Can you hear me?

[twoplanekid]

I attended the Tommy James & The Shondells concert at the Sharon last night. It’s a delight to be entertained by an original and a professional who is a year older than me at 75. He performed almost all of his greatest hits of which there were many. It was also nice to have him spent time meeting and greeting the audience.

I thought that the sound system at the Sharon would be great. However, for us it was set way too loud. My wife left half way through the performance as did several others. As long as I kept my ears covered, it wasn’t too bad. I was a little surprised that the sound was at levels typical of 50 years ago when we were much younger.

So, be warned that the sound levels at the Sharon may be set way too high for many paying customers who attend this type of music venue. It may talk a day or two for me to recover so I may be continually saying “I can’t hear you”. :icon_wink:

[Bogie Shooter]

I have read on here in the past regarding this sound issue.
Replies were that the band sound guy controls the volume.........

[twoplanekid]

I have read on here in the past regarding this sound issue.
Replies were that the band sound guy controls the volume.........

You may be correct but there should be direction given by staff to help make the show more enjoyable. There was no need to turn off phones as I could not hear mine if placed against my ear with the volume turned to the loudest setting.

[Chi-Town]

Crank it up for Led Zeppelin or The Who but not Tommy James. Saw Tony Bennet there and others and the sound was perfect. I agree its the the band's sound man.

[retiredguy123]

If they turned it down to my satisfaction, everyone would leave except me. I have never liked live music for that reason, and it has nothing to do with my age.

[coffeebean]

I don't like really loud music. I always bring a pair of ear plugs for live concerts just in case the music is too loud. We saw Journey with Arnel Pineda at an outdoor venue in NJ and had to leave after a couple of songs. My ears hurt even with the earplugs in place. It was just awful.

[Garywt]

There might have been some that could barely hear it at that level, who knows.

[Altavia]

There might have been some that could barely hear it at that level, who knows.

Is it just me - the more my hearing degrades, the more loud music hurts?

[manaboutown]

Is it just me - the more my hearing degrades, the more loud music hurts?

That is my experience as well.

Over a billion young people at risk of hearing loss from loud music, venues, study suggests (https://www.fox5dc.com/news/over-billion-young-people-hearing-loss-risk-loud-music-venues-study)

[VApeople]

I have always been very intolerant of loud noise, especially loud music. I always leave.

[TheWarriors]

I think most people prefer it loud over soft, it’s a live show and. They want to feel the beat as well as hear it. Perhaps you’ve reached the age where this entertainment isn’t your cup of tea anymore. When we were younger I can’t remember anyone saying a show was too loud ever.

[MandoMan]

I attended the Tommy James & The Shondells concert at the Sharon last night. It’s a delight to be entertained by an original and a professional who is a year older than me at 75. He performed almost all of his greatest hits of which there were many. It was also nice to have him spent time meeting and greeting the audience.

I thought that the sound system at the Sharon would be great. However, for us it was set way too loud. My wife left half way through the performance as did several others. As long as I kept my ears covered, it wasn’t too bad. I was a little surprised that the sound was at levels typical of 50 years ago when we were much younger.

So, be warned that the sound levels at the Sharon may be set way too high for many paying customers who attend this type of music venue. It may talk a day or two for me to recover so I may be continually saying “I can’t hear you”. :icon_wink:

Well said. I avoid rock concerts for just that reason. For most of our lifetimes there has been a belief that rock concerts should be FELT whether or not they can be HEARD. Feeling the music requires enough volume to cause hearing damage. But music loud enough to feel encourages people to want to dance, and that’s the idea. The amusing thing is that I suspect most of us heard the Shondells on little transistor radios or on 45s played on little record players or on television. We didn’t hear the original hits played at volumes loud enough to feel, so why now? The Shondells really only played songs to be heard, not felt. Did they have albums, too? I certainly never bought one. Not my kind of pop music.

I’ve only been to a few concerts in The Villages. Some were so loud they hurt, and wearing earplugs simply ruined the music. Others were loud but bearable. Even the excellent Beatles tribute last summer wasn’t too loud. It’s pretty sad when we are judging concerts by whether or not they were too loud, isn’t it? But, alas, I do.

It is easy to use a decibel meter at the sound board and establish what volume causes pain to us—and hearing loss—and require that the volume not be above that level, whether or not the sound guy wants it louder. I wish that would be done. You can even buy a decent decibel meter app online for a few dollars that lets you check the volume and see if it’s safe for you. It’s right there on your phone. For me, 100 decibels or above will cause me more pain than pleasure and make my ears go numb.

[rsmurano]

Over 55 years ago, I was in rock (heavy metal) bands that played at big events. I sat right in front of 6ft tall Marshal amps playing the drums as loud as I could and I couldn't hear myself play. Since then, I have been to hundreds of concerts and when in the front row watching the Who or Aerosmith for example, my pant legs were flapping from the loud sound.
To me, it's not the loudness but the quality of the sound that wants me to leave. A lot of music these days over emphasizes the bass and it sounds like s*&t.

[birdawg]

I attended the Tommy James & The Shondells concert at the Sharon last night. It’s a delight to be entertained by an original and a professional who is a year older than me at 75. He performed almost all of his greatest hits of which there were many. It was also nice to have him spent time meeting and greeting the audience.

I thought that the sound system at the Sharon would be great. However, for us it was set way too loud. My wife left half way through the performance as did several others. As long as I kept my ears covered, it wasn’t too bad. I was a little surprised that the sound was at levels typical of 50 years ago when we were much younger.

So, be warned that the sound levels at the Sharon may be set way too high for many paying customers who attend this type of music venue. It may talk a day or two for me to recover so I may be continually saying “I can’t hear you”. :icon_wink:
The wife and I went to the Christopher Cross concert and I agree the music was way to loud also.

[tallmanf]

If the music is too loud, your too old..

[Tooker]

If the music is too loud, your too old..

I attended the Tommy James concert several years ago at The Sharon, and ended up with inner ear damage from the high volume. My inner ear was bruised and it took two doses of steroids to clear it, and the pounding headache, up. My Doctor said this was not the first case of damage she had seen at TV, as a direct result of concert attendance. I called The Sharon and was told the staff has no control over the volume at which the shows are performed by some artists, and, as a side note, Tommy James has hearing problems. That was the last concert I attended without earplugs.

[vinricci]

We quit going there a while back when Air Supply performed. Couldn’t hear their beautiful voices.

[Byte1]

Always liked Tommy James & The Shondells recordings, but back in the late 70's I went to see them perform and was slightly disappointed. He still sang very well, but appeared to be drug dazed and even had to be helped/escorted off the stage. That was just my observation, and maybe there was a good reason for his appearance. After that, I thought he would be just another short lived entertainer. Never expected him to live this long, but glad he has. Sincerely hope that those that paid to see him recently, still got their money's worth. Still like his recordings.

[GmaLisaG]

Concerts are loud.

[YeOldeCurmudgeon]

Must be 25 years since I went to a rock concert, but when the music is so loud you can barely hearing the singers, then it is too loud. You can feel music without it being loud. I go to the symphony and can feel it just fine.

The loudest concert I ever went to was Pink Floyd when I was in my 20s. I was sitting near the front in an amphitheater and it was so loud and hurt my ears so severely that I had to move back to the lawn section.

When music becomes that loud, it becomes noise not music. If a sound man doesn't understand that, he / she ought to look for a new job. Sometimes, I also wonder if it is simply to cover up the bad singing.

[hillncea]

My wife and I both went to the Tommy James and the Shondells concert and had the same experience you did. The volume was so high that it was painful. I wanted to leave but we had tickets right in front, and not on the aisle, so we really were trapped. I finally figured out the trick of putting my fingers in my ears, and that not only brought the sound down to a reasonable level, but also made it a lot clearer to hear. It turned out Tommy James has a pretty good voice--I wouldn't have know that without my fingers in my ears!

[Frankb]

Well known saying “if it’s too loud you’re too old”




I attended the Tommy James & The Shondells concert at the Sharon last night. It’s a delight to be entertained by an original and a professional who is a year older than me at 75. He performed almost all of his greatest hits of which there were many. It was also nice to have him spent time meeting and greeting the audience.

I thought that the sound system at the Sharon would be great. However, for us it was set way too loud. My wife left half way through the performance as did several others. As long as I kept my ears covered, it wasn’t too bad. I was a little surprised that the sound was at levels typical of 50 years ago when we were much younger.

So, be warned that the sound levels at the Sharon may be set way too high for many paying customers who attend this type of music venue. It may talk a day or two for me to recover so I may be continually saying “I can’t hear you”. :icon_wink:

[Nucky]

I was under 10 years old and in bed while it was still light outside and who shows up at my house in my driveway? Tommy James and Peter Lucia, the original drummer for Tommy James.

My dad car pooled to work with Pete Lucia Sr. They showed up in a Thunderbird Convertible complete with a Paisley paint job and an autographed picture of the entire group and a dollar bill signed by the group. I was speechless.

Mr James and Re-Pete asked if I had any questions for them. I asked if we could go to a recording session with them one day and the answer was yes and they did make it happen in NYC. By this time my cousin got the word that they were there and he showed up and asked if he could see if their hair was real . Tommy declined but Pete Lucia said yes. I remember being in total amazement that the hair wasn’t a wig. They drank every drop of my Dads crummy Carling Black Label Beer. It is the memory of a lifetime. They spoke softly but sang too loud at the recording session so I get what the OP pointed out. Pete Lucia died of a heart attack at a young age. It was quietly mentioned that it was the fast life that did him in. Most of the conversations going on during the visit were adult discussions so we just stared and listened. We did get a ride in the car before dark. Great day in our lives.

[Surf Daddy]

I was the tour manager and stage manager for a RRHoF band. I can tell with certainty that most major venues have SPL restrictions. It will be a measurement in dB(A) at a precise distance from the front of the stage. It will take into consideration the demographics of the audience and the band. Metallica at an outdoor festival will be different than Johnny Mathis at The Sharon. Many times the drums are the loudest and driving force in high SPL on stage. He gets loud, then all of the guitars get loud to compete. We would solve the problem by putting the drummer in the "aquarium", the plexiglass fence.

The front of house engineer has total control over the "loudness" of the PA, with two little faders on the mixer. He can make it or break it.

[Surf Daddy]

Rule #1. If you are in front, it will be loud. Bring ear plugs. Even the simple little yellow foam plugs are effective. Remember that guitar amp on the stage floor is aimed directly at your ears.

[Regorp]

I attended the Tommy James & The Shondells concert at the Sharon last night. It’s a delight to be entertained by an original and a professional who is a year older than me at 75. He performed almost all of his greatest hits of which there were many. It was also nice to have him spent time meeting and greeting the audience.

I thought that the sound system at the Sharon would be great. However, for us it was set way too loud. My wife left half way through the performance as did several others. As long as I kept my ears covered, it wasn’t too bad. I was a little surprised that the sound was at levels typical of 50 years ago when we were much younger.

So, be warned that the sound levels at the Sharon may be set way too high for many paying customers who attend this type of music venue. It may talk a day or two for me to recover so I may be continually saying “I can’t hear you”. :icon_wink:

Could not make the show, but listen to his music all the time, as well as Christmas music. Loved it for over 55 years!!

[ML Smith]

If it’s too loud, we/you’re too old.

[mikeycereal]

Last concert I went to was ZZ Top in Vegas about 10 years ago. It was held outside so no volume problems & they were perfect. Been a while since I attended an indoor concert but will remember to bring ear plugs just in case.

[spexdr]

The few times I have been to the movie theater it has been the same issue for me. Pack ear plugs for events just in case.

[NavyBoy]

I have read on here in the past regarding this sound issue.
Replies were that the band sound guy controls the volume.........

So just like **** poor sound systems, goes **** poor QA for sound by having inept sound engineers or those that claim to be, along with inept and poorly designed pass gates at DeLuna entrance of 301 where the damn gate arm is set too damn close to the key reader thus hitting and damaging any car or truck that has a front end longer than ten inches....just saying. Everything the Morse Family creates isn't always even good....so either put ear plugs in your ears or run your car through the gate at DeLuna if you have to overcome mediocrity. LMAO

[birdawg]

If the music is too loud, your too old.. you don’t sell ice cream to Eskimos if you want to stay in business