What is your loudest band or performer you have ever heard

REO Speedwagon somewhere around 83/84. Their Wheel Are Turnin’ tour. Cheap Trick opened for them. Cedar Rapids Iowa. Was close enough to the stage that when they set off the Pyro during “Ridin’ The Storm Out.” We felt the heat and concussion. It was awesome!! Took three days for ears to return to normal.
 
When I was a teenager, there was an old run-down theater in the city that was used as a small venue for concerts.
Started out as a fancy 3800 seat movie theater from the '20's, was a h-hole in the '80's, and has since been renovated and houses the Pittsburgh opera and other performing arts.
But that's where I saw Blue Oyster Cult and my first of 2 Kiss shows.
Originally engineered for awesome acoustics, those bands punished that place with their touring sound systems.
My ears were ringing for days after Kiss...
 
fitz said:
When I was a teenager, there was an old run-down theater in the city that was used as a small venue for concerts.
Started out as a fancy 3800 seat movie theater from the '20's, was a h-hole in the '80's, and has since been renovated and houses the Pittsburgh opera and other performing arts.
But that's where I saw Blue Oyster Cult and my first of 2 Kiss shows.
Originally engineered for awesome acoustics, those bands punished that place with their touring sound systems.
My ears were ringing for days after Kiss...
Click to expand...
Don’t know about BOC…. But KISS was notoriously loud. In fact. They held the record for awhile.

“On July 15, at a Canadian concert in Ottawa, the band Kiss recorded an SPL of 136 dB measured during their live performance. Noise complaints from residents ...”
 
As a point of reference:

Turn it Up to 11!: The Loudest Live Events Ever Recorded
  • Led Zeppelin Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • AC/DC Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • Motorhead Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Game – 130.4 dB. ...
  • Kiss Concert – 136 dB. ...
  • Seattle Seahawks Game – 137.6 dB. ...
  • Manowar Concert – 139 dB. ...
  • Kansas City Chiefs Game – 142.2 dB.
 
iblive said:
As a point of reference:

Turn it Up to 11!: The Loudest Live Events Ever Recorded
  • Led Zeppelin Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • AC/DC Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • Motorhead Concert – 130 dB. ...
  • Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Game – 130.4 dB. ...
  • Kiss Concert – 136 dB. ...
  • Seattle Seahawks Game – 137.6 dB. ...
  • Manowar Concert – 139 dB. ...
  • Kansas City Chiefs Game – 142.2 dB.
Click to expand...
I know the Who in 76 held the record for long time. 130 or something at the 50 yard line!!

There is no reason for that though, I dislike pain in my ears for 2 hours. Loud is fine, within reason.

I recall Cheap Trick in 1980 amd we were like 5th row in front of Rick's amps.
My ears actually felt numb to touch them through the next day!!
What seems fun at yhe time can lead to problems later.
I think things have changed since. I don't recall KISS being that loud last time here but I am still bringing good plugs for tonite
 
There's definitely a tie between Deep Purple during the Perfect Strangers tour, and Motὂrhead at Hammersmith. I was at the front of the stage, and thought I would see what it sounded like without ear plugs. I couldn't put them back in fast enough. All of the amps were on, plugged in, and set to 10.

Honorable mention also goes to The Allman Brothers Band. I was in the second row at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, directly in front of Dickie Betts' amps. I have never heard two 100 watt Marshall half stacks sound so loud, and clear at a concert. Might have been the JBL speakers he had in his cabs.

Also Black Sabbath for the Heaven and Hell tour. Again, super loud with an incredible sound system. You didn't realize how badly you were being punished until it was over.
 
AC/DC, 2000 at the Quicken Loans Center in Cleveland, OH. Literally lost almost all hearing for 2 days and whenever I would be in silence, the ringing in my ears was so bad that I started crying. I looked like a schizo tweaker the next morning when I went to The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and entered their small concert hall that was dead silent. I walked in and immediately placed my hands on my ears, yelling and crying and ran out while people stared in disbelief lol
 
Saw ELP in a little 2600 seat theater in Davenport Iowa. Three people I was with commented how loud it was. I dissented. Yes it was loud. The walls were moving. I could feel the music in the seats and floor. But it was low frequency compared to multiple screaming guitar solos. It’s the higher ranges that do damage. Bottom end to mids just moves a lot of air. I loved it. My ears did not suffer ill effects.
 
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