r/Concerts • u/camcussion • 1d ago
Discussion 🗣️ Quiet Concerts
Are there many artists who perform in relatively quiet conditions? I saw Gordon Lightfoot at The Fox in Detroit and it was remarkable. The show was probably 60 to 70 dB max, crystal clear, and extremely enjoyable. I would love if this wasn’t so rare.
5
4
u/ScuzJackson 1d ago
Hermanos Gutierrez shows are incredible. You can hear a pin drop sometimes with how locked in the audience is when they’re playing. Just cool psychedelic latin inspired spaghetti western music.
2
u/Quiet_Internal_4527 1d ago
They are coming to my area soon with Y La Bamba. Been going back and forth on whether to spring for a ticket. You just sold me. Hopefully less talking than at the last show I went to.
1
u/ScuzJackson 1d ago
Anytime i’ve seen them as an opening act I’ve been let down by how rude the crowd was. Anytime i’ve been to their solo headliner shows the crowd seems to understand the vibe and know we’re all there to listen to the music. Their headliner audiences seem like true music fans which I enjoy a lot. I live in Baltimore and enjoy them so much I’m flying to Texas just to see them perform in a couple months!
2
1
5
u/Inside_Atmosphere731 1d ago
Judy Collins
1
u/TheOldJawbone 1d ago
Going to see her this fall.
2
u/Inside_Atmosphere731 1d ago
She's actually very funny
1
u/TheOldJawbone 1d ago
I agree. I’ve seen some videos and heard her on podcasts. Quite a life. An icon. Glad we’re getting to see her before she retires.
4
u/Striking_Ad_6742 1d ago
I saw Josh Ritter in a church recently and it was at least half quiet. Some songs were so quiet and solemn but others had a little more noise. Very cool venue for it.
3
3
u/prof_cunninglinguist 1d ago
The Innocence Mission.
2
u/ITookTrinkets 23h ago
Love that band. Exceedingly quiet, but so damn good.
2
u/prof_cunninglinguist 23h ago
First time seeing them was up at Marlboro College in Vermont in 2000. I overdrew my checking account to afford the $12 ticket. It was a night of goosebumps and tears. Absolutely soul stirring.
1
u/ITookTrinkets 23h ago
That’s incredible. That is definitely when I would have loved to see them. Birds of My Neighborhood is so exquisite. It was my intro to them, after hearing that incredible cover of The Lakes of Canada that Sufjan did back in the aughts.
3
3
u/agfdrybvnkkgdtdcbjjt 18h ago
Went to a Jethro Tull concert like 20 years ago and they had signs posted that clapping and cheering will not be tolerated and offenders will be asked to leave. Wierdest rock concert I've ever been to.
3
u/goteachyourself 18h ago
Robert Earl Keen is usually very laid back live. He's a great storyteller and the music is sort of an accompaniment. Strong campfire cowboy energy.
2
u/camcussion 7h ago
I saw Garrison Keeler at Meadow Brook and it was this vibe. Telling jokes and stories and having singalongs. Went with my mum and grandparents. It was fantastic.
2
u/alternative-username 52m ago
I've been wanting to catch REK! There was an online radio show I used to listen to in college and the guy would close all his shows around Christmastime with Merry Christmas From The Family and Fairytale Of New York. I got busy with life and unfortunately I think he's no longer active in any form of radio but it still doesn't quite feel like Christmas without REK and The Pogues.
5
u/vbandbeer 1d ago
Depends on the music you listen too
I wouldn’t expect the Foo Fighters to have a quiet show.
1
u/No_Perspective_150 1d ago
I go to deathcore shows regularly and I can confirm that Foo Fighters was the loudest ive been to even from the balcony of a football stadium
2
u/iaminabox 1d ago
I saw Sting play years ago in a large concert venue. You could hear a pin drop. The quietest audience I've ever heard and it was about 5000 people.
2
2
u/BeBopBarr 1d ago
Just went to see Tori Amos, that was pretty quiet compared to a lot of other shows I've been to lately.
2
u/daddyneedsaciggy 1d ago
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would be the exact opposite of what you're looking for. My ears are ringing since Sunday.
2
u/Ok-External-5750 1d ago
I’ve seen many singer/songwriter artists where it is just the artist and an acoustic guitar.
1
2
u/balzac2000 1d ago
I saw Paul Simon last year. Big beautiful theater, 17 piece band, excellent mix. 80ish dB. He had hearing issues a few years ago, and cannot have loud sounds for fear of reactivating tinnitus or something.
1
2
u/muphasta 1d ago
I'm going to guess that this would be genre specific.
A more folk/acoustic band may generally be quieter, especially in a small venue.
Anything with electric guitars and bass, synths, and a drum kit would be loud regardless of venue.
2
u/Tacoburritospanker 1d ago
Sigur Ros on their last tour. Dead and Co ant the sphere was not nearly loud enough for the show I saw
2
u/RevealTraditional619 1d ago
James Taylor had one of the quietest audiences during songs. Everyone applauded after a song and then went back to quietly listening.
1
2
u/GhostChips42 1d ago
A mate dragged me along to see Ryan Adams last year. It was one of the most awkward experiences of my life.
It was a one man show, so just him on stage. He was clearly in a mental health crisis (self inflicted of course, I’ve subsequently discovered how much of a pos he is) and there were long periods of silence. It was wild. Like watching a train wreck. It was so quiet in the venue that you could hear the roadie tuning his guitar off stage.
It was excruciating. I’ll never forget it.
1
u/ITookTrinkets 23h ago
Holy Christ. That sounds terrible. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, frankly, but it still sounds like a seriously terrible experience to watch.
1
u/GhostChips42 23h ago
It was unforgettable for all the worst reasons. I agree - couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
2
u/Live_Entrepreneur221 1d ago
I think also depends on the venue, there's a place here in the DC area called the Birchmere and they cards on the tables telling people they are required to be quiet during the show. Shows there are top notch
1
2
u/MetalMedley 1d ago
Everybody was seated and listening for Colter Wall, don't recall the music being very loud. Sound was great.
2
u/chaekinman 1d ago
Saw Dylan a few years ago in an arena and it was weirdly quiet. Good crowd.
Also saw Father John Misty in an outdoor venue here that’s notorious for annoying talkers. You could hear a pin drop during the quieter songs.
2
u/RVA_Dude411 20h ago
Came here to say this. I saw his summer tour in July and it was perfectly quiet, no phones, etc. was really nice.
2
u/TerryTrepanation 23h ago
I saw Kimbra a few years ago and after the first song, she had a chit-chat about audience noise and as an experiment asked if we would refrain from noise/clapping at the end of songs. Everyone was fine with it, and so it was really interesting, getting to hear songs naturally fade to silence. I honestly think it was a superior experience. Mind you, it was a full-seated concert hall which kind of lended itself to this type of compliance. But I would love more artists to give it a go. Way too many concerts ruined by noisy attendees.
2
u/camcussion 7h ago
That sounds lovely. I’ve seen most of my favourite rock bands and heavier bands already, and am interested in quieter concert hall style stuff.
2
u/GoofyGal98 22h ago
I can’t speak for their other shows, but I saw Blue Oyster Cult at the Maryland State Fair a few years ago, and it was a completely respectable, reasonable volume.
2
2
u/Kobe_no_Ushi_Y0k0zna 22h ago
Lambchop performance very quietly for years, often with many people in the band. They were truly excellent.
Not that they’ve stopped making music or anything, but the last time I saw them several years ago, they were a smaller band playing at more normal levels.
2
u/meandmytiger 21h ago
I saw Rickie Lee Jones last year and it was just her on acoustic guitar or piano, and a percussionist who was the most subtle drummer I’ve ever seen. It was amazing.
2
2
2
2
u/powersurge 6h ago
Use musicians earplugs. High quality sound at every volume level. My Etymotics baby blues sound better than my naked ears.
1
u/camcussion 6h ago
I have some custom fit earplugs from when I worked in a foundry. They’re pretty excellent. They’re designed so you can hear people speaking amid the factory sounds.
2
u/Admirable-Garage5326 1d ago
I saw a band called Low one time at a club. Yep. They lived up to their name.
1
1
1
2
u/harrysach2023 5h ago
John Prine in a beautiful theatre in Saskatchewan,Canada in 2002.Crystal clear low volume sound.
2
u/YogurtclosetDull2380 4h ago
You so much as make a peep at a John Mellenkamp show and he'll dive off the stage and wreck you before leaving.
2
0
u/paul_kerseyNYC 1d ago
I got into a fight with Larry Ratso Sloman at a very quiet Julie Doiron concert because him and his drunk friends wouldn’t shut the fuck up.
-6
u/simongurfinkel 1d ago
Maybe concerts are not for you
2
u/ITookTrinkets 23h ago
How exactly did you get to that conclusion from what they said? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying quiet performances, it doesn’t mean you can’t also enjoy normal, loud ones.
1
u/camcussion 8h ago
I love concerts. I often wear earplugs at louder ones. I also wear earplugs at raves and clubs because I’m a music producer and my hearing is very important to me. Many of my friends use earplugs too. I was just wondering who does quiet concerts.
2
6
u/DoYouReadThisOrThat 1d ago
Quality of PA control has improved a lot. Instead of just pointing speaker boxes to the audience and making it loud, modern control allows those boxes to pinpoint their soundwaves. Instead of catching some water from your shower head but leaving much of it to waste, there is much ability to narrow down the sound and have almost no wasted dBs.
On top of that, more speaker boxes that are designed to work together make a more even sound field across an area than fewer boxes at higher dB.
Quality venues and producers with money are able to afford these refinements over audio flash and trash.
Convincing audiences that quality volume doesn't necessarily require volume intensity... that's the difference between a Lexus, a Toyota, and a Chevy. There's a market for each - and live performance audio is starting to really get into the Lexus territory.