Subscriber Comments for
Noise at the Bowl

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 321413	2012-09-18 09:24 AM
This is a tourist town. It is a town of festivals and concerts. If you don't like it, you know where the 101 is. No, the Bowl is not going to only have artists that no one listens to anymore.
COMMENT 321414	2012-09-18 09:27 AM
The minute you start restricting the Bowl, Santa Barbara will lose one of its cherished attractions. I live up on Mountain Drive and over the 14 years I've been here, there were numerous concerts audible at my house. The problem is not the bowl but with the physics of how sound travels. Just accept it and be happy there aren't concerts every night of the week and leave the Bowl alone.
COMMENT 321418	2012-09-18 09:30 AM
Come on man! It's just a few nights out of the year. This is the "new" attitude that is a real downer in SB. "Did YOUR dog just walk on my grass???... I'm suing!" Pop open a Corona and enjoy the evening... it'll be over at 10pm.
COMMENT 321419	2012-09-18 09:31 AM
Ear plugs and a vicodin usually drown out the unwanted sound for me when Steely Dan or Yanni comes to town.... But of course when the Beastie Boys or Snoop come to the bowl, I can't hear squat :-/
COMMENT 321422	2012-09-18 09:34 AM
We live in the city people, the city!!! We have helicopters landing on hospitals, we have concerts that cause noise from time to time, we have fire departments and police departments next door to homes, we have airplanes flying over our homes that is what happens when you live in the city! If you would like peace and quiet perhaps you need to move to the country where the nearest human being is 10 acres away! If not... well just be happy you are alive today and can hear all the noises life has to offer.
COMMENT 321424P	2012-09-18 09:35 AM
Wow! When you finish with the bowl, please stop the dog barking across the street. He starts at 5:30am and goes all day. I wish he stopped at 10pm!
COMMENT 321425	2012-09-18 09:36 AM
OK Grandpa!
COMMENT 321429	2012-09-18 09:44 AM
I guess the edhatters aren't very sympathetic, but to me the solution is simple. Does the City have noise ordinances? Were they violated by this concert, and others? If so, then what did the City do to enforce their ordinances? If they choose not to enforce their laws in this case, can I get an exemption for the permits I need for my remodel? Fair is fair. Really the number of bands that would be eliminated by sending them to an indoor venue is fairly small. They don't want that many metal bands, or rappers, at the bowl anyway.
COMMENT 321433	2012-09-18 09:48 AM
If it's too loud, you're too old. If you don't like the noise in a bustling city, may I suggest you move up to Ballard or Los Alamos.
COMMENT 321434	2012-09-18 09:49 AM
Second-hand noise is like second-hand smoke: a pleasure for the producer turns into a pain (or worse) for victims of their inconsiderate behavior. The bowl doesn't have to amplify to earthquake levels; there are level controls on sound boards for a reason. Management is ultimately responsible. Sound meters are cheap. I always enjoy the smug and self-righteous "well, if you don't appreciate my behavior it's your problem - just get over it" responses that come whenever someone expresses a problem. So predictable.
COMMENT 321438	2012-09-18 09:52 AM
You all got one point right the bowl is great and here to stay but the reason a car gets a sound violation ticket is their safety of not being able to hear the traffic around them(honks) and it distracts other drivers looking at the fool with the bass up full blast begging for attention. With price of some bowl shows go park near by and enjoy the free show.
COMMENT 321441	2012-09-18 09:56 AM
Stop complaining and trying to force your own personal comfort at the expense of other peoples good time, this is AMERICUH!
COMMENT 321477P	2012-09-18 11:31 AM
Rent a jackhammer and a compressor, set up near the bowl during a concert, and have at it. "It's a city, get over the noise," you can yell at anyone who dares approach.
COMMENT 321480P	2012-09-18 11:48 AM
In a way, 433 has it right. The younger people have partially destroyed their hearing by using ear buds at a sound level that has made them hard of hearing. The sound levels at the bowl seem fine to them. If you will notice, the bands themselves wear small, in the ear, ear defenders. They have learned the hard way to protect their hearing. Think Pete Townshend of the WHO.
COMMENT 321506P	2012-09-18 12:38 PM
I have to agree somewhat with the OP here. We attended a concert this summer, great btw, but we both had to ask an usher for complementary ear plugs. We even noticed the people working the sound & lights boards located in the mid-bowl seating area, also wore them, as did all the ushers. Yes, they work many concert dates throughout the tour, but that does tell you even they know it's loud. I say if a concert really goes over the top, then file an official complaint with the City & the bowl.
COMMENT 321424P	2012-09-18 12:43 PM
Have you talked with the bowl manager, Rick Boller? He is a decent and nice guy.
COMMENT 321601	2012-09-18 04:41 PM
The summer of 1985 I was living in a dorm at GW University in Washington, D.C.. We watched the performance of Queen at Live Aid in London. I swear I could hear Freddy. . . Guess that's why I hear nothing from the Bowl.
COMMENT 321632P	2012-09-18 06:07 PM
Decibels above 85 can permanently destroy hearing cells. You can download a noise meter on a smartphone to test decibel levels.
COMMENT 321656P	2012-09-18 07:22 PM
Loud isn't required for fun, for a great concert, for your cool car, for your car stereo, for talking, etc. Those of you who equate loud with good are the problem. There are noise ordinances for a reason. Keep your noise to yourself. Your right to shout stops at my doorstep. I didn't blow my hearing out already, and have no interest in doing so.
FLICKA	2012-09-19 07:50 AM
I love loud, old time rock 'n roll. However, it can be loud enough at the bowl for concert goers without blasting across town. Loud and "good" don't really equate, poor musicians think noise makes them good, drowns out their mistakes.
COMMENT 321726P	2012-09-19 08:32 AM
Come on down to Los Alamos! We'd love to have you'all quiet-seeking folks. You can actually hear the nights sounds at see the stars. Also, you get a good bang for your buck in property.
COMMENT 321756P	2012-09-19 09:20 AM
A loud rock concert isn't the sound of a bustling city; it's physically quite another thing. Remember sound is a thing. The decibel levels at the bowl are too loud now. I used to like concerts there but the last two I went to were too loud. Yes, there are earplugs; no, I don't want to pay to have to wear ear plugs when I'm just sitting in my seat back in section M, not hanging up by the amps. I agree, it's sloppy musicianship, sloppy sound engineering. Obviously the OP's letter should go to the city--council? police? Don't worry about them shutting down the Bowl. The Bowl can turn its speakers back down to 10 and everything will be fine.

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