Health · Advice & Questions · Oct 18

My concert friends want the front row. Can I keep my earplugs and stand farther back?

Health

The tickets cost £80 each, and my friends have decided that being close to the speakers is how we get our money's worth. When I mentioned earplugs, one laughed, "Why pay to muffle it?"

I want to enjoy the band. I also want to take hearing protection seriously. [WHO's advice for noisy events includes wearing earplugs properly, staying away from loudspeakers and taking breaks in quieter areas](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/deafness-and-hearing-loss-safe-listening).

I am not asking the group to spend the night checking sound levels. I am asking whether we can agree a place to meet if I choose a different position or step out. The friend holding all the digital tickets says splitting up will be too much hassle.

How much of that hassle should I solve in advance, and when is it reasonable to say that the ticket price does not decide where I stand?

Discussion

2 community replies

@northstar88

The ticket holder's concern has a practical answer to check: can the venue transfer individual tickets, or admit you together and let you move separately afterwards? Resolve entry without promising to stay beside the speakers.

@softfocus

Your friend hears earplugs as opting out of the music. You can explain that you are choosing how to listen so you can enjoy the show. You do not need to remove them to demonstrate enthusiasm.

My concert friends want the front row. Can I keep my earplugs and stand farther back?

Discussion

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