Why is the music so loud? (Page 1 of 2)

Hmm.  I personally like the music to be loud, very loud.  My only experience seeing Joe was this past April in Peoria, IL and it was loud...and it was awesome!!  I can only assume that the sound was bad because loud is not a bad thing...ask The Who.

I think it's good practice to bring earplugs to shows. Generally I don't end up wearing them, but you never know when you might be right in front of someone's amp or be in a spot that gets a weird reverberating tone or what-have-you. I've never had a problem with Joe's volume. I think I read somewhere that they get a dB level or someone checks it at some point so they have an idea.

I had balcony tickets for Joe a year or so back in Seattle, and I sat next to a lady (seemed like a journalist, had all this notebook paper with her, kept shuffling) who tweeted during the show something like Joe, its too loud!

But seriously, it wasn't. Everyone around me were rocking out having a great time.

I may be off base but I think Joe's got his sound and levels dialed in. I would tend to blame the venue, poor acoustics, or some other gear issue before I blamed Joe himself. Trying not to be sarcastic here about the "search on the internet" but if I searched "Joe Bonamassa's crazy fans" I could probably conclude that many fans are crazy. Get my drift?

Ha ha , Im 65 years young and have seen Joe many times . Never from more than the third row . I love feeling the sound . Just goes to show you cant please everyone , you got to please yourself.  Rock on Joe .

Hi ! Everybody and thanks for reading my post and taking the time to reply to it. Just would like to add a couple of comments if I may.
I too like loud. I like to feel the music going to my brain through my ears and through my body, all wrapped up by the music. But not at the expense of the performance, as I have described in my earlier post.
With all due respect, it’s not a question of ‘not being able to please everyone’.  When it comes to the human senses, we enter a totally subjective domain. Hearing is no exception. We each live in our own little bubble not really knowing what the others are perceiving and experiencing. But I wonder whether there is not an objective limit of loudness beyond which the ‘art’ (another difficult concept…) gets lost.
Several of you mentioned ear plugs. Ear plugs? Is this what going to concerts has come to? Is it not time to reassess the situation? There is perhaps room for a debate between musicians, producers, sound engineers and the public. Where is the decibel escalation going to stop?
Furthermore, I don’t want to have to listen to ‘muffled’ music. For instance, when  Joe changes guitars between songs, it’s presumably NOT  because he wants us to know what a great collection of instruments he’s got, but because he feels that the tonality, range, etc. of a particular guitar will be better suited to the song and his playing. I am no expert but, on DVD recordings, I can hear the difference between the guitars. I don’t want to lose the enjoyment afforded by the artist’s choices – Joe in this case - because the loudness distorts the sound.
By the way, I am not ‘blaming Joe’ or anybody else for that matter. We are absolutely in awe of Joe’s musicianship in this household, plus the fact that he comes across as a really nice person and a very generous musician, not minding taking a back seat to give other musicians space. We love his work with Beth Hart for instance.
Anyway, thank you for reading and I wish all of you many years of happy concert going.

WHY? So I can hear it!!!

It's a long way to San Diego...

Rock ON@Leased Loud & Quietly Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

as mentioned previously, perhaps there is some confusion between volume and distortion.
I was at Joe's first RAH concert and at times the sound was distorted which was a bit 'painful' to listen to, other members of the audience heard no distortion and some (if you check the forum) had to leave the auditorium due to the sound.
The sound system is fixed, some members of the audience will be close to the speakers, others will be far away, also level with speakers or below/above them can cause variations in sound quality.
My last two concerts in the UK at the Brighton Centre have been loud - possibly a bit too loud
in parts but if the mix is right then the volume isn't a big issue.
That said I have yet to leave with my ears ringing which has happened in the past - Ian Gillan, Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden to name but a few.

Lester..

Those look like ones that a sound guy at one of the venues we go to frequently was telling us about. He spoke of ones that were a bit pricey, but were very similar looking to in-ear monitors. He said the decibel levels are just diminished, not distorted and that you could adjust them somewhat. Seemed like something to possibly check out.

this has been debaited far too many times in the past few years that I've been on the forum. most reply's just become an attack on the first time poster.

Ear Plugs should not be an option for muddy sound, just for reducing DB (SPL's if you will)

I've posted that I've heard a loud mud sound from the stage.. most notable was when I was in Buffalo in 2012 from the 4 row main balcony.
just a wall of mud and Joe's voice never cut the din that night, only the solo's broke through.

from then on in I made sure I had seats on the floor no farther back than 10th row.
Sound is excellent from there every time.
It sure doesn't sound like mud from rows 1-10