Going to Concerts When You Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Practical Guide

Why Live Music Hits Different

Recorded music comes out of small speakers. Live music comes out of huge ones, and you can feel it in your chest, through the floor and in the air around you. For a lot of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, a concert is the most physical way to experience music there is.

SongTools.ai exists because of a concert. About ten years ago our founder, Stephan Jacobs, played a show in Bend, Oregon. One man spent the entire set dancing right in front of the speakers, closer than any hearing person would ever stand. After the show he came up and said he loved the music. He was Deaf. Stephan never found him again, but that moment is why we build tools that let people read what music feels like.

Where to Stand

• Near the speakers or the subwoofers is where the vibration is strongest. Many venues stack subwoofers at the front of the stage or under it.
• On a wooden floor or a raised platform if the venue has one, since they carry vibration well.
• With a clear view of the stage, so you can watch the drummer, the singer and the crowd. They tell you a lot about what is happening.
• In the ASL section, if the show has one. Many festivals set aside a viewing area for Deaf guests near the interpreters.

If you have some hearing, protect it. Being right next to speakers is loud. Musicians' earplugs lower the volume without killing the vibration you feel in your body.

How to Request an ASL Interpreter

Many venues and festivals in the US provide ASL interpreters if you ask. Look for an "Accessibility" or "ADA" page on the venue or festival website. Most have a request form or an email address.

• Ask early. Venues commonly ask for at least two weeks' notice so they can book a qualified interpreter. Festivals often set their own deadline.
• Say which performance you want interpreted, not just the date, especially at a festival.
• Check in when you arrive. Festivals often have an access center where you pick up a wristband for the ASL viewing area.

Gear That Helps

• Vibration vests and wearables. Music: Not Impossible makes a wireless system of a vest, wristlets and anklets with 24 vibration points. Different parts of the music vibrate in different places: the kick drum in the ankles, the snare in the wrists. It has been used at live shows, including a Lady Gaga concert.
• SUBPAC, a vest shaped wearable that sends bass straight into your body. Deaf Rave founder Troi Lee has used them at his events.
• Hearing aid and implant settings. Some hearing aids and cochlear implants have a music program. Your audiologist can tell you what yours can do.

Do Your Homework Before the Show

Knowing the songs before you go makes a show much more fun. Before the concert, run a few of the artist's songs through Mood & Emotion and Describe a Song to learn how they feel and where the big moments are. Read the lyrics with the Lyrics Transcriber. Then when the chorus hits live, you will know it is coming.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing people can apply for free access to SongTools.ai.