LOUDEST Concert and Tinnitus

It’s hard to recall, but probably deep purple in ~’72.  There were a few other loud ones. 

I’ve had tinnitus for probably 30 years. One day I noticed a low level ringing in my right ear. I usually can ignore it. My wife says it’s because I play my music too loud (I’m pretty sure that’s not it, as I rarely play it at >85 db. The doctor told me to play music to drown out the ringing . . . I win! ;-)  I’m pretty sure my hearing issues resulted from equipment (power saws, lawn mowers). 

The tinnitus hasn’t gotten worse, though last year I had an episode where the ringing increased so much it would wake me at night. That lasted only a couple of days, but I had my hearing checked (I have a loss in one ear for a narrow bandwidth). The ENT dr put me on a course of steroids to see if the loss could be repaired, but sadly no go. He said I’ll just have to live with it.

1991 6th row Providence Civic Center RI

Iron Maiden with Anthrax without a doubt.

Incredible set lists from both.

Ears rang for 3 days. The quiet nights in bed where maddening!

Others have come close ( Judas Priest, Metallica, Motorhead)

But that one I never forgot!

Van Halen, 1984, David Lee Roth was drunk (surprise) and my ears were still ringing the following afternoon.

SoundGarden Red Rocks - front row.
Chris’s voice was easily the most terrifyingly beautiful thing I’d ever heard. My ears rang for about a week.

Now a days, Burning Man - some of the art cars (Mayan Warrior and Robot Heart) can get pretty loud, even out on the playa. You can hear House Music playing nonstop 24/7 for a week, which even at a distance can wear you down. Even with ear plugs there’s nowhere to hide. Just have to surrender to it.

Cheap Trick/Aerosmith indoor concert. Despite being up high all the way back in the upper boxes, my ears rang for 2-3 days.