I agree with your dad. I went to a LOT of metal concerts since I was 14, and I mean a lot. In the first few years I never wore ear plugs but now I almost always do (although I have to say my concertgoing frequency has dropped quite dramatically)
Your hearing is such a vitally important thing and you CAN damage it by going to concerts, they don't even have to be big ones. Concerts in smaller clubs can often do more damage depending on the equipment/sound set-up.
Anyway on the topic of plugs, you can go for anything between cheap 1 euro ones to custom made 100 euro ones (not the exact prices mind).
The cheap yellow things you can get at the pharmacy are just crap, don't use them. They won't give you a lot of protection and rather than lowering the dB they just block some frequencies. And they don't help with hearing what people are saying either. I wouldn't recommend custom-made ones either since I assume you're still in school so there's the price issue, and it would be overkill, they are usually used by more or less professional musicians. What I really would recommend is that you go to a music store like Feedback or something or any smaller shop that sells musical instruments, and buy some earplugs in the in-between price range (say 20 to 40 euros). I have some of those myself, and I can tell you they will truly increase your listening pleasure. The vocals will become much more defined and clear, you will have a much better bass sound than your reckless earplugless friends
and the overall sound will be more defined. I really suggest you get some and wear 'em!
Hope this helps!
[ 10-03-2004, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Melusine ]