I've lived in Switzerland before (Zurich, was working for a law firm on Lowenstrasse), found it absolutely delightful, so I found this blog entry by an expat who went to the Swiss concert. Thought it was interesting about the earplugs.

http://ourswissfamilyadve...gspot.com/

That is interesting...and I always wear earplugs at concerts. The music sounds just fine and you can hear afterwards, which is always a good thing in my book.

even if the concert isn't hurting your ears (like at some outdoor concerts), it's best to bring them just in case.

thanks - didn't know that earplugs are good to bring. I was skeptical of the blog, b/c the writer didn't seem to understand the swiss very well either, and I've lived in Zurich (and I speak german too, it seems she doesn't) - thanks for confirming.

I've only been to 3 rock/pop concerts in all my life, and I'd never seen earplugs at those. 1) Duran Duran, Notorious (I was a tween!) 2) Prince, Symbol Album (just started college) 3) Berlin at House of Blues (college). I grew up w/ lots of jazz & classical concerts - no earplugs, of course. By the time I saw the Lopez Tonight show this April and "researched" what Prince had been up to the last 2 decades & found out he's not to be missed live, it was too late to go to one of his Forum concerts here in L.A.

Maybe one has to understand the differences between Swiss audiences and American audiences. Or Swiss concerts vs American concerts in general.

As I understand, in most (if not all) concerts in the US, people are seated. From the first to the last row of the stadium, everywhere seats. Even in a KISS concert in Madison Square Garden, all seats. I never understood that. Because in Switzerland (and most of the other european countries), the center area of the stadium is empty. No seats. That's where people are standing right from the beginning. That's where the die hard fans go. That's where the party is. People who don't like to be surrounded by sweaty smelling people, who don't like to have their feet mashed, or who easily get claustrophobic, choose to buy tickets for the seats in the circle around. This is where they get into the mood slowly. Some would say, the Swiss are reserved. That's partly true, yes. But they just want to enjoy the concert in a certain "consumer" way. They want to see if the star on stage is willing to work his ass off, if he is worth the money they payed, before they go nuts. That's their choice, that's why they didn't go into the center area.

So the ladies who blogged maybe should have bought cheaper tickets, should have gone into the center area and they would have had a blast in any way. But they didn't know that. Instead, they chose to make fun of some habits they didn't understand...

As for the earplugs... Not everybody wears them. Especially when you're standing in the center, some of the sound gets filtered by the people in front of you. But whe you're sitting on the seats around, you get the full dose. We have a law in Switzerland that dictates the maximum volume of concets and parties. It's at 100dB. When you listen to music or noise with 100dB during 2,5 hours without protection, your ears will "ring" and tell you afterwards that it was too much. You don't get that ring anymore, it means that it's already too late, and you already have lost some of the sensitivity. So I think it's only fair if people protect their hearing. And again, if the blogging ladies chose not to, that's OK, but they just shouldn't judge others only because they don't act the same way.

I wish they had those earplug / tinnitus warnings at the Hop Farm gig, my ears were ringing for WEEKS afterwards and even now sometimes....

That blogger seems to fit the stereotype of a nightmare loudmouth American...no wonder the concert goers wanted earplugs LOL.

Yes, thanks, I agree she seems ignorant and I was skeptical of her accounts. But I wasn't sure if her account of the earplugs was to be taken seriously (her laughing at it) since I haven't been to many concerts w/ electric instruments (i.e., rock concerts). Thanks for advice.

Wow. The blogger copy-pasted my whole posting above into her blog comments, without asking or even citing the source of where she got it from...

Another American/Swiss difference?

[Edited 9/7/11 5:14am]

TheFreakerFantastic said:

That blogger seems to fit the stereotype of a nightmare loudmouth American...no wonder the concert goers wanted earplugs LOL.

Yeah! What a [Snip - luv4u] ... it's probably best she returned to the US as quick as possible.

vjPulp said:

Wow. The blogger copy-pasted my whole posting above into her blog comments, without asking or even citing the source of where she got it from...

Another American/Swiss difference?

[Edited 9/7/11 5:14am]

Okay, so at least the blogger told me that it wasn't her who copied that whole thing there, and so she removed it from the comments. I wonder who would do such a thing? Was it the thread-opener?

vjPulp said:

Wow. The blogger copy-pasted my whole posting above into her blog comments, without asking or even citing the source of where she got it from...

Another American/Swiss difference?

[Edited 9/7/11 5:14am]

I wonder if she's going to post my comments....think not!!!

Hey, NO - I did not paste/post your comments on her blog! Don't know who would do it.

I just read a couple of her entries b/c I thought it was interesting (because I've lived in Switzerland) but I have nothing to do w/ her. My interest in Prince and my interest in CH have nothing to do w/ each other.

PatrickS77 said:

Yeah! What a [Snip - luv4u] ... it's probably best she returned to the US as quick as possible.

I wonder if she'll copy/paste this comment.

I'm glad she put a picture of herself and fellow loudmouths at the end of the blog post - in case I have the misfortune to run into her at a concert.

Genesia said:

I'm glad she put a picture of herself and fellow loudmouths at the end of the blog post - in case I have the misfortune to run into her at a concert.

She would be the one without the earplugs

Wonder if she knows she's being discussed on the org??!

Hello, please don't post/paste stuff onto this lady's blog - that's not good etiquette, especially some of the language here. She's off doing her own thing, it's about her experience as an expat in Switzerland; we/I are doing our own thing here. They are separate, except for the one unfortunate coincidence of the Prince concert in Zurich. I see I shouldn't have put her blog link on here, but no one should put stuff here on her page - thanks.

eireboy34 said:

Wonder if she knows she's being discussed on the org??!

hls2000 said:

Hello, please don't post/paste stuff onto this lady's blog - that's not good etiquette, especially some of the language here. She's off doing her own thing, it's about her experience as an expat in Switzerland; we/I are doing our own thing here. They are separate, except for the one unfortunate coincidence of the Prince concert in Zurich. I see I shouldn't have put her blog link on here, but no one should put stuff here on her page - thanks.

eireboy34 said:

Wonder if she knows she's being discussed on the org??!

Ok but why are you quoting me??!!

[Edited 9/8/11 9:40am]

eireboy34 said:

hls2000 said:

Hello, please don't post/paste stuff onto this lady's blog - that's not good etiquette, especially some of the language here. She's off doing her own thing, it's about her experience as an expat in Switzerland; we/I are doing our own thing here. They are separate, except for the one unfortunate coincidence of the Prince concert in Zurich. I see I shouldn't have put her blog link on here, but no one should put stuff here on her page - thanks.

Ok but why are you quoting me??!!

[Edited 9/8/11 9:40am]

Oops, sorry don't mean to imply that you are the culprit. Just agreeing that she shouldn't know.

PatrickS77 said:

TheFreakerFantastic said:

That blogger seems to fit the stereotype of a nightmare loudmouth American...no wonder the concert goers wanted earplugs LOL.

Yeah! What a [Snip - luv4u] ... it's probably best she returned to the US as quick as possible.

Aaaah dear Patsy!

You always did have a way with words!

I wonder what the "[Snip - luv4u]" would say about your post?!

Lots of love!

The poor blogger is surely regretting her post!!

Imagine checking out the org only to discover some hysterical fans are calling you an "American cunt" who should fuck off back to America!

I have nothing to say about the earplug stuff (I've gone to lots of loud electronic music parties for over 10 years and dance near the sound systems on a regular basis, my ears are probably used to it since I don't have tinnitus problems ), but as for the rest of the blog...

Geez woman, get a clue

If you want to dance and party and enjoy the show, just buy tickets on the floor and get up close and personal with the artist. That's what all the intelligent people are doing without making blogs about it. The seated parts of the venue are for reserved people who just want to sit for whatever reason (I'm fine with that), or for old 60+ folks.

Also her superiority complex is hilarious:

"It was hysterical to realize that most likely, these other scattered groups of party animals were probably foreigners as well. "

Hahaha party animals on the seated areas, yeah sure The other "scattered groups" were probably just other groups of clueless 35+ women (foreign or not) who should have bought tickets to the center instead of spending half of the concert analyzing what people around them are doing.

[Edited 9/11/11 1:45am]

That was interesting.

vjPulp said:

Maybe one has to understand the differences between Swiss audiences and American audiences. Or Swiss concerts vs American concerts in general.

As I understand, in most (if not all) concerts in the US, people are seated. From the first to the last row of the stadium, everywhere seats. Even in a KISS concert in Madison Square Garden, all seats. I never understood that. Because in Switzerland (and most of the other european countries), the center area of the stadium is empty. No seats. That's where people are standing right from the beginning. That's where the die hard fans go. That's where the party is. People who don't like to be surrounded by sweaty smelling people, who don't like to have their feet mashed, or who easily get claustrophobic, choose to buy tickets for the seats in the circle around. This is where they get into the mood slowly. Some would say, the Swiss are reserved. That's partly true, yes. But they just want to enjoy the concert in a certain "consumer" way. They want to see if the star on stage is willing to work his ass off, if he is worth the money they payed, before they go nuts. That's their choice, that's why they didn't go into the center area.

So the ladies who blogged maybe should have bought cheaper tickets, should have gone into the center area and they would have had a blast in any way. But they didn't know that. Instead, they chose to make fun of some habits they didn't understand...

As for the earplugs... Not everybody wears them. Especially when you're standing in the center, some of the sound gets filtered by the people in front of you. But whe you're sitting on the seats around, you get the full dose. We have a law in Switzerland that dictates the maximum volume of concets and parties. It's at 100dB. When you listen to music or noise with 100dB during 2,5 hours without protection, your ears will "ring" and tell you afterwards that it was too much. You don't get that ring anymore, it means that it's already too late, and you already have lost some of the sensitivity. So I think it's only fair if people protect their hearing. And again, if the blogging ladies chose not to, that's OK, but they just shouldn't judge others only because they don't act the same way.

stadium seating went out when people were crushed to death at a who concert in ohio.

The poor woman has felt obliged to close her blog.

Obviously the "[Snip - luv4u]" has decided to go back to America.

[Edited 9/13/11 13:39pm]

eireboy34 said:

The poor woman has felt obliged to close her blog.

Obviously the "[Snip - luv4u]" has decided to go back to America.

[Edited 9/13/11 13:39pm]

Oh my God, really? I'm so sorry. Hope people haven't been harassing her. She's probably not a Prince fan anymore.

hls2000 said:

eireboy34 said:

The poor woman has felt obliged to close her blog.

Obviously the "[Snip - luv4u]" has decided to go back to America.

[Edited 9/13/11 13:39pm]

Oh my God, really? I'm so sorry. Hope people haven't been harassing her. She's probably not a Prince fan anymore.

Oh it seemes to be back now...was obviously just down for a while

[Edited 9/13/11 23:18pm]