The Loudest Band in the World? - The Loudest Performance You've Been To?

You might wonder who are/were the loudest bands in the world:
Led Zeppelin, Deep Purle, The Who, ....,
MC-5, Ted Nugent - the loudest guitarist, ... , Manowar, ....

What is the loudest performance you've been to?
Have you ever seen, or rather heard, any of the extremely loud rock artists mentioned here,
e.g. Ted Nugent, Manowar, ...?

This concert loudness is dangerous. This is insane!

Any comments, opinions, ...?

In the late 1990s I was a couple of times to the Rolling Stones concerts in the Oakland Alameda Coliseum
and once in 2000, in the San Jose Sharks arena. Both locations in California. - It was very loud.

From here.

From here

See also The LOUDEST rock bands of all time: Vanilla Fudge, ... Swans,...,My Bloody Valentine,

and

From ... Manowar Kicks It Up a Notch with Meyer Sound and Westfalen Sound

Well, this is crazy.

 

Although I didn't have a db meter at the concert, Emerson Lake and Powell when I saw them in Detroit were unquestionably the loudest concert I've seen. At least it seemed that way to me--I had to get up and go to the back of the auditorium, it was hurting my ears.

And I've seen Nugent, Kiss, Black Sabbath and they were nothing compared to that ELP concert...


Oh, and Dick Dale plays pretty darn loud!

 

I saw the MC-5 and The Stooges back in the day and yes for the time I recall thinking both were very loud.
But neither one of these great bands were anywhere near as loud as these bands.

In order of loudness.

1. Dinosaur Jr. - painfully loud every time a guitar solo was taken extreme pain, had to move to the back in order to enjoy it more.
2. Oasis at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit
3. Curve at St. Andrews Hall Detroit, the Bass frequencies were so loud I could feel it in my chest.
4 My Bloody Valentine at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, the final blitzkrieg of feedback at the end of the show, was deafening.

 

Some reggae band I saw at the House Of Blues in Los Angeles.

Don't remember who they were, but it was horrendously loud. I couldn't believe it, why it was necessary.

 

St. Andrews Hall in Detroit

Although many great acts have played at St. Andrews, the venue has never been known for sound quality. I've had similar deafening experiences there.

 

For me it was AC/DC at the Charlotte Coliseum on the Fly on the Wall tour. My friend and I knew someone in security, and were able to get into the photographers section in front of the stage. We were laughing at the fact that everyone in there had cotton or something stuffed in their ears.

Needless to say, after 2 1/2 songs and our brains rattling around our heads, we retreated to our seats. Don't really remember much of the rest of that show, and my hearing wasn't the same for a week.

And I keep wondering why I have that incessant ringing in my ears now, 25 years later.

 

KISS last year was plenty loud. Metallica in '92, Slayer in '91. My ears rang for days. Of all these, I'll give the nod to Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Saratoga 1996. During "Like A Hurricane" the band reached a zenith in feedback. There was a moment where I expected that the P.A, my head, or the entire universe would explode right then and there.

 

Yeah, I wonder how Neil still has his hearing.

He's had a penchant for LOUD for many years.

 

Deep Purple on the "Burn" tour for me. My ears rang for three days!

 

Blue Cheer on the last two tours of the band before Dickie Peterson died. I've been to my fair share of shows, but NEVER had one where the walls vibrated and the ground rumbled. Earplugs - A MUST! And my vantage point was in the back by the mixing board!

 

There's like a 30 page "loudest band" thread around here somewhere. My Bloody Valentine for me.

 

After hearing the Who, every band that came after was pretty irrelevant in that catagory.

 

MBV was measured at 137db at the Austin show.

 

Van Halen at the 1986 Texas Jam. It was .....ridiculous!

 

Deep Purple Mark II reunion, the Perfect Strangers Tour. The kick drum felt like someone hitting you in the chest. My ears rang for a couple of months afterwards - I was seriously concerned I had permanently damaged my hearing, (I hadn't).

I was sitting up in the nosebleed section - 3 rows from the back!!! Note, people sitting closer were probably safer, the PA was aiming over their heads towards the back of the hall where we were sitting.

Learned a hard lesson that night, now I NEVER go without earplugs. this includes when mowing lawns, using power tools etc. Maybe I'm old, but these days music is "too loud" if I have to raise my voice to speak to someone - label me a fuddy-duddy and put me to one side if you must.

 

Dinosaur JR @ The Great Northern in Byron Bay on their "Beyond" tour! SOOOO Loud!

Second is Grinderman, yesterday! They were playing in a large tent at a festival, it was so loud and I had no earplugs, I ended up tearing pieces from my festival guide, moistening them up and shoving them in my ears to make it tolerable! They were brilliant though, an excellent band, I'm so glad I saw them (was a last minute decision, as they were playing at the same time as TOOL @ the same festival).

 

I thought Spinal Tap were the loudest band in the world?

 

Deep Purple's Stormbringer tour in 74. Horrible loud!!!

 

kiss 1988 (ears still ringing)

 

My Bloody Valentine in about 1990.

 

I have posted previously about this before... the Who in '76 were measured at 127 db (outdoors) and yes, it was LOUD! However... I don't know what Led Zeppelin's sound levels were but my ears rang bells for days after both indoor Forum shows. Never again. I have used ear protection ever since.

The Who - Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA March 1976
Led Zeppelin - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA 1975 and 1977

 

That was my original answer many moons ago but was replaced by either Motorhead or MBV. I did see Firewater in a small bar which may have trumped all of the above.

 

I might be getting old, but I thought Iron Maiden at the O2 in Dublin last July were loud enough to loosen teeth!!!

 

The Jam at Blackburn (yes, that Blackburn, the one with 4,000 holes) Town Hall in '78 or '79 is the only gig I've ever had to walk out of because of the volume.

 

the Who, Swans & My Bloody Valentine have been the loudest bands I've ever heard live.

- When the Swans played at the club I worked at (Revival), they were blowing electric circuit breakers every 2 minutes. I could feel the bass waves flapping my shirt, & I was at the back of the venue ! As the stage circuits kept breaking, they stopped preforming after about 10 minutes, and that was the end of the show. I thought it was stupid, an exercise in arrogance. At least the Who & MBV shows had enough power.