Jammers - bring earplugs!

benjs
benjs Toronto, ON Posts: 9,448
edited October 2013 in The Porch
At the risk of sounding like a senior citizen though I'm actually 23, this is an issue that's critically important and not mentioned enough. Three and a half years ago - May 19th, to be exact - was the last time I heard nothing. After attending the Buffalo PJ show, I went to the shows in NYC. I was young and foolish enough not to wear hearing protection, and am now a full-time tinnitus sufferer. I wake up and go to sleep each and every day with ringing in my ears. Sometimes I can sleep through the night, sometimes I can't. Tinnitus can be noise-induced, and I assure you that the volume of the typical concert is not in the safe range. In addition, it takes less and less for tinnitus to become worse - ie. a lower volume, and a shorter length of exposure can increase the volume of your ringing.

This can be avoided! Don't ruin the PJ experience with piece of crap earplugs... Spend $15-20 and get a decent pair of reusable earplugs like the ones Etymotic makes.

Do not think you are invincible, and if you love music, then you must love hearing. If you love hearing, then don't fuck up - protect your ears!

And PJ management - if you see this - you guys should sell reusable plugs at a concert. I'd buy them with a PJ-branded carrying case :)

Sorry about the preachy PSA attitude, but I'm hoping I can get through to at least one or two people here who would make lifelong mistakes otherwise.
'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2

EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • FrankieG
    FrankieG Abingdon MD Posts: 9,100
    I'm doing 4 shows in 5 days and was debating this...

    You have convinced me.
    2003: 7/14 NJ ... 2006: 6/1 NJ, 6/3 NJ ... 2007: 8/5 IL ... 2008: 6/24 NY, 6/25 NY, 8/7 EV NJ ... 2009: 10/27 PA, 10/28 PA, 10/30 PA, 10/31 PA
    2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD
    2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA
    2022: 9/14 NJ ... 2024: 5/28 WA, 9/7 PA, 9/9 PA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
  • RKCNDY
    RKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    what?
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • nevmiles
    nevmiles Ottawa, ON Posts: 1,363
    Saw lots of earplugs in Buffalo. While I didn't wear any, I started wishing I had brought some with me about 3 songs into the night. I stuffed some kleenex into my ears for a few songs at one point . . it helped a little, but as soon as SOLAt started I took them out and figured the kleenex weren't doing much anyways. Not sure if it is louder from the pit, but it seemed loud to me...

    My ears were ringing the next day and still are a bit now . . . I think it's worth it to wear them and I probably will next time!
    Barrie 08/22/98
    Montreal 10/04/00
    Toronto 10/05/00
    Toronto 06/28/03
    Kitchener 09/11/05
    Ottawa 09/16/05
    Toronto 08/21/09
    Toronto 09/11/11
    Ottawa 09/14/11
    Buffalo 10/12/13
    Ottawa 05/08/16
    Chicago 08/20/18
    Ottawa 09/03/22
    Nashville 09/16/22
  • jcfranz
    jcfranz Posts: 168
    Well worth the $10:
    http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research ... B0044DEESS
    It's easy to grin, When your ship comes in, And you've got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, Is the man who can smile, When his shorts are too tight in the seat
  • RiotZact
    RiotZact Posts: 6,300
    RKCNDY wrote:
    what?

    haha well played.
  • foodboy
    foodboy Posts: 988
    have been wearing them since 1985. get made fun of a lot but don't care. 40 years of concerts and i can still hear well. also don't ever sit in the sun on purpose either. it will keep you from aging and help prevent skin cancer.
  • foodboy
    foodboy Posts: 988
    have been wearing them since 1985. get made fun of a lot but don't care. 40 years of concerts and i can still hear well. also don't ever sit in the sun on purpose either. it will keep you from aging and help prevent skin cancer.
  • tribejammer05
    tribejammer05 W'Ville, OH Posts: 696
    It's great advice. I had a physical earlier this year and the doctor was "concerned" with my hearing and wants yearly check ups for it. I'm only 29.
    "There's a $10,000 bill in it for you."
    "Oh yeah? Which president's on it?"
    "Uh, all of them. They're having a party. Jimmy Carter's passed out on the couch."

    Columbus 2000
    Columbus 2003
    Hershey 2003
    Toledo 2004
    Cincinnati 2006
    Chicago/Lollapalooza 2007
    Columbus 2010
    Chicago/Wrigley 2013
    Pittsburgh 2013
    Portland 2013
    Cincinnati 2014
  • benjs
    benjs Toronto, ON Posts: 9,448
    tribejammer05 wrote:
    It's great advice. I had a physical earlier this year and the doctor was "concerned" with my hearing and wants yearly check ups for it. I'm only 29.
    I went to an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor. I told him I have ringing in my ears constantly.

    Him: "Do you go to many concerts?"
    Me: "Yeah, I do"
    Him: "Do you wear earplugs?"
    Me: "No, I don't"
    Him: "Your ears may ring for the rest of your life, they may not. Either way, thanks for helping put my kids through college!"

    I wish I were making that up.
    '05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2

    EV
    Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 11,072
    Yah I go to alot of shows and back in the 90s my dad kept telling to wear plugs. He's a drummer and said even if the show isn't super loud, the fact I go to a lot of shows will slowly impact my hearing.

    Then I saw soundgarden at the PNE forum in Vancouver in 1996. Holy fuck. I'd never had hearing loss that bad before (or ever again). I went with two friends and neither of us could communication after the show. It went beyond ringing and what not. Everything sounded like static. It took about two days to get to point where it was only ringing.

    My dad was a bit more stern and said I was going to be deaf if I didn't start wearing earplugs to concerts. At this point I couldn't shrug it off anymore. I think I've worn plugs to pretty much every show since except for Metallica 1998 in Barrie, ON. That was pretty loud and did some damange, but not like Soundgarden did.

    I have tinnitus but it doesn't seem as bad as other people. I really only notice it when it's quite. Any kind of ambient noise seems to make it go away. Which is weird because I sleep with ear plugs in, and thus hear it every night, but I can still fall asleep......

    What's my point? Wear ear plugs... even the cheap crappy spongy ones aren't too bad. I actually found I could hear concerts better when I wore them. I remember before I started to wear them I would have a hard time understanding banter between songs. Now I have no problems.
  • mookieb10
    mookieb10 Posts: 930
    I have some cheap CVS green ones, I think they said they lower noise 18 decibels if memory serves. Is that good enough or should I wear better ones?
  • KV286578
    KV286578 Posts: 78
    Went to Buffalo without and my ears paid the price. Went to both Worcester shows with - no ringing and no loss of sound quality. if anything, I can hear the band but not the guy behind me singing! Will use them from now on.

    http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research ... s=etymotic
  • jjflash
    jjflash Posts: 5,059
    OP: Solid advice. I wear 'em religiously to shows :ugeek: . I had 15" subs in my car way back in high school and listened to a bunch NWA, Eric B. & Rakim, Guns 'n Roses, Van Halen, etc. A friend's mom one day very sternly told me I wasn't going to be able to hear my child's first words :nono: . It shook my foundation :shock: . I got rid of the subs and started wearing ear plugs to shows. 20+ years later I'm still wearing 'em. It ceases to amaze me how loud the world seems when I'm walking out after a show and remove the plugs from my ears. Getting old isn't an avoidance and I hope to do it w/ my hearing in tact....heck, there's a lot of classic albums that have yet to be made that I wanna hear ;)
  • on2legs
    on2legs Posts: 16,389
    i wear earplugs and on a couple of occasions i've forgotten to bring them to a show so I just grab a napkin from the concession stand and ball up a small piece to put in my ears. Works great in a pinch.
    1996: Randall's Island 2  1998: East Rutherford | MSG 1 & 2  2000: Cincinnati | Columbus | Jones Beach 1, 2, & 3 | Boston 1 | Camden 1 & 2 2003: Philadelphia | Uniondale | MSG 1 & 2 | Holmdel  2005: Atlantic City 1  2006: Camden 1 | East Rutherford 1 & 2 2008: Camden 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 (#25) | Newark (EV)  2009: Philadelphia 1, 2 & 4  2010: Newark | MSG 1 & 2  2011: Toronto 1  2013: Wrigley Field | Brooklyn 2 | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore  2015: Central Park  2016: Philadelphia 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Fenway Park 2 | MSG (TOTD)  2017: Brooklyn (RnR HOF)  2020: MSG | Asbury Park  2021: Asbury Park  2022: MSG | Camden | Nashville  2024: MSG 1 & 2 (#50) | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore  2025: Raleigh 2


  • LloydXmas
    LloydXmas Posts: 7,539
    RKCNDY wrote:
    what?
    Damn.
  • mikey1001
    mikey1001 Posts: 19
    It's never a bad idea to have them handy. Most of my own ringing comes from working for a major international courier (think brown). Working inside semi trucks with the loud rollers caused all of us hearing damage, not to mention unloading the 767.
    I stupidly went to see Sebastian Bach at a bar and was right at the front by the speakers. It was so loud that even though I was yelling to my friends, we could not hear each other. I couldn't hear for a day and had months worth or strong ringing.
    Keep some plugs in your pocket...
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,747
    did you fly to buffalo?
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,747
    RKCNDY wrote:
    what?
    :lol:
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • Edved007
    Edved007 Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,067
    I've always debated getting some good ones, and I have used crappy ones in the past or at least had them on me, but this was enough to make me order the "good ones" for $12.00. I'll keep them on me...I can't promise I'll use them religiously, but I'll give it a shot. I have found myself in the last 12-18 months having minor issues hearing stuff..nothing big but catch myself saying "what?" or "Say that again?" when I'm out with freinds even in a typical bar or out to eat...so I guess I might as well be smart about it.
    95' - 7/9
    98' - 6/26, 6/27, 6/29, 8/26, 9/22
    03' - 4/25
    06' - 6/29, 6/30
    07' - 8/05
    09' - 8/23
    11' - 9/03, 9/04
    12' - 9/30
    13' - 7/16, 7/19, 10/21, 10/22, 11/15, 11/16, 12/06
    14' - 06/28, 06/29, 10/1, 10/03, 10/16, 10/17, 10/20, 10/22
    15' - 11/20, 11/22
    16' - 4/21, 4/26, 4/28, 4/29, 5/1, 5/2, 7/9, 8/5, 8/7, 8/20, 8/22
    17' - 4/7
    18' - 7/1, 7/3, 7/5, 8/8, 8/10, 8/18, 8/20, 9/4
    21' - 10/1, 10/2
    22' - 7/12, 7/14, 9/6, 9/8
  • acharding
    acharding Posts: 359
    Zod wrote:
    Yah I go to alot of shows and back in the 90s my dad kept telling to wear plugs. He's a drummer and said even if the show isn't super loud, the fact I go to a lot of shows will slowly impact my hearing.

    Then I saw soundgarden at the PNE forum in Vancouver in 1996. Holy fuck. I'd never had hearing loss that bad before (or ever again). I went with two friends and neither of us could communication after the show. It went beyond ringing and what not. Everything sounded like static. It took about two days to get to point where it was only ringing.

    My dad was a bit more stern and said I was going to be deaf if I didn't start wearing earplugs to concerts. At this point I couldn't shrug it off anymore. I think I've worn plugs to pretty much every show since except for Metallica 1998 in Barrie, ON. That was pretty loud and did some damange, but not like Soundgarden did.

    I have tinnitus but it doesn't seem as bad as other people. I really only notice it when it's quite. Any kind of ambient noise seems to make it go away. Which is weird because I sleep with ear plugs in, and thus hear it every night, but I can still fall asleep......

    What's my point? Wear ear plugs... even the cheap crappy spongy ones aren't too bad. I actually found I could hear concerts better when I wore them. I remember before I started to wear them I would have a hard time understanding banter between songs. Now I have no problems.

    I wish someone would have warned me about Soundgarden before I went!!!! I knew they would be loud...but not THAT loud!!!! Chris Cornell was sounding like a chipmunk to my poor ears by the end of the show.

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