Topic: Is it lame to design stadiums for exaggerated crowd noise?

[Glock32]

Well I just watched Seattle mop the floor with New Orleans (which I thoroughly enjoyed as a Carolina fan) and of course much was made about the legendary loudness of Seattle's stadium. They reclaimed the world record tonight -- 137 decibels.

In the pregame show they talked about how Seattle's new stadium was designed with architectural features to magnify the crowd noise, and that's what I sort of take issue with. Crowd noise is a part of the game, and visiting teams have to prepare for it with their snap count, especially on 3rd downs. But I find something vaguely lame about specifically designing a playing field to magnify it.

What do you think? Is it just part of the game, how different venues have unique characteristics? Or is it gimmicky?

[oldcoastie6468]

I think it's in extremely poor taste, done only to give the home team an advantage.

[IronDioPriest]

Holy crap. 137 db? That's as loud as the loudest rock concerts. That's ear-drum ringing painful volume.

As someone whose hearing has been damaged by repeated exposure to loud noise, I am an advocate of reasonable and responsible volume. Concerts nowadays make ear plugs available. Apparently sports stadiums should do the same.

[Pandora]

I can't stand watching or listening to sports because of the racket; truth be told, it's mostly the excited shouting by the game-callers themselves.  Now, they've built stadiums to exacerbate other noise?  Hell no, count me out continued.

[Alphabet Soup]

I hadn't heard the angle of deliberate sonic acoustics at Safeco but I know that our old stadium - The Kingdome - was notorious for acoustic suckiness. I attended several concerts there and while they were loud they were so echo-y that you might as well have stuck your head in an industrial leaf-blower.

[IronDioPriest]

I hadn't heard the angle of deliberate sonic acoustics at Safeco but I know that our old stadium - The Kingdome - was notorious for acoustic suckiness. I attended several concerts there and while they were loud they were so echo-y that you might as well have stuck your head in an industrial leaf-blower.

I saw KISS several years ago, right after they put the makeup back on. It was at Target Field, home of the MN Timberwolves.

The acoustics were SO bad, you literally could not tell what the song was until the words kicked in. The guitars, drums, and bass were not much more than white noise with a pulse.

[Pandora]

I hadn't heard the angle of deliberate sonic acoustics at Safeco but I know that our old stadium - The Kingdome - was notorious for acoustic suckiness. I attended several concerts there and while they were loud they were so echo-y that you might as well have stuck your head in an industrial leaf-blower.

I saw KISS several years ago, right after they put the makeup back on. It was at Target Field, home of the MN Timberwolves.

The acoustics were SO bad, you literally could not tell what the song was until the words kicked in. The guitars, drums, and bass were not much more than white noise with a pulse.

I know exactly what you mean, but I always attributed it to volume, not acoustics.  Learn something new every day.

I saw Melissa Etheridge in a NJ venue and saw is the operative word because the music was a noise-wall even after she began singing.

[Libertas]

I hadn't heard the angle of deliberate sonic acoustics at Safeco but I know that our old stadium - The Kingdome - was notorious for acoustic suckiness. I attended several concerts there and while they were loud they were so echo-y that you might as well have stuck your head in an industrial leaf-blower.

Sounds like the Metrodome.  IIRC didn't the Greatfull Dead play there?  Talk about the worst venue possible!   

Anyway...this intentional crap in stadiums has gone into bizzaro-land...it's bad enough dealing with drunken morons and people from Iowa fornicating in the can...more noise (on top of the in-stadium PA screamer and banger-spinning DJ!) to send my headache from annoying to painful throbbing is not what I call fun.

[ToddF]

I hear the music better with ear plugs.  The white noise becomes actual instruments and vocals.

A.  My dad suffered hearing loss since his 30's.  As someone who enjoys music, that scared me straight, along with...

B.  My first 4 day "buzz" after watching Bob Mould at First Avenue.  I was so used to 3 day buzzes, that 4th day scared me.