Loudest show you ever saw

Probably the Who/Clash/David Johansen Band at Shea Stadium 1982 wins for pure wattage, although I was so far away in the nosebleed section it wasn't as a loud by the time it got to me. However, the closest I ever came to incurring hearing damage might have been The Smashing Pumpkins at the teeny-tiny club Shibuya On-Air, Tokyo in 1993. The band was cranked full up in a room not much larger than the interior of a medium-sized McDonald's. I was young then, so to me it was a blast.

 

Blue Cheer at the Fillmore in SF late 1967/early 1968, and possible the 1974 Grateful Dead wall of sound shows at Winterland (which dislodged large chunks of the ceiling).

 

Strangely enough, ELO on the Out Of The Blue tour (with the spaceship). The only show I've been to where I was very familiar with the band's catalogue yet still couldn't tell which song was which.

 

The loudest show I can remember was Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band at Alpine Valley on their 1st tour[every time Clarence Clemons played his sax the volume jumped up several decibels]......at intermission I couldn't hear a thing my ears basically shut down til the music started up after the intermission[I was in about the 1st 5 rows......won my ticket on the Steve Dahl radio show from Joe Walsh].....that hasn't happened since.

 

My Bloody Valentine in London in the 90's. They actually handed out earplugs as you entered, as the music was intended to be "felt". I took my earplugs out at one point and felt instant pain. Great gig, with the earplugs IN.

 

Grand Funk Railroad in Chicago 1973. Totally deafening. I thought I heard a dryer running for days after.

 

I'm thinkin' Cheap Trick at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco in September 1998. They performed all of their second album that night and the scene was akin to bedlam. Boy, did they rock out. LOUD. Very loud.

 

Can't remember if I mentioned it earlier in the thread, but when I saw Ringo in 1989 at Merriweather Post, it was also super-loud. I was probably 25 rows back...

 

Recently saw Chromeo and Snow Patrol.
Seriously loud.
Are concerts significantly louder today? I hadn't been in a few years, but it seemed excessive.

 

Oasis...Hollywood Palace, circa the Morning Glory era. Worst show I've ever been to. Played every song overly loud and at twice the tempo as their recorded versions. Ears were ringing for nearly 2 weeks.

 

The Kinks is a 1000-seat theater in 1989. I lost hearing that night.

 

Neil Young, L.A. Fourm, late 1970's. Ears rang for the better part of a week. Probably lost my top octave that night.

 

Saw them around that time in UK. It was open air, so not as loud as it would have been indoors. As much as I detested their drunken fans, it was one of the tightest performances I've seen from any band.

 

I would guess shows are probably less loud than they used to be because there's more awareness of the topic, but that's just a thought.

I always wear ear plugs so I don't notice super-loud shows as much as I would've in the past...

 

Lauryn Hill at Santa Rosa, it didn't help that they didn't sound check so her vocals were incredibly loud and I'm 6'2 so I was getting all the sound.

 

Ramones at the Reseda Country Club in summer 1989. Dickies opened. Ears didn't stop ringing for about 48 hours (took about that long for the hangover to wear off too). You can see the club in the exterior shots at the beginning of Boogie Nights!

Honorable mention: Bob Mould with the Black Sheets Of Rain touring band (Tony Maimone/Anton Fier) at the Moore Theater in Seattle in November 1989. Pinned in my seat by what seemed like a 20 minute feedback coda on their last song. The drugs might have had something to do with that. They were opening for Pixies. Saw Pixies the next year (with Primus) opening for Jane's Addiction. Was never that impressed with their live show.

Dramarama at SXSW about 10 yrs ago was loud as hell too. Older and married by then and just enough Texas vodka, Lone Star and Shiner Bock to numb my feet for four days of standing in clubs.

 

ZZ Top in Wheeling, ca. 1984-85

Zappa in Cleveland 1974 a close second

 

Some band who opened up for The Jesus and Mary Chain at Irving Plaza, NYC a few years ago (they were awesome) and the horrible bands that opened for Gary Numan at Webster Hall, NYC several months ago. Ridiculously loud bass, with no discernible vocals, guitar, keys, nothing. Thank goodness for earplugs!

 

The show I attended must have been an off night for them, then...it seemed like they were rushing through their set.

 

Todd Rundgren in Asbury Park somewhere around 1972. Second row. Painful.

 

I knew someone in college who saw ths tour, he said the exact same thing.

 

probably White Stripes in Milwaukee in 2003

 

Sammy Hagar at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC in 1999. It was my first and only concert where I didn't bring earplugs. I was practically deaf when I left the venue (early because I was literally in pain) and my hearing didn't return to anything resembling normal for days. I wouldn't be surprised if I suffered permanent hearing loss from that show, and it was years before I went to another one.

 

The Black Crowes on the Furthur Festival tour in 1997 were so loud they it was actually painful. Interestingly, I had seen them open for the Stones in Wembley Stadium in 1995 and they were almost inaudible the volume was so low.

Deep Purple in 1974 was extremely loud.

 

Mogwai in the early 2000's.

When they started playing I could not get my earplugs in fast enough - I had a sort of panic feeling while I was putting them in. Throughout the concert, I vividly felt the sound pressure blowing my jeans and t-shirt back several inches - and that occurred even when there was no bass frequencies. (I was about 1/3 of the way back in the hall.)

I was wearing the kind of foam earplugs that you roll in your fingers to compress, place in ears and hold while they expand. At one point I was curious what it would be like if I pulled an earplug out for 1 second. I only got that earplug slightly loosened when I realized that was a big mistake. I inserted it and held it while it expanded again.

If I didn't have those earplugs, I would have had to leave.

That kind of volume seemed irresponsible.