PerryD

Hard to say whether the cruises are any louder than a normal club, probably not. A lot of times, the volume hitting my ears would depend on the placement of the on stage speakers and how loud they are since I'm up front at the rail, the giant main stacked array speakers hanging up on the sides of the stage are directionally not very loud where I am located. But to answer your question, these are $20 at Amazon and do a good enough job. I don't push them all the way into my ears, just enough to take the edge off.

Kdogg

Same one's I've seen using for years to take the reverb out.

The Cow

Those look like the ones I use too, but I think mine are a different brand. There is an older thread around this place somewhere and that's where I got the recommendation for the ones I use.

Edit: found the thread, and they ARE those same earplugs

https://forum.dvdtalk.com/music-talk...plugs-not.html

Decker

Actually when I said the cruises must be tough on your ears, I was referring to the volume (quantity) of loud performances and not the volume (loudness) of loud performances.

I went to an American Academy of Pediatrics presentation on hearing loss and it kind of freaked me out. Glad you have hearing protection. I will order two sets for me and the Mrs.

PerryD

I'm not going to say that my hearing is great, I definitely have a harder time deciphering conversations in noisy environments than when I was younger. But I haven't noticed any excessive ringing from 10+ hours of shows on a cruise day versus one night of 3 hours at a regular club. The club shows can be really loud at times, and I'll push in the ear plugs a little deeper when that is happens.

mndtrp

I also use Etymotics, although mine are a bit more compact.

PerryD

The Darkness on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. First time seeing them and really enjoyed their set.

cultshock

I use the same ones as well, I never go to metal concerts without hearing protection anymore.

darkdaze73

3/29/24 - Greensboro

Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Black Stone Cherry(mainly went for BSC)

Paff

Annabella's Bow Wow Wow

There are two bands using the name Bow Wow Wow. One features just original bassist Leigh Gorman, the other just singer Annabella Lwin. Original drummer Dave Barbe is off doing other things, and guitarist Matthew Ashman is no longer alive.

I think this is the one to see, the one with Annabella. Not only because of the unique sound of her voice, but Gorman has been cycling singers through his version of the band more than Spinal Tap had drummers. And not to impugn his bass playing (he's amazing), the sound of Bow Wow Wow has always been Annabella's girlish screams, Ashman's rockabilly riffs, and Barbe's African drumming. Bass came fourth. So I'd rather have at least one of the three most important aspects of the band be an original. And Lwin has assembled a crack group of musicians, with an actual African drummer (making the beats seem less "cultural appropriation").

Great run through a lot of the old songs, went a little deep with the selection of "What's the Time (Hey Buddy)?", which was just fine with me, and closed of course with "I Want Candy".

JANK

"Ashman's rockabilly riffs" ??? Hardly. Not even close to rockability (see Robert Gordon, etc) but he was stunning and had his unique style. I adored his work,

and "Barbe's African drumming" or -better- TRIBAL drumming was the other core of this wonderful group.

Paff

You know what I mean. It's not quite rockabilly, you're right. I heard an interview with him where he was praising some old guitarist who influenced him, I wanna say Duane Eddy, but I'm not 100% on that.

And we of course won't get into the straight-up lifting of African musicians like the Mahotella Queens, where their "Umculo Kawupheli" was somehow transformed into "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go join your gang, yeah! City all over go ape crazy"

Jippy2

I managed to squeeze in three shows in the past week:

First was Night Club at Madame Lou’s in Seattle. I was there on a business trip and bought a ticket last minute. Awesome energy. They’re an electronic duo (I wouldn’t call them goth, but the audience certainly was).

Next up was Gary Numan last Thursday at the Observatory in Santa Ana. It was the last night of his tour. I took my daughter and she loved it. The sound mix was great and I’ve been a fan of his for decades.

On Monday, I found out Bruce Dickinson was playing a sold-out show at the Observatory. Resale tickets were priced a bit too high. I checked again around 2pm and the venue released additional tickets. I’ve seen Maiden twice over the years and they’re always great, but getting to see Bruce in a small venue was something I couldn’t pass up. The show was awesome. I’m not familiar with much of his solo material, but he’s got a stellar band. He said a solo tour in the states is being planned for sometime next year. I’ll definitely try and see him again if I can manage it.

Meathead

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Dome in Syracuse, NY. 4/18/24 Fanastic show!

Meathead

Following up on the hearing protection discussion... both my friend and I wore these earplugs for Bruce Springsteen last night:

Loop Experience



They worked great even with how loud it was in the pit. Music and vocals crystal clear and no ringing in the ears after the show. I didn't really even feel them after the first few minutes.

Paff

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I've yet to find ear protection I really like. All the ones I've tried so reduce the overall volume successfully, but at the expense of good tone. The bass still cuts through, but the highs I like are just completely gone. So I end up wearing them for the opening acts, but taking them out for the band(s) I really want to hear that night

Dr. Phibes

I have pretty severe social anxiety, so I haven't been to a lot of shows in the past several years. I also don't know anyone who likes the same music I do, so I pretty much have to go alone. But I'm trying to force myself to get out and see more bands, so I'm heading about an hour away on Thursday to see Decapitated with Septic Flesh, Kataklysm and Allegeaon.

I've got a few more shows lined up so I'll have to get a pair of those earplugs and give those a shot.

Does anyone else have concert parking anxiety? I have very little city or parking garage driving experience so I always get extra paranoid that I'm doing something that's going to get me towed or that the lot will fill up before I get there. I went to a Wolves in the Throne Room show about 6 months ago and got there so early that I was there before the venue's parking lot guy started working.

PerryD

I go to many shows alone, but many times there will be people that I've met before at a show, and if you go to enough shows within a genre, you'll make new friends. Regarding anxiety in general, I have many layers of stress of the concert process. Long drive into the city dealing with rush hour traffic (I have a direct expressway from work to downtown, but google navigator frequently puts me on side roads to avoid congestion), dealing with parking (spothero helps a lot), getting in line early, and then ultimately getting my spot on the center rail.

I'm also going to that Decapitated show, it's a part of a week long death metal week, I haven't committed to all of the shows yet, but there is Obituary on Monday, Kerry King on Tuesday, Decapitated on Wednesday, Dying Fetus on Thursday. I have the Decapitated VIP so I'll get in early for that one.

darkdaze73

I am assuming you are talking about the show in Greensboro at Hangar 1819. Don't know if you have ever been there, but they don't really have their own parking area. They use a parking area that is located behind the club. I think they recently started charging $10 to park there. I have only been there once and that was around March of 2023. Not a ton of spots there, so you may need to get there a little early. Not sure where else there is for parking as I stated above that I have only been there once. Also, the club is on the smaller side compared to other venues I have been to.

My teen daughter has been dealing with a social anxiety and covid really didn't help things. We have been to a bunch of shows over the last couple of years and she has gotten somewhat better at dealing with people being too close to her. While I know going to concerts will not rid her of this, but it has helped in some areas.

Decker

Okay, I just ordered a pair. In time for playoff hockey.

Dr. Phibes

Yeah, that's the one. That's actually where I saw Wolves in the Throne Room back in October. That was my only time there so far, but I liked the venue. It's small enough that you still have a pretty good view even from the very back. It's a small lot and it's $10 for a ticket to park there, but I think they can cram a decent amount of cars in the two areas - there's a 2nd smaller area to the right.

I saw Cannibal Corpse and Mayhem in Charlotte in September and I got there an hour early and there already a hundred people in line. So I got to the Wolves Hangar show an hour early and had to wait like 40 minutes for the attendant guy. But Decapitated is a bigger band so I'll probably show up early still to make sure I get a spot. I'll go hang out at the vintage video game store down the road for a while.

PerryD

Firewind at the Forge in Joliet IL earlier this week.

PerryD

British metal band Raven at Reggies in Chicago, still touring after some 50 years

PerryD

Candlemass last month at Reggies in Chicago. Seeing them again next year on the next 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise.

PerryD

KK's Priest on the Monsters of Rock cruise.