Wear earplugs at concerts

[Robertcw]

Figured I’d write this real quick. I come from a family of musicians.

My brother plays in a punk band and I often frequent underground rock venues.

Well, recently I saw ‘Oh, Weatherly’ live and they were great, but they eq’d their performance by raising the levels of every instrument up, rather than down. The consequence was I left with ringing ears and muffled hearing. Signs of ear damage. I’m still recovering 2 days later.

Got my albums signed.

Concerts typically play at 95 - 110db. Some at 120db+. This is louder than any nightclub I’be been to. Underground rock is known for being loud.

Any exposure above 85 - 95db can cause hearing loss. The solution is to wear earplugs at shows. Commonly they’ll take off 10-40db of volume, which can bring levels down into the safe range for you so that you can enjoy the show and not lose your ability to hear shows in the future.

They are sold at drug stores. Regular foam earplugs are fine. They say on the box how much they reduce the volume. Different plugs go for different reductions. I would aim for 20-35db.

Some universities are researching how to restore lost hearing via stem-cells in the inner ear, but for now it’s not a treatment that’s readily available.

Its kinda lame to put in earplugs, but veterans in the music industry all do it. It isn’t worth losing your hearing permanently. ✌🏻