What is the loudest concert (or event) that you have attended?
The loudest was Rush on the "Hold Your Fire" tour on 2/22/1988. House lights go out, the three stooges theme played and then the downbeat to "The Big Money". The pressure wave off the speaker array was so loud you could feel your clothing move and you were pushed back a bit. A good friend complained about ringing in his ears for days after. I did not have this happen just yet.
Fast forward 7/22/2011 and U2 @ Vanderbilt stadiumn. This one did me in. I was right by the stage and while I did not notice it at the time, after the show the ringing as there and stay with me for years. I thought it would never go away
How long have you had tinnitus, is it getting better or worse and how are you dealing with it?
After the U2 show I avoided all live events and even movie theaters for years. I used white noise therapy extensively, especially while going to bed at night and made adjustments in diet to reduce salt intake and other activities that could make it worse.
Eventually you start to map around it and do not hear it as much but it can take years to get to a point your do not notice it.. Note, it never truly goes away. The ringing corresponds to the frequencies you can no longer hear. What happens is the cilia in your ear is damaged and just continues to vibrate at all times. This is what produces the ringing.
Reduction in stress is very important as well.
I have only recently started going to shows again, but my audiology clinic make me custom ear molds for earring protection. They have custom inserts for various levels of reduction but typically I keep the -20dB insert in them. These work well and I do not experience any ringing after shows anymore.