bands I’ve Known
Please note: This is going to be a “music update,” and may cause discomfort and irritability in some patients and, more rarely, apoplexy. Proceed with all due caution.
I’m sure we’ve covered this subject before, but it’s been a while, so I’m going to do it again… I was wondering, what are the loudest concerts you’ve ever attended?
I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of bands play live during my ridiculous life, and plenty of them were LOUD. Including the usual suspects: Motorhead, Ramones, Metallica, AC/DC, etc., but three shows stand out in my mind as the loudest of the loud.
The first was Cheap Trick, at the old Charleston Civic Center (just a big cinderblock room), in 1979 or so. Budokan had just been released, and hadn’t yet exploded, so the place was half-empty, or half-full, depending on your point of view.
And sweet sainted mother of Kelly Bluebook, was that shit loud! It felt like we were literally inside a jet engine. There was no way to discern one song from another, it was just one gigantic roar.
Rick Nielsen, the guitarist with the Gomer hat, had a stepladder onstage, and kept dropping guitars down it. As it hit each step, there’d be a soul-shaking THUD! Just for the sake of it, I guess.
The whole thing was an extreme exercise in excess, and I can’t really say I enjoyed it. Oh, I remember it… I remember it real good. But it was too much. My ears rang for a week, and that’s not hyperbole. For a full week I heard mosquitoes and dog whistles in both ears, and I’m not really a fan of it.
I saw Cheap Trick again, a few years later, and they were just as loud. Apparently that’s one of their things? But the second time wasn’t as bad, because I was mentally prepared. That first go-round almost took my head clean off.
Also shockingly loud: King’s X. Remember them? I never liked ‘em, but they were opening for someone at the Omni in Atlanta. Possibly AC/DC? And they were so over-the-top it felt like my central nervous system was about to shut down.
Yeah, it’s bad enough when something is overly loud, and you actually like the music being played… But King’s X was excruciating. Every song felt like it lasted for two hours. When the audience started stomping for an encore, I screamed, “Noooo! Please God, nooooooo!!“ But, of course, nobody could hear me, because every eardrum within a city block had been destroyed.
And the third show was Dinosaur Jr. at the Cotton Club in Atlanta. Again, every song sounded exactly the same: like holding a stethoscope to a blender full of rocks.
What’s the point of so much volume? I love Dinosaur Jr., but that show was outrageous. It was a tiny club, and I think they had stadium amps in there. I’m unclear on it. All I know is, I nearly had a seizure.
I’ve been to hundreds of shows, almost all them pre-1996 (when our first kid came along), and those are the three that stick out in my mind as the loudest. What about you? Do you have anything on this one? Use the comments link below.
And I’ll be back at ya tomorrow.
See you then!
Now playing in the bunker
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Filed under: Daily
WOOT! Top of the list for me again!
Nazareth at the Tower in Philly. My ears are still ringing 30 years later.
Cheap Trick is from my home town. I wasn’t old enough to see them when they were still in the bar circuit, but I did see them in an armory (e.g. cinderblock room) when I was a teen. I don’t remember them being overly loud.
I had a boyfriend when I was a teen who dragged me to every Ted Nugent concert the came to the tri-state area. Loud…and stupid.
First?
Four!!!!
I saw U2 in 1984(?) and had great seats in that they were very close to the stage, but on the side. Problem was there was a speaker stack not 20 feet away, pumping into my right ear the whole night. The most disconcerting (get it?) part was how one ear was blown out and the other was just regular-type concert weary.
Nope not first. Especially not with moderation. Loudest show for me was Joe Satriani with Eric Johnson. That was years ago and I’ve had a little ringing in one ear ever since. It was a small place and the side that was most messed up was the one facing away from the amps and catching the sound bounced off the wall. Still worth it though.
I saw Iron Maiden at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas in the early ’80s. It seriously took a week for my hearing to return to normal.
Randomly, another concert that dulled my hearing for a couple of days was Starship at Sandstone Amphitheater, also in the early ’80s. Something was very wrong with their sound mix.
I wasn’t allowed to go to rock concerts, which means that the loudest concerts I ever attended were the classical ones my folks took/dragged me to. Yeah, Yo-Yo Ma could really play a mean cello.
/
I hear tell, however, that my brother (who was of course allowed to do anything he fricken wanted) thought the AC/DC concerts he attended to be the loudest he’s ever experienced. But I see they qualify as a usual suspect.
Aw crap, I hate those emoticons! That’s supposed to be a less-than-enthused face.
The Statler Brothers 1980. I never knew “Flowers on the Wall” had so much bass.
I have to agree with Cheap Trick. The other for me, was The Smashing Pumpkins. Holy hell, man!
Yeah, my three, Cheap Trick, Rush and the Babies. They rocked my ears into oblivion. Of course, sitting in the nose bleed section in the Market Square arena meant that all the sound reverbrated around the clouds of pot smoke. Oh, those were the good times.
AC/DC (6 times) and Metallica (5 times) have each taken away a chunk of my hearing at a time. Other bands, equally as loud….Nine Inch Nails (4 times), White Zombie (4 times) Ministry (3 times), Tool (3 times) Rise Against (twice) and Sepultura. Also have seen Cheap Trick three times and were awesomely loud each time.
However, none have compared to hitting a bullet with a hammer when I was eleven years old. That fucked up my hearing and gave me frontal lobe headaches (due to skull entry) for the remainder of my life.
On IPOD right now– “Monkey Man”- The Specials
Motorhead, definitely one of the loudest I’ve ever experienced. Ungodly. Also saw Metallica in the mid 80s and that one was one hell of an earbuster.
My band has played bar shows in rooms that could fit ~150 people and just for kicks I’ve loaded in a full Marshall stack (100W all tube from ’79), our bassist used a full Ampeg rig and we brought an extra PA system for the drumkit. Why? Because there’s no replacement for volume. If you’re going to kickass, do it right.
I’ve been subjected to so much volume in my life through music and shooting high-powered rifles without earplugs that I’m as deaf as an 80 year old man. Been fun though.
Ronnie James Dio and Rainbow at the Omni-Holy Earplugs Batman! I thought I had gotten a hold of some bad shit and was having a heart attack at 15.
I’ve seen a whole bunch of concerts, including AC/DC, but the loudest I ever attended was Ozzy (and if memory serves correctly, it was the Bark at the Moon tour). My ears rang for DAYS.
I think it also has to do with the acoustics of the place where you saw that bands. When I saw Pearl Jam at the hockey place in Pittsburgh, the sound was very shrill. That is due to the fact that the place was never built for concerts.
The live German band at the Oktoberfest last weekend. No amount of beer would dampen the noise. I believeI was in a parallel universe being punished for past sins because no one else seemed to be in similar pain. I kept wishing for an off-duty airline employee to walk by so I could swipe his commercial-grade ear muffs.
Easy winner for me: Dick Dale. As much as I enjoyed it, I really hope I never see another show that loud.
The loudest show I ever saw was Slayer at The Warehouse in Toronto about ten years ago. Before they took the stage the house went dark and then the bass drum thundered three times so loud that my chest cavity rattled. I turned to my friend Andor and said “this is gonna hurt”, and the lights came up to reveal a massive wall of speakers that left my ears ringing for days afterward and I’m fairly sure there was some permanent damage that night. On the drive home I thought the radio was broken because there was barely any sound even though I had it cranked. The sad part is I’m not even a Slayer fan.
I’m right there with you on Dinosaur Jr. A few years ago, we saw them at a small venue that was once a movie theater. That was, without a doubt, the loudest show I’ve ever been to. My ears are ringing just thinking about it.
George Michael when he was the other half of WHAM! “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” was ear piercing.
Pantera my senior year of high school, was left of the stage about 3 people back from a speaker the size of my Truck. Don’t think I have been able to hear well since. Am a fan of the back of the house now.
Havent been to too many big shows but i damn near had a seizure at a friends basement show a few months ago.
what’s the consensus on ear plugs or godforbid holding your ears? I did it, shit im not losing my hearing so some megalomaniac rockstar(or aspiring) can get their jollies. I’d like to keep my ipod as more than a coaster.
listening to: The Black Keys- thickfreakness
I saw Bob Mould at the metro in chicago when he started rocking again after his “acoustic” phase. That shit was loud, great show though.
I went to Woodstock. I think that was loud. It is still a little fuzzy.
Oh, and everyone wish Tammie aka The Blonde Goddess a Happy Anniversary!!!
Good Afternoon Surf Reporters…..
New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh circa 1982. Who could have imagined 12 old jazz men could wail like that?
Seriously though, I’d have to say either Deep Purple or RUSH, early 80′s, both early 80′s, Pittsburgh Civic Arena. For RUSH I was only 30 or so rows back. For Deep Purple, however, I was clear at the other end of the arena/stage and the sound shook the fillings loose out of your teeth.
I’ve been to a few Dead shows where it was louder than usual. They had recreated a miniature version of the famous “Wall of Sound”. Extra loud probably because of the assorted chemicals coursing through my neurological system.
Oh, here’s the Wall of Sound >> http://media.photobucket.com/image/wall%20of%20sound%20grateful%20dead/SkyDawg_photos/19731130_0942.jpg
The Ramones, for sure, playing in Lido Beach, Queens on the Adios Amigos tour. We were not yet 18 and bribed the bouncers with doughnuts from my pal’s bakery job to let us in. The speakers in this tiny club were cracked and over-tweaked and seemed designed to kill anyone with ears that were not already shot from years of Harley riding and bar fight concussions. I sat hunched on the floor next to the bar, but was still able to stare up into Joey Ramone’s ugly mug.
Gotta say Jeff, I am none to pleased with the last couple of updates. I like my free entertainment to be QUALITY!! Damn it! The “book” is no excuse, for the love of all that is sweet and holy I NEED my regular full length doses of Surf Report.
Haven’t seen a lot of live shows but the two that come to mind that were really loud were KISS and RATT at the Hara Arena in Dayton.
PAmike-I have a friend who wears his earplugs to all the metal concerts without shame, I think it wise as hearing loss is irreversible.
Loudest concert was David Lee Roth at the Broome County Arena circa ’85-’86 maybe. Stood to the left of the stage in front of speakers and my ears rang for the next 2 days.
But even louder were those goddam monster trucks at the arena in Wilkes-Barre. I should have been arrested for child abuse for taking my kid, along with 3,000 other parents there. But while we got out of there at intermission, there weren’t many following us. I guess when “Grave Digger” is in town, tinnitus is a badge of honor.
Well one of the first concerts I saw was Kiss w/Winger & Slaughter. It was at the old Hershey Arena where the acoustics SUCKED big time. My ears were foggy for about 2-3 days before I finally heard correctly again. Ever since then I carry a pair of earplugs just in case I can’t stand the volume. Yes I’m a whimp.
Since then, I would say KIX is one of the loudest groups I’ve ever seen – at an outside gig in the 80′s. They played at a local park and people for 5 miles complained about the noise level. Huh – wonder why? LOL~
Geez….I’m way down here. See what happens when I have to learn about forcasting using exponential smoothing with trend and seasonality?!
Loudest was Black Label Society, it was outdoors but i was ten feet from the wall of amps, couldn’t hear for a week, but it was great.
Loudest and worst was Candlebox at the new Snoqualmie Casino. Su-ucked!! Mix was horrible so they compensated by turning it to Eleven. We couldn;t even figure out what songs they were playing as it was all just….. loud. glad it was free.
NDfan — and I thought I needed to get out more often….
“It felt like we were literally inside a jet engine. There was no way to discern one song from another, it was just one gigantic roar.”
Sonic Youth. I guess I should’ve seen that one coming though.
I always wore earplugs. I love music, and would like to be able to listen to it for my whole life.
Brynhildr – I was out….in my supply chain class….haha.
But now I’m back to slacking….I mean working.
Fun question. I had totally forgotten about the ear-ringing after effects. Good times. I saw Cheap Trick, probably 1979, in a small college basketball arena. I don’t remember them being all that loud, but we were in the very last row (funny story, my friend bought what he thought was a “mind-expanding” inducement, but turned out to be sweettarts). The loudest I remember was the Black n’ Blue tour of Black Sabbath/Blue Oyster Cult, ca. 1980, in the aforementioned shitty Civic arena in Pittsburgh. We also were at the far end of the arena and I thought it sucked. But you would never admit it at the time because it was an awesome show maaan.
Flogging Molly at the Tabernacle in Atlanta was hands-down the loudest, most energetic show I’ve been to in my life.
“However, none have compared to hitting a bullet with a hammer when I was eleven years old. That fucked up my hearing and gave me frontal lobe headaches (due to skull entry) for the remainder of my life.”
AWG – What is this story all about?
I’ve been told that I snore way too loud! Maybe I should do a concert!
Forgot about Black Flag with the Minutemen in 1981. Those two in one show left a high pitch in my head for about a week.
On IPOD right now- “Hey Man, Nice Shot”- Filter
RNK- I was a stupid eleven year old. I was trying to open a bullet (first bt scraping it on the sidewalk) to get the ignitable goodies inside. When that didn’t work, I pointed it to the sky and hit it with a hammer. It’s still lodged in my forehead. See, now that explains a lot now, huh?
They’re all too loud, and I don’t understamd why that has to be. When the volume is up that high it distorts the sound and you really can’t “hear” the band.
Of course, that might be why some bands play that loudly.
Have you ever plugged your ears during a concert and noticed how much the clarity of the music gets?
I went and saw Kid Rock in ’04 at Cobo arena in Detroit. I had a great time, and Rock puts on one helluva show. The thing that helped me get the most out of the show were those little yellow foam earplugs. I put those in and could hear every note they played.
And best of all, no mosquito’s or dog whistles afterward.
Ok. bad, bad grammar apologies.
I should have said “how much the the clarity improves.”
Rolling Stones 1989 Steel Wheels Tour – had second row seats at the old Shea Stadium (I’ll never be able to mutter Citi Field). Now, picture it – 2nd row – and the sound has to reach all the way down the center field. Jumping Jesus on an earplug, my ears were SHATTERED.
Back in the late 80′s and early 90′s I worked security at the Worcester Civic Center and was present for many concerts, whether I liked them or not. For the heavy metal I would prepare in advance and bring earplugs, and even then it would be loud. But the worst ear damage I’ve ever experienced was when working the New Kids on the Block concert. It wasn’t due to the crap music that they pushed out, it was due to sixteen thousand girls screaming at the top of their lungs at the same moments. Loudest fucking noise I’ve ever dealt with, and I wished many bad things upon those girls and their band. If you were at one of those concerts and you got robbed on the way home please accept my insincere apology.
Motorhead DEFINITELY takes the cake on this one for me. I saw them at the Keystone Palo Alto back in the day (prolly around 82 or 83) and they sounded better out in the parking lot! That shit was LOUD.
Happy Tuesday, Surfers!
Happy Anniversary, Tam!
AWG – I don’t want to laugh but at this moment I have tears welling up in my eyes. All I can picture is the stunned look of combined amazement, terror, and whoops you had on your face about 1/10 of a second after you dropped the hammer. I’m sorry you still have headaches from it and I’m glad you’re okay (more or less), now excuse me while I go catch my breath.
Would you believe Rick Nelson?
I used to go to Oldies Revival shows with my folks, and saw Rick Nelson about a year before he died. He had a guitaist in his back-up band at the time who had the amps cranked up way out of proportion to the rest of the band and the venue being played. And the guy took solo after solo. He would play a familiar solo based on the one from the record, say, “Hello Mary, Lou,” and then carry on an extended jam before Nelson would get back to the mike and finish the verses. Every. Fucking. Song. My ears roared for days afterward.
After another Oldies show I went to, Del Shannon’s jangly Stratocaster (I think) rang in my ears for a couple days afterward, but it was nowhere near as bad as the Rick Nelson show…
Music updates are the BEST !!!
Jeff,
Don’t know if you saw this yesterday or not (although I haven’t seen any response) but I am gonna try one more time:
Dd you get my email about my groggy Miscommunication Shirt’ XXL purchase that I would like to upgrade to a XXXL to help conceal my girlish figure? Please help !!!
Also, how about those Yankees ??!!!???
Thanks !!
I got a bad case of the fucking apoplexy.
Happy Anniversary Tammie!
Me three. I saw Dinosaur Jr a couple of years ago on their first reunion tour, and they played as loud as you describe. Also notable: The once-skinny J Mascis is pear-shaped now.
Also crazy-loud: a 1981 Black Sabbath show (with Ronnie James Dio singing).
Strangely enough, I have seen the Cheap Tricks play a few times now, and they have not been notably loud on any of these occasions.
I’m from the South!
Saw The Who twice in the early 70′s during their “lets destroy all of our instruments” era.Also Jimi Hendrix in front of 24 Marshall amps.Pretty loud stuff.
If you wanna hear LOUD me and the boys are playing the opening of a Dollar General Store in Ann Arbor this weekend, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi!
Hey stop with the YouTube links for at least a week! I’m in Turkey and it’s banned! This is all I see:
Ankara 1. Sulh Ceza Mahkemesi’nin, 05.05.2008 tarih ve 2008/402 nolu KORUMA TEDB?R? kapsam?nda bu internet sitesi (youtube.com) hakk?nda verdi?i karar Telekomünikasyon ?leti?im Ba?kanl???’nca uygulanmaktad?r.
(The decision no 2008/402 dated 05.05.2008, which is given about this web site (youtube.com) within the context of protection measure, of Ankara 1. Sulh Ceza Mahkemesi has been implemented by “Telekomünikasyon ?leti?im Ba?kanl???”.)
http://www.tib.gov.tr | http://www.ihbarweb.org.tr
Stoopid Turkey.
Rainbow with Dio on vocals was stuper loud.
I started playing in garage bands at 14 and played for a living later on. My ears don’t work so good now…
Zeppelin at the Charleston Civic Center about 1970 or so…incredibly loud. Emerson, Lake and Palmer a few years later may have been the loudest, but Black Oak Arkansas inside the Parkersburg High Fieldhouse rattled my friggin teeth.
I’m at the age where my hearing is starting to fade. No doubt the concert I attended in Dayton, Oh at Hara Arena in 1990 featuring Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jeff Beck might have something to do with the decline. The 5000 capacity arena is acoustically similar to a tin can. My ears are ringing now just thinking about it.
Would somebody please turn down that music?!
WHAT?? WHAT DID YOU SAY????
The dB’s, from New York by way of Winston Salem. I’ve seen a thousand concerts and nothing comes close in terms of sheer volume. It’s not even heavy metal, they’re more southern pop like Pylon, Love Tractor, REM, etc.
Permanent damage, the doctors said.
Loudest shows that stand out in my mind…
Cheap Trick – Speed Street Festival in downtown Charlotte 2007 (I told my date about your saying “Louder than Cheap Trick”. After seeing them, she agreed whole heartedly.)
Enuf Z’Nuff – Baity’s in Winston-Salem (I knew we were in trouble when they had a wall of Marshall stacks across the entire stage. Remember how small that place was, Jeff? Thank Allah that I had ear plugs, which I wear to every show.)
Motorhead – Fillmore in Charlotte 9/11/09 (We were directly behind the soundboard and noticed a digital db meter. I remember seeing 112 at one point. Great show!)
The Dropkick Murphys at the House of Blues a couple of years ago left me stunned and staggered. TW saw an ad for the show and surmised we’d be going to see a nice Irish rock band. When we arrived, I figured that something wasn’t consistent with that expectation when we saw the line of “patrons” sporting a variety of colors in their Mohawks and other assorted hairstyles, with their bodies adorned with shrapnel fashion accessories (this was at Downtown Disney–not somewhere you’d normally see such a crowd).
But we decided to go ahead and see what the attraction was, and I’ve gotta say that I enjoyed the music. Hell, I even bought a t-shirt.
Thank God they served copious amounts of Guinness….
Nazareth has to be the loudest show I have ever experienced. Motorhead takes second. I was on the left side of the stage for Alice Cooper back in the old Toledo Sports Arena in the 70′s. I actually have left ear hearing damage from being in front of the speakers. I plug my ears if I go near the stage these days. I probably lost most of my hearing running punch presses without hearing protection in my 20′s though.
My first concert was AC/DC at the old Spectrum in Philly, about 1988. Fucked my ears up for several days afterward.
RNK- you should have seen the look on my friend’s face (not Jeff, not Bill from WV) , who talked me into it and who had to catch the third degree from my fake Dad about the events that unfolded. Dad yelled to me “What the fuck was that?” and I replied “Nothing” as a pool of blood was streaming unknowingly down my face. I lock my guns up now, thinking my crazy kids could repeat the same thing.
I really don’t get why bands have the damn sound cranked up so high, to the point where the sound is distorted almost beyond recognition, and it causes actual physical damage.
It is as if you were to go to a movie, and they had the screen so bright that you couldn’t even distinguish the details of the picture anymore. Not only that, but you are left with spots before your eyes that never go away. “Hey, I lost 15% of my eyesight when I saw Attack of the Clones, but it was so worth it!”
Don’t be ashamed to where the little yellow earplugs folks. I wish I had.
Pantera @ the Johnstown War Memorial. By far, the loudest ever.
Hands down Butthole Surfers at the Eagle Club (?) in Milwaukee circa 1996. Holy Jeebus. So incredibly loud that, out of the main hall in the can, with earplugs in, I couldn’t hear myself shout. Amazingly noisy (with a kick-ass Reverend Horton Heat opener to boot!).
Who loves you? That’s right, it’s me.
I asked my husband Jeff’s question and he reported that the loudest concert he ever attended was Rollins Band. Specifically his eyes glazed all over and he said, “Yeeeeah, Rollins was pretty loud, screaming in my face.” And I just assumed he meant Henry Rollins not, you know, Sonny Rollins.
Which reminds me, to the person who said shorts are a bad outfit to perform in, care to tell that to ol’ no-neck Henry?
I’ve been to fewer concerts than has Jeff turned down buffets. I saw a Russian band called Gorky Park right after the Wiedervereinegung.
I did not get tintinabulations from this event. Neither did I kiss my date. I should have, but she kept talking about her boyfriend. Why did you take the date, love?
The Wall had fallen, Reagan had broken the back of USSR. Putin could not stop Poland’s Missile shield. Life was looking great.
I have nothing funny today. That is Jeff’s job. He posted music, so I posted boring History. The Report is a rapport.
GS
Ognir is right, acoustics makes all the difference. My loudest show was the Psychedelic Furs. I don’t know that it was all that loud in absolute dBA terms, but the acoustics of the place were so bad that I couldn’t even tell if I liked the music or not – it just sounded like high-frequency NOISE at a very high volume level. This was in the mid-90s at GWU in DC. The show was supposed to have been at the Lissner Auditorium but they moved it, for some reason, to a basketball gym.
Also pretty loud: Emerson, Lake and Palmer during the winter of 1976-77; Philip Glass group, 1980-ish; Oregon at Blues Alley (tiny nightclub) about 10 years ago.
Yes, absolutely wear the earplugs. I even wear them whenever I get on an airplane. I like the foam ones, E-A-R or similar. Found a funny-named brand a couple of weeks ago: “Hearos”. I bought them because they had the highest attenuation number of all the the foam style ones on the pegboard at the Walgreen’s at Kennedy and West Shore in Tampa that day.
AWG, “hitting a bullet with a hammer” immediately made me think of Bugs Bunny in the bomb factory. As the bombs rolled down the assembly line, he’d hit each one with a hammer while flinching, then when it didn’t blow up he’d write DUD on it.
Ed – I kinda think they crank it so loud because they are not that good live.
Loudest (annoying) concert I was at was many years ago at Van Halen, sat in a section where girls were screaming and screaming. VH wasn’t loud enough to cover their annoying backstage mating calls.
Aerosmith and Guns and Roses in St Louis it was so loud it was distorted at times. Much louder than the “Monsters of Rock” tour in KC.
I just saw Cheap Trick a few weeks ago. They still rock. Poison and Def Leppard were pretty good too.
Does TSO count? Because shit, they’re LOUD.
If not, then probably ‘Animal Logic’ back at the Mystic Den in 1983. They didn’t suck, and a night out at the bar meant ringing ears, a good drunk, and quite possibly a new boyfrriend. YeeHAW!
TSO gets my vote, though I’ve seen em’ twice, first time was a great sounding “volume”, while the second was, um, “painful”.
KISS, the loudest I’ve heard, in the late 70′s. I think I heard them, I don’t remember now. I was too stoned. I think.
just before I go…
I was technically at ‘Deep Purple’ in 1969 in Dundee the night they got banned from ever playing Dundee ever again for being too loud. I was in my mum’s womb and she was there. I swear I still get freaked out when I hear a Hammond organ. Thanks to John Lord for that phobia!
The loudest was probably Sly & The Family Stone at the University of Puget Sound fieldhouse in Tacoma, WA, in 1970. In dB measured at the stage, Hendrix and Blue Cheer (in other venues) were undoubtedly louder, but oh my Lord, the horrible acoustics of that place! The sound waves would hit all four wooden walls and meet back in the middle.
Mr. Stewart was mad with drug, and continued to signal the sound dog to turn up the amps. “Everybody is a Star” is a beautiful anthem, and sweetly sung and played on the album, but in person, with the amps pegged in every dB range is was much more like “Everybody is Deaf”.
Several years later, I saw Mose Allison at The Banque (or the Bank) in Seattle. Heard every ripple of every note played and sung. Sweetest sound I ever heard. Mose was not mad with drug, and used all 88 keys and threw in a couple extra for glory.
jtb
I was at that Cheap Trick concert, too! We stood over on the left hand side (Rick Nielson’s side), but I don’t remember it being that much louder than the average Charleston show at the time. I stood right in front of the floor mounted speaker cabinets during a Kiss concert once, and the rumbling force made me so sick to my stomach that I had to go to the lobby for a few minutes to recover or I was going to “send my Burger King dinner back to the kitchen,” so to speak.
A few ridiculously loud shows come to mind…
Motorhead – Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh (The “Another Perfect Day” Tour)
Big Black – Stache’s – Columbus. Kee-rist, that was loud…
Raw Power – Mr. Brown’s – Columbus. I don’t think I ever really figured out what song they played at any given point in the show – my ears were alternately ringing/shutting down after the first song
The last time I saw Black Sabbath (with Ozzy) was when they played on the “Black and Blue” tour with BOC. Their sound was shit. It was all volume, all sludge bottom-end. You couldn’t tell what the fuck they were playing. All I could make out was Ozzy’s “araaaaagh!” sound (I guess he was saying the word “alright”) as he marched back and forth to ends of the stage waving his stupid fucking peace signs at the crowd.
Metalica at the Arena In Pitt. LOUD. However the loudest thing any of you motherfuckers ever will hear is 2 top fuel dragsters . Shakes your eyeballs in your head. They set off car alarms in the parking lot 200 yards away and break out the light bulbs at the finish line. No shit. Nothing compares as far as loud goes.
I also would single out Kiss w/Winger & Slaughter (Hot in the Shade Tour 1990), I was right beside the speakers on the fence in front of Gene and my ears rang for four days.
Other notables include Motley Crue (1990) and Pantera (1992)
I’ve been to a LOT of concerts and I also believe that sound quality plays an important role. In the last year or so I’ve seen NIN and Tool twice each and they were loud but also crystal clear and clean. Coincidentaly, both bands are known for going the extra mile to make their albums and concerts sound good. I hope more bands adopt the trend…of course it means you have to be able to correctly play your own music in a live setting…(sadly) not something that every band can do.
@AWG, AIC – “Black Gives Way to Blue” was officially released in North America yesterday.
Leonard Cohen a couple of months ago was pretty loud. He may be old, but he rocks like a bastard. Will probably die like a jellyfish too. Other than that the usual suspects – Metallica, Megadeth etc
Loudest thing I’ve ever heard was 6 Harrier jumpjets doing a VTOL display. Ouch.
@ Son Of Sam, I agree about the Top Fuel Dragsters. A mind bending experience all around, for sure. The 120db noise is one thing but seeing them travel from here to there (1320 ft) in under four seconds really messes with a persons reality frame of reference.
Actually, I once discussed my theory that rock music was being killed by short pants with “ol’ no-neck Henry” (as described by Gretchen). He had just finished his set during one of the last tours done by Black Flag wearing running shorts (no shirt and no shoes). That’s what he used to wear at all of their performances at the time, so he could show -off all of his tattoos, I suppose. He got a laugh out of it. Henry is actually a pretty laid-back and friendly fellow. I reckon he gets a lot of his inner aggression out on-stage, sorta the same way Stevie Wonder does.
Hey Shiny,a little cross blog chatter,are you an opponent or proponent of colon cleansing ?Just curious.
Lee Harvey Ramone: I once watched Rollins’ TV show when he had on Iggy Pop and he acted like a giggly preteen girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. After that show (and others) I came to the conclusion that Rollins is actually a big nerd under all those muscles. Am I right or completely out of my gourd? Still, I wouldn’t want to critique his sartorial choices just in case he’s in the mood to, you know, break me in half over his kneecap as a means to get out his inner aggression.
Gretchen….and you DEFINITELY don’t want to piss off Stevie Wonder!
Lee: Are you saying Stevie Wonder is sensitive about his clothing choices too? Hmmm, wouldn’t have thought that.
I dunno, it’s probably incredibly gauche to say it, but I think I could allude Stevie Wonder in a small room.
I mean “elude”. Crap!
Thanks Kevindust- Went out on my lunch and picked that up.
Gretchen, in 1981 I saw Rollins pick up a 200 pound guy by his hair for calling him a motherfucker on stage, with one hand. I think he is the real deal. Maybe not as much nowadays, though.
On IPOD right now- “When the Levee Breaks”- Led Zep
Kevindust I guess you’ve been there? Norwalk?
I’ve been to Vegas Gainesville Columbus and Norwalk. Vegas is all cement on both sides and the sound is incredible. You can see the concussion waves in the air.
“Loudness does not equal greatness”
@ Pagan-It does in my bed.
cc, There is hope for me yet!
Son of Sam-Went to Norwalk years ago for an IHRA event back when Doug Hebert (SP?) still ran in that series, I was told that the cars would blow you back from the fence to which I responded “yeah right”. Holy Fuck! I damned near pissed myself when the first cars made full runs. We were standing along the chain link fence at the start line what seemed like 20′ from the cars? I swear to God I was at least 5′ away from the fence when I looked up. I think I need to go back sometime.
I saw 2 Rollin’s Spoken word shows, and I was amazed at how small he actually is! I expected him to be as tall as he is muscular!