Have You Used Ear Plugs At Concerts ?

[guscouto]

wow!!
here in brazil i never heard about anyone that uses earplugs at shows... maybe is because the best shows are at football stadiums and therefore the sound is lower.... but i went to Silverchair, Premiata Forneria Marconi (progressive rock, italian band), Pitty (brazilian band that played Rock in Rio 4) concerts in a small hall we have here in Sao Paulo and had no problems with my ear ... i guess the sound must be much louder in North american shows! My friend is studying in Boston and went to one of GN'R shows and said the sound is unbelievable ... i envy you guys! ? I wish i could see Guns n' Roses in a small hall and compain the sound is too loud! ? In football stadiums the usual complaint is that the sound is too low !!

Anyway, can someone post a link so i can see what earplugs do you use ?? I want to see how it works for me... thanks

[Adam_Guill]

never go to a dave matthews band concert without good earplugs. otherwise you run the risk of listening to their music


the more you know

[BurningHills]

Why is this still in the main GN'R section? It has nothing to do with the band...

[RIFF-RAFF]

Have you used ear plugs at a concert?? If so leave a comment about the experince and who it was.? Has anyone used them during a GNR Show?? ?

Not every show I have been to have I brought or needed to use ear plugs.? Recently I saw The Cult and I had forgot to bring some earplugs, it was so loud that it did not sound good and it wasn't as nearly enoyable as it could have been had I used earplugs (or if Matt Sourum was behind the kit).

I'm sure if you have been to a show or heard of someone say "It sounded like I was in a tin can", or "I couldn't hear over all the noise (screaming, too much treble, etc.) or "what? I'can't hear my ears a re ringing and they hurt".?

Wearing a normal foam earplug cancels out those sounds and you won't have a "ring" in your ears.

What it doesn't do, is make everything silent. In fact you hear MORE of the music, less of the drunk behind you.

My first concert wearing earplugs was a Megadeth / Suicidal Tendecie concert and man did they sound like crap with out them.

Concerts that I'v seen in the recent years where the earplugs came in handy have been:

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Coldplay
AFI
Plain White T's
U2
GNR

http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=1063

http://scottppatterson.blogspot.com

http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/earplugs92905/home.html

Why did you go to an AFI concert

[Malcolm]

Im guessing this is probably a Bad Obsession topic, But ive never worn earplugs to concerts before, Ive wanted to a few times but decided not to because I've never seen anyone do it before...I might next time though

Edit: As i suspected this shouldve been in Bad Obsession

[CheapJon]

No

[Krispy Kreme]

Yeah, at VR 1st time  (we were 2nd row  in front of speakers). But  the plugs  were  annoying so I took them out. Enjoyed the hell out of the show after that.

[Cornell]

I have gone to 100's of shows and never wore them - everyone told me I was crazy because I was always in the front.  Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, GNR... even sat on the stage leaning against the speakers for one AC/DC show.  I used them when I took my son to see Def Leppard because we were in the front and was young and I was amazed at how much clearer you could hear.

[BangoSkank]

Have you used ear plugs at a concert?? If so leave a comment about the experince and who it was.? Has anyone used them during a GNR Show?? ?

Not every show I have been to have I brought or needed to use ear plugs.? Recently I saw The Cult and I had forgot to bring some earplugs, it was so loud that it did not sound good and it wasn't as nearly enoyable as it could have been had I used earplugs (or if Matt Sourum was behind the kit).

I'm sure if you have been to a show or heard of someone say "It sounded like I was in a tin can", or "I couldn't hear over all the noise (screaming, too much treble, etc.) or "what? I'can't hear my ears a re ringing and they hurt".?

Wearing a normal foam earplug cancels out those sounds and you won't have a "ring" in your ears.

What it doesn't do, is make everything silent. In fact you hear MORE of the music, less of the drunk behind you.

My first concert wearing earplugs was a Megadeth / Suicidal Tendecie concert and man did they sound like crap with out them.

Concerts that I'v seen in the recent years where the earplugs came in handy have been:

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Coldplay
AFI
Plain White T's
U2
GNR

http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=1063

http://scottppatterson.blogspot.com

http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/earplugs92905/home.html

Why did you go to an AFI concert

hahaha did they die off?

[babydolls]

never have - though regretted it when i saw Velvet revolver last year - slash hitting the high solo in Crackerman - dear god!? i was deaf in one ear for 3 days straight - that guy plays LOUD!
my friend swears by them - but I never have - I want to hear the full sound and move around the floor if its not good where I'm standing.

probably will do in the future if the ringing gets worse.

cant imagine U2 gig needing earplugs... actually, could be much better that way - haha!

[CheapJon]

No

and i'm not gonna at the concert i'm attending tonight either

[Izzy]

Used to go without earplugs - my hearing is still damaged from it

I always wear them now, they reduce the damage, and u can hear things so much better

Even with ear plus the gig is too loud

Dont know why bands do it - and as its proven exposure to 110 decibels for more than 15 mins damages your hearing - surely the band can be sued? No disclaimers were involved in purchase.

[CheapJon]

surely the band can be sued?

but it's kinda hard to prove that the damage came from the specific show aint it

[Neemo]

well after going to see VR i lost full range of hearing for about a week and it was pretty scary so the next show i attended (dream theatre/megadeth) i brought some....but good god...the sound was terrible so i took them out, they were all that loud anyway so it's all good, the loudest concert i've ever been to is VR, it was insanely loud the PA cut out, and i've been to some pretty heavy duty concerts too, including pantera...nobody was near loud as VR...just a warning

[Bodhi]

I haven't, but can see the benefits after Motley Crue in February and RHCP during their tour for "One Hot Minute" (you know...back before they sucked).? Crue was so fuckin' loud that you could hardly decipher anything.? I appreciate loud...but I'd rather hear the show than be impressed by the amount of sound you can create.

actually "One Hot Minute" was the only point in time The Chili Peppers DID suck....everything else has been way better...Dave Navarro was a terrible fit for them...

[estranged88]

Ear plugs are for pussies.  I was in the front row of a ManOwaR concert and i didn't  use ear plugs, that should be reason enough for no one to ever use ear plugs.

[D]

HOw do u people wear earplugs at concerts?

I put some in once at a KISS concert but it drowned out all the treble and my heart felt like it was gonna explode.

Ear plugs in my opinion ruin the concert experience cause it fucks with the quality of the music.

[Skeletor]

actually "One Hot Minute" was the only point in time The Chili Peppers DID suck....everything else has been way better...Dave Navarro was a terrible fit for them...

Actually, everything after One Hot Minute has been soulless pop shit. Californication is probably in the top 5 worst albums I own.

Ear plugs are for pussies.  I was in the front row of a ManOwaR concert and i didn't  use ear plugs, that should be reason enough for no one to ever use ear plugs.

Heh, I'm surprised you're still able to hear anything... Those guys play pretty loud, I remember one reviewer who complained about it and observed that as he went to the bathroom during the gig, the toilets were shaking up and down because of the music. I've seen them once too, but didn't notice the excessively loud volume because I was wearing plugs.

And yeah, I usually wear them, but there are exceptions; one time I was drunk at a club watching Amorphis and didn't bother to get the plugs out - my ears rang for a month.

[Chief]

I bought earplugs that only filter out harmful frequencies from a guitar store. those are much better than the normal foam ones because they protect your hearing better and you can hear things much clearer with them.
Most of the time its always better with these plugs in, except for acoustic shows.  I want to be able to hear for a long time so i always wear them to protect my ears (which have already been damaged!)

mine are similar to these:
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx

[WhiteRose]

Yeah, that ringing sound you hear after attending a loud concert... that's actually an indication that some amount of permanent hearing damage has occurred.  So, for those of you who feel compelled (for whatever reason) to attend loud concerts without earplugs... I would strongly recommend that you reconsider.

Personally, I always take a pair of soft foam earplugs with me (even if I don't expect to use them) to every show that I attend.  If the music is too loud or if the sound mix isn't clean... I simply put them in and they work wonders.   

Not only will they protect your hearing and ensure your ability to enjoy music for many years to come... but they can even filter out the sonic sludge of a really bad sound mix. 

If you're a music lover, you need to take care of your ears and they'll take care of you. 

Cheers,
W.R. 


For more information about the risks of hearing loss: http://www.american-hearing.org/disorders/hearing/tinnitus.html