Moby concert and ear damage?

want a real low freq gut jiggler? Go to a NHRA drag race sometime that is featuring the nitro dragsters/funny cars. Most venues let you down close to the action and you will feel organs you did not know you had. Sort of like being 75 feet from a force of nature.

I too live in Seattle and stopped going to indoor concerts years ago. snip

Hey Greg - I've seen a few good ones at the Paramount (Tori Amos several times very well done). Also seen some bad ones there that were overamped. The Moore is an outstanding venue here and I can say that I've never seen a bad show there. You didn't miss anything as far as Beck at Benaroya. See acoustic music there - the hall shines with un-amplified acoustic music. I completely agree, the Winery shows are great and usually well done as far as amping and mixing. I've seen Cowboy Junkies there, Tori Amos (again), and a handful of others - all great. ZooTunes often has some great shows, but their amplification is consistently poor (not nearly as engaging as St. Michelle) - I go anyway as I there's been some very enjoyable shows there in spite of the SQ. Gott'a smuggle in the wine though. The Pier is sometimes good to...hit or miss there. I loath the Gorge and you could not pay me to attend a show there. One time was all it took to figure that one out.

TOMRYAN The idea of relaxation is new to me and I'm in the business, family doctor, not ENT specialist. An interesting idea, though I am not sure I understand the physiology.
As many of you know, the hearing sense organ is the Cochlear in the inner, a shell like looking organ through which sound passes and excites hair cells which are the actual sense organ. each cell responds to a different frequency. It follows that loud sound potentially damages the cells which are excited at that frequency.
Typically, in age related hearing loss, you get a progressive loss with higher frequencies. This is often accompanied by a high frequency tinnitus, as a corollary to the hearing loss. I have some high frequency tinnitus, which has'nt gone away, perhaps I should Tomyran's audiologist advice.
Noise related hearing loss, usually is different, with a mid frequency notch of hearing loss and more normal higher frequencies. This is what you will get, working in a canning factory, say, for 30 years, without hearing protection. I am not sure if there is a particular pattern of loss with rock music. Perhaps there should be a study of Ozzy Osborne and Frank Zappa.

Emailists - If half the foam plug is sticking out of your ear, it's not in as it should be. It took me 3 months of practice but I get even the longest foam plug all the way in, it disappears. I can get them in so deep I can't hear my wife talking next to me. You have to roll the plug between your fingers until it's thin and hard, then pull the ear diagonally up & back. This opens up the ear and the thin hard plug goes as deep as you like.

David12 - My doctor told me that the hair cells in the ear react to loud sounds by tensing and that constant tensing causes the hearing damage. He said when these cells are relaxed they react less to loudness. Said natural sounds such as thunder, water rushing, and acoustic instruments are less damaging to hearing because the ear is more relaxed upon exposure. Said unnatural sounds such as amplified instruments, electronic "music", and grinding machines cause more damage as the ear generally tenses more.
He said the tissue to which the hair cells attach tense at exposure to sounds - loud sounds cause more tension. The more relaxed a person (and his ears) are, the less reaction and damage.

I know this is true as regards the rest of the body. A drunk can fall many times and not hurt himself because he's so relaxed. 40 years of martial arts and kickboxing (and good coaching) taught me that relaxation is the most important thing in fighting. Proper relaxation in the ring allows quicker action, better balance, and harder hitting. Relaxation also reduces the effects of getting hit. Tensing right at the moment of getting punched or kicked increases pain and damage such as broken bones and torn tendons.

Maybe the hair cells get damaged more and quicker while tense because the connecting tissues "wear out" in some way. Being tense while even just sparring in the gym wears you out in minutes. I'm 58 and I can spar 6-7 rounds without much trouble. I'm fine at the end but I am a very relaxed fighter. I spar with guys in their 20s and 30s who "gas" in 2-3 rounds, a time when I'm not really even breathing heavily.

Hey Jax2, I like the Moore a lot and the Zoo is a great place to see a show. The zoo used to be really stricked about the drinking, but they seem to be better now. I've only been to the Gorge once myself also. I saw Steely Dan on there first tour in 20 years. That show sounded amazing, the sun was setting and we were in the golden circle seating area. I wouldn't go back thou unless I stayed at Cave B. It's owned by Dr. Bryant who was the mastermind who started the gorge. I've been fly fishing with him a couple of times, really great guy. Otherwise it's a tent in the parking area and I'm not into that anymore. It's good to know there are some audiophiles in Seattle.
David 12, My hearing loss is in the mid freq. range, so I guess that is noise related. I'm not surprised, I've gone to a lot of really loud shows in my day. We never even thought of using ear protection, just dumb kids I guess.

Take Care, Greg