LOUDEST Concert and Tinnitus

Randy Hansen Machine Gun: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

Whiskey A GoGo early 80's. My ears rang for 3 days

@daledeee1 

I had a run in with Jack White in Seattle a few years ago.

It was way too loud, but the worst part was his fixation with playing the screechiest guitar notes possible. Fingernails on a blackboard would have seemed melodic by comparison.

Yes it was about 5000 people standing.  Some of his songs are pretty good "Ball and Biscuit" is a good one to sample.  Good recording too.

I forgot one.  Police 1984 or so.  Bass rippled my belly nearly nauseating but good sound.

I also want to repeat, to answer the OP's second question: tinnitus does not have to get progressively worse, though you do need to protect from further loud shocks going forward... 

High quality hearing aids these days can and do diminish, and in some cases eliminate, tinnitus.  Some even have tinnitus reduction programs built in to retrain the brain; however, even just the recovery of at least some high frequency hearing gives your brain something to focus on besides the tinnitus which thereby reduces (or eliminates) your perception of the tinnitus.  

Interesting thread. 
 

Probably the loudest concert and the closest to a truly religious experience to me was The Who in ~1969… Chicago. The last time they played Tommy for a long time (they said that was the last time ever… but it was not). 
 

Fortunately, I went to concerts ignorant of the possibility of hearing damage and do not have tinnitus. I started to realize coverts were too much in the 80’s and started stuffing paper in my ears, then just stopped going to concerts. 
 

I have been going to acoustic jazz and symphony concerts over the last 30 years. I have poked my head into many rock concerts… usually with napkin in my ears and just don’t go any more.

Fortunately at 70 I still have my hearing and can appreciate my audio system. Mostly luck more than great sense.