fallen angel
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2007
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Something I have thought many a time and openly discussed with a few musicians.
I love a live performance, love the immersion, love the feeling. Even that being so, I don't ever go to live performances. The reason being, they all play far too loud for me to enjoy the music. I've gone to a few concerts, unable to hear at the end even with ear protection. I've also been to a few friends performances locally, just the same.
One friend of mine is an extremely talented musician. I grew up with him and was in the school band with him years ago. He can play near anything put in front of him, sings beautifully and generally has a great ear. Go to a live performance, and I can't hear anything over the very LOUD and sloppy base. Another, and I end up getting a headache from the vocals being much too loud. I tend not to mention much to bands if I think the sound is off as I know it usually comes off the wrong way, but I had asked my good friend about it. He chalked it up to being part of the experience, kind of matter of factually - it is what it is. The music is great, when you hear it recorded. I've mentioned the same thing to my mother back when she was a singer in a local band, same thing, "it's what the people want."
I have had the pleasure of being to a very few performances where it was a great listening volume, majority of them being unplugged of course. Point being, I know that I and at least a group of other people would go to many more performances if the sound was dropped down below ear bleeding levels. I get that the name of the game is to create energy but why is it that most performances go as loud as possible before the cops arrive? I would think that venues would still fill up with people even if they could hear afterwards. Perhaps different people would show and those with hearing lose would not, but who would mind that tradeoff? You really want it that loud, go stand in front of the pa, let me keep what is left of my hearing and enjoy the music.
I love a live performance, love the immersion, love the feeling. Even that being so, I don't ever go to live performances. The reason being, they all play far too loud for me to enjoy the music. I've gone to a few concerts, unable to hear at the end even with ear protection. I've also been to a few friends performances locally, just the same.
One friend of mine is an extremely talented musician. I grew up with him and was in the school band with him years ago. He can play near anything put in front of him, sings beautifully and generally has a great ear. Go to a live performance, and I can't hear anything over the very LOUD and sloppy base. Another, and I end up getting a headache from the vocals being much too loud. I tend not to mention much to bands if I think the sound is off as I know it usually comes off the wrong way, but I had asked my good friend about it. He chalked it up to being part of the experience, kind of matter of factually - it is what it is. The music is great, when you hear it recorded. I've mentioned the same thing to my mother back when she was a singer in a local band, same thing, "it's what the people want."
I have had the pleasure of being to a very few performances where it was a great listening volume, majority of them being unplugged of course. Point being, I know that I and at least a group of other people would go to many more performances if the sound was dropped down below ear bleeding levels. I get that the name of the game is to create energy but why is it that most performances go as loud as possible before the cops arrive? I would think that venues would still fill up with people even if they could hear afterwards. Perhaps different people would show and those with hearing lose would not, but who would mind that tradeoff? You really want it that loud, go stand in front of the pa, let me keep what is left of my hearing and enjoy the music.