It is an unforgettable experience to see a band you love live. All the times you have listened to the recordings make seeing the live performance even better. You know their music so well, but there is so much to anticipate. What will their stage presence be like? What kind of visual effects will they use? You are excited and want to experience everything. So why would you wear earplugs?
I wear earplugs to every show in order to enjoy the show more. Wearing earplugs helps me focus on the music, make me feel cool, and lets me relax.
Earplugs help me focus on the music
Shows can be pretty distracting places with drunk people and crowded areas. Concerts can be quite expensive and I want to make sure that I get as much value for my money as I can. I want to be as focused on the show as I can be.
When I have attended concerts in the past without earplugs I find that my ears hurt during the louder parts of the show. Then I begin to brace myself when the chorus comes instead of launching myself into it. These feelings distract me and limit my enjoyment. Earplugs take away that distraction and let me focus on the music by eliminating the pain of loud music.
Earplugs make me feel cool
Safety is rarely cool. It is much cooler to be daring and confident than to be conservative and measured. At the end of the day earplugs are safety equipment. So why do earplugs make me feel cool?
Being cool is about signaling. Wearing high quality earplugs at a concert signals that you go to a lot of concerts. You were willing to spend money on concert gear so you must go regularly. Going to lots of concerts makes you cooler.
Earplugs let me relax into the experience
At a great show you can just relax and let the musicians take you on a musical journey. The perfect blend of musical talent, stage presence, and visual effects takes you in and takes you away. That escape is one of my favorite things about a great show. But I cannot fully relax when I know that I am doing permanent damage to my body.
The longer the exposure to loud noises, the higher the risk of permanent damage to your hearing. Regularly attending concerts will eventually cause hearing damage due to high music volumes. Earplugs can reduce or prevent that damage. Earplugs do not eliminate the risk of hearing damage, but I feel much more relaxed knowing I am at least mitigating the damage. That relaxation translates directly to enjoyment and helps enable me to be swept away by the music.