This unfortunately.

Hi mate

Im a musician, and as said, its permanent damage being done.
I cannot recommend wearing ear plugs enough. Not only does it save your hearing, it makes everything sound better, and clearer. If the gigs you go to are anything like mine, then you will actually hear the vocals properly, along with the rest! win win.

You SHOULD wear earplugs but to me that sort of ruins the experience.

Like condoms.

I used to play drums in a rock band for four hours a night, four nights a week. Ear plugs were essential for that. In fact, they made my drums sound quite nicely EQ'd by cutting out a bit of top-end and it was quite lovely. For going and watching the occasional gig though, I don't bother. I used to DJ too and my ears took a right bashing doing that, but a recent hearing test showed that actually, my hearing is still spot on. Go figure. I'd say if you're going to ALOT of concerts etc, then get some DECENT ear plugs as an investment (good ones are very pricey) but if it's just the odd one-off, then f*ck it off and just enjoy yourself.

As an aside, if you haven't seen the film It's All Gone Pete Tong, check it out

Couldnt disagree more. I find it makes it better as I can actually hear the instruments and vocals properly.

Im also a drummer by the way :-)

The first concert I went to was the Police in 1983 at the age of 14. I couldn't believe how loud it was, I was shocked.

In my late teens and twenties I went to see several bands a month and got used to the loud noise and never considered wearing earplugs.

Now I'm in my 40s amd my hearing isn't great as I have trouble picking out a voice when there is background noise. I can't be sure this is due to the concerts, but what else could it be?

Just wear the earplugs. You can hear the music better and you don't f*** your hearing.

Definitely look at getting attenuating plugs if you attend a lot of gigs.

These are like turning the volume down, instead of just blocking noise getting into the ear.

If the hearing is coming back after being down for a day or two you have been suffering from Temporary Threshhold Shift.
Long term exposure to loud noise and short term exposure to very loud noise can cause permanent damage.

So you could work somewhere realtively loud, but not uncomfortably so. You may think that it's not loud enough to cause damage. However prolonged exposure will cause damage over time.

I am of course aware that loud noise permanently damages your hearing,
What i am trying to ask is if the amount of time i take to recover, (ears still ringing from last night)is longer than most ? or younger people in say 20's/30's ?
Is this a sign of 'excesive' damage or can i just enjoy the odd concert, probably 4/5 a year without the need for earplugs or being confined to the back..

I've been a regular gig goer for 30 years now and have to get my hearing tested every other year at work. Thankfully it is above average for a 44 year old so I'm not convinced that the type of noise you are exposed to at a gig is as damaging as the Health and Safety brigade make out. Pete Townsend may be a case in point that it does indeed damage your ears but as a punter seeing gigs rather than playing them every night, no.

That said I'm sure the volume at gigs (small and large venues) seems to have markedly reduced in recent years probably in line with some legislation. Generally I find by mid morning the following day my ears are back to normal.

My record for post gig ear ringing was just over 3 days in my foolish and musically uninformed youth, Motorhead in 1983 at Portsmouth Guildhall...now that was loud.

Although of course (since this is PH) revving engines at close quarters during tuning etc. will do a fair bit of damage to the cilia

The most intense and painfull sound i ever experienced was at Santa Pod when looking at a top fuel
dragster up on stands in the paddock,
the engine was running at a lumpy tick over while the mechanics worked on something then without warning he blipped the throttle, the noise for that split second was agonising..