The most popular complaint against music venues is that they're just too loud (followed closely by "patrons behaving badly"), and Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado is facing similar charges. Residents of nearby Morrison have claimed that concerts are keeping them awake and even rattling the windows of homes as far as half-a-mile from Red Rocks. And of course the culprit isn't just any form of music: It's EDM.
"You can get the craziest Metallica concert, and that's not even close to what we're talking about," Morrison Mayor Sean Forey told The Denver Post. "This is something new and different than anything in the past."
There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why EDM acts, and not Metallica—the heaviest band ever as known by Forey and dads everywhere—are creating problems for the community: sub-bass. This ultra-low frequency of bass is more frequent in EDM, especially among dubstep performers such as Skrillex. The range is literally the lowest frequency that most humans can hear, but listeners can often feel the blasts. Metal bands such as Metallica certainly pride themselves in being loud, but no bass guitar is going to shake windows in the distance.
Red Rocks currently receives amnesty from Morrison's noise level laws, but residents are looking to change that. New laws in Denver (that went into effect on January 1) requires that the average decibel level for a concert remains under 105 db. Performers in Denver are encouraged to follow the law, as they receive fines up to $10,000 if they don't abide. Residents hope the law will soon apply to Red Rocks as well. Not that residents would exaggerate or anything.
"It's like Guantanamo - with loud, thumping music and sleep deprivation," a resident told The Denver Post.
Citizens need to act quickly if they want the law to apply to the venue's first EDM event of the season. The Global Dub Festival will feature headliner Krewella, and remember: "dub" guarantees foundation-rattling bass.
