wendersfan

Depends on the show. For Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, which was indoors, emphatically yes. For other shows, especially outdoor shows, no.

And I'm definitely over 40.

Randy Miller III

Separate incidents?

EddieMoney

Especially if they are playing their "Effects of 333" album in its entirety. Yikes!

TheBang

Clarification on that is definitely necessary

Giantrobo

I'm 43 and I started wearing ear plugs to ALL concerts back in the late 80's and early 90's. That's around the time I started working at the LA Sports Arena and earplugs wear given to us.

I quickly started using them when I went to shows on my own which were Heavy Metal groups. To me they not only protect my ears, they filter out the crowd noise and high end frequencies. It always seemed to me the music was actually sounding better with them on. Also, when wearing them I don't go home with screwed up hearing that lasts a couple days. Trying to sleep after a concert with no earplugs was a mess. My ears would ring for days. Not good...

mkdevo

These. Always.

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Resea.../dp/B0044DEESS

bunkaroo

This is very true. I can hear things both on and off stage a lot more balanced with them in.

UAIOE

I got smart in my late teens after having ringing in my ears for three whole days post concerts.

But this last concert I got lazy and didn't wear them, three days to recover. Never again!

TheDuke

I've seen quite a few concerts, and I've never really seriously considered wearing them until recently. I went to see Swans and managed to get in the very front row. I had heard they are probably the loudest band out there, but I wasn't too sure what to expect They brought their amps out - there was a huge wall of them, every single one of them mic'd - and set them only about 4 or 5 feet away from the edge of the stage, where I was. At this point everyone beside me was kind of freaked out. The security guys were nice enough to track down a pair of plugs for each of us. I took one out towards the end of their last song and it was the most deafening noise I've ever heard in my entire life, and I didn't even take the plug out all the way. I think I'll start wearing them from now on, since it's on my mind.

BearFan

I do not, there is only one I really wish I did (took my daughter to see Falling in Reverse ... they were insanely loud in a pretty small venue.

I went to see Cheap Trick Friday and did not and thought it was loud, but not insanely so

Mike86

I don't wear them but it's also not that often that I attend concerts so I figure a couple times a year at most isn't going to kill me.

mdc3000

I didn't wear them when I was in my teens, did for most of my 20's but then stopped wearing them just because they muffle the sound too much and I enjoyed it more without... however those ety plugs sound intriguing...I have definitely done a bit of damage to my ears over the years but all those great shows have been worth it

Mordred

I've been wearing plugs for the last 10 years. On recommendations from dvdtalk years ago I purchased some Etymotic's, but I've switched back to cheapo drug-store moldeable plugs recently for a few reasons. I always had a bitch of a time getting the Ety's in my ears and forming a proper seal. Like 5 minutes per ear usually. They were also pretty damn uncomfortable for me for some reason. I tried getting a smaller size in case my ear canals weren't big enough, but those were even worse. Then about 3 years ago I had my Ety's at a concert where I was relatively close to the stage. Even though I got them in and they were properly sealed my ears rang for 3 days afterwards. After that I decided to go with some with a little more attenuation and easier ability to put in my ears. Ety's aren't for everybody apparently.

Interestingly enough, my experience has been that almost nobody wears earplugs at shows I go to... until just recently. Over the last year I've noticed a lot more kids wearing them for some reason. At the last show I was at, I'd say a good third of the crowd was wearing plugs, whereas when I first started wearing them, maybe 5-10% tops would.

Nick Danger

I already have custom earplugs for motorcycling, so why not?

The last concert I went to was George Clinton, and our seats were right in front of the speakers. The bass volume was making the cuffs of my jeans flap back and forth. I was okay the next day, but my friend had hearing problems for a week.

nodeerforamonth

Having seen thousands of performances over the years, earplugs are a must. If I don't wear them, my ears ring in disturbing ways. Most of the time I just use a napkin because it doesn't muffle everything, just the high end.

woofman

Always. After seeing Metallica on the Justice for All tour (88') I could barely hear (except for ringing) for days, so I vowed to protect my hearing ever since. Small clubs with shitty sound can usually benefit from a little filtering anyway (IMO).

edclem

I'm 38 and have been going to / playing in shows pretty consistently since I was about 15. I wear them every time. As others have posted, I, too had a scare in 1990 (give or take). Saw Slayer and Testament, and was down on the floor just behind the main circle pit. Show was on a Thursday, I think, and I couldn't hear anything, really the next day. It was a few days before the ringing stopped.

statcat

Yes definitely need them. Bands play way too loud for me in small clubs which are about the only gigs I go to these days. Funny thing is I usually film the shows and what I record sounds better than the distorted loud mess I hear when I'm there.