My ears are ringing

I have a congenital hearing loss. My left ear is much worse than my right and yet I insist on using my left to talk on the phone. I think I may have lost some of the right ear's capacity to function tonight. Here I sit, outside of the theater, and the noise is excruciatingly loud. I'm not sure how the people in the room are enduring. But, perhaps it's all a generational thing. Wait, no. There were definately people my age when in high school that blasted things like Guns and Roses; I was just wasn't one of them. For instance, after last fall's New Kids on the Block concert (I was in the third row) I couldn't hear properly for at least a week. Is that the same for others? Do you accept the deafness as a benefit to the musical experience? Larry says that he can't hear high frequencies.

So, what it is? What volume do you like to hear your music at and why? Do you feel like listening to music loudly is a worthy sacrifice or some bands are better louder? What about concerts? Ever gone to one with ear plugs?