The Loudest Rock Show Lubbock Ever Endured

Imagine a concert so loud it actually rattled your bones. It happened right here in the Hub City, inside the old Lubbock Municipal Coliseum.

We tend to romanticize the Coliseum now, but truthfully, it was a miserable place. Yes, it had history and character, but even with air conditioning upgrades, the building was notoriously uncomfortable. Part of the problem was that bands entered through a massive loading bay, which usually stayed wide open. That made it nearly impossible to control the climate.

The Era of Floor-Shaking Sound In Lubbock

The Coliseum was also a product of its time, when most bands placed their massive PA systems directly on the floor rather than flying them overhead with rigging. That setup made every bass note and guitar crunch travel through the concrete floor and up into your body. If the band was loud enough, you didn’t just hear the music—you felt the sound waves slam through your chest. You see, when you can't fly that audio rigging, you just turn it up so it's loud for the folks in back.

Back then, no one thought twice about leaving a concert with ears ringing—or worse. Some fans even bragged about fluid coming out of their ears, wearing temporary hearing loss like a badge of honor.

The single loudest show I ever endured, in Lubbock or anywhere else, was Judas Priest on their 1982 Tour supporting "Screaming For Vengeance". From start to finish, it was a brutal audio assault. To this day, nothing has ever matched that sheer volume and bone-rattling power.

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Just in case you're wondering, I do believe the opener for that show was Krokus and The Rods. Also, I'm glad you survived.