BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Hey guys, now that the 2010 is about to start, I've gotten myself worried again about the loudness of the music in those concerts. In Brussels last year, I thought the decibels were so high in the beginning that it really was not a pleasure to listen to. It improved later on, whether because I got used to it, or because they actually lowered the volume, but still...

So this year I'm going to the Paris Bercy concert with my mom and her boy friend, and them not being rock concert people (me neither, really), I'm getting worried that they'll be gravely put off by the decibels. Anybody who went to the Marigny concerts will attest that the sound was perfect there. Crystal clear, and at a right volume. Not so in Brussels.

Am I the only one who was annoyed by the decibels in Brussels? Was I in a bad spot or something? Or was the venue to blame? Or am I just a goddamn sissy?

Basically, my question is... should I expect the same in Paris Bercy?

Quicky wrote:(...) Basically, my question is... should I expect the same in Paris Bercy?

I guess the volume will be quite the same, but in the same time, there should be more lesserbeat tracks than in In-doors tour that will let your ears rest enough...

Just use professional earplugs.

Don't take this the wrong way, but what is the point in attending a concert if it too loud. Isn't that part of the point of it being a concert.

I've asked the question to Jean Michel on upcoming The ou Café TV show...
Perharps we will get an answer to how loud it will be...
If any chance...

Jean Michel would only know for definite, once he's done the sound check in POP Bercy.

Jon wrote:Don't take this the wrong way, but what is the point in attending a concert if it too loud. Isn't that part of the point of it being a concert.

Well, it all depends what you enjoy, I guess... I don't know if you went to the Marigny concerts in Paris, but I thought the sound quality and sound level was perfect there. Crystal clear, loud enough to *feel* the music, yet not too loud as to make my ears whistle for hours after going home, which was the case after the concert in Brussels.

Let me assure you that I enjoy high volumes. At home, I'm not afraid to put the amplifier all up while listening to Chronology 2 or Tubular Bells on those big ass speakers. Luckily we have 2 foot walls separating us from the neighbours. However, I do prefer quality over decibels...

Can anybody who actually went to the Brussels concert comment? If not, I'll just assume that it was a fluke, and Bercy will be better...

AnDrOiD wrote:Just use professional earplugs.

BAh...with a "good" PA-system and mixed sound, even with loud music you should be doing find without earplugs.

With bad PA or failing sound, I agree...use earplugs!

Velodynamic wrote:

AnDrOiD wrote:Just use professional earplugs.

BAh...with a "good" PA-system and mixed sound, even with loud music you should be doing find without earplugs.

With bad PA or failing sound, I agree...use earplugs!

It's not just the PA-system, it's the acoustics of the place.

Quicky wrote: Can anybody who actually went to the Brussels concert comment? If not, I'll just assume that it was a fluke, and Bercy will be better...

I was in the front rows and the sound quality wasn't that good in Brussels. In the beginning it was just too loud but they changed that after the first two tracks or so. The day before, in Amsterdam, I was on the first row too and the sound was okay, but not great as it can be in the Heineken Music Hall even on high volumes, but JMJ's 'hidden' speaker system seems to distort the sound on on high volumes. I saw Kraftwerk there a couple of years earlier in Amsterdam and the sound was crystal clear.

Marigny was much better indeed. The volume was lower and I was in the last row. The best sound quality of a JMJ concert was Concert pour la Tolerance in my opinion. The best sound I've ever heard at a concert was at Heather Nova's latest tour, but maybe it was just her voice that's crystal clear without any amplification

Agreed, Marigny was perfect in sound.

1906 wrote:I was in the front rows and the sound quality wasn't that good in Brussels. In the beginning it was just too loud but they changed that after the first two tracks or so. The day before, in Amsterdam, I was on the first row too and the sound was okay, but not great as it can be in the Heineken Music Hall even on high volumes, but JMJ's 'hidden' speaker system seems to distort the sound on on high volumes. I saw Kraftwerk there a couple of years earlier in Amsterdam and the sound was crystal clear. Marigny was much better indeed. The volume was lower and I was in the last row. [...]

Now that's the kind of reply I was looking for . Thanks!

So, I'll hope that either a) Jarre improved his 'hidden' speaker system for the new tour, and b) POB has better acoustics than Vorst Nationaal.

Sounds like a typical case of trial and error.