THE SOUND OF SILENCE ON STAGE

I raised my hopes too far.

Fifty years ago Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle were world famous. As a young man I was very keen on their music. If I could sing I would want it to be like them and so when the Simon & Garfunkle Story theatre show came my way I persuaded my wife to go to it with me. It’s been a long time since I last attended a live musical show and I thought, because I knew the words and the tunes I could enjoy it even though I knew I wouldn’t get the words and it may be noisy at times.

The show is on a UK tour and was well reviewed in advance. The singers, Dean Elliot and David Tudor, sounded very close to the originals and the trio of musicians were well chosen for their backing skills. They have been touring very successfully round the country. The stage show was dynamic, variable in pace and utilised all the on-stage performers at times to show off their abilities. The audience loved it and gave them rousing applause.

So how did I get on with it?

 “Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again.”
  - Paul Simon -

We had asked for suggestions as to where the T-loop would function best and chose seats almost central in the front stalls. Far enough back to be a little above stage level so as not to have to look upwards nor be too close to the speakers.

I did not expect to understand the announcements or many of the spoken words as speech definition is my main hearing difficulty at present. My problems started as soon as we entered the foyer. As expected there were lots of people mingling and waiting before entering the theatre. The hubbub started to give me tinnitus as we passed through the crowd. Although the theatre was almost empty when we sat in our seats the background hum was already competing with the whistles and when I turned my aids to ‘loop’ it was quiet except for the raging tinnitus. As it was not selective on its microphone pickup (there were six on stage) the T-loop probably would not have given me a better sound performance anyway.

I hoped it would quieten down when the aggravation was past so I switched back to microphone as there was nothing happening on stage yet. Once the crowd entered to fill the seats the noise level increased dramatically again. I turned down the volume expecting things to go quiet once the show started. But of course this was not a lecture hall it was a rock concert!

Immediately the lights flashed and the backing trio started the first song began and all I could hear was noise.

 “My words like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the well of silence”.

- Simon and Garfunkel, ‘The Sound Of Silence’ –

The T-loop system was not strong enough to register any sound in my hearing-aids that I could hear.

I switched my hearing-aid channels to a forward facing microphone. I could feel the base beat and hear the loud rhythm but my hearing could not define any clear separation between each musical instrument. The singing was the harmonious style I remembered and it was well performed but the close harmony was too close to the instruments and so I could not define any individual part. I looked at the musician’s fingers (all clearly in view) but it was like seeing the subtitles on television out of sync with the conversation. I struggled to put the sound with the action but it did not fit, it was all one melodious sound. It was balanced and strong but as if it was just one indefinable instrument

The singers had the microphones in their faces stopping me from any element of lip reading the spoken words of introductions even though the stage was light and vision was good. I didn’t expect to identify the words of the songs being sung but I knew them enough to sing them in my head. My disappointment was that although I knew the melodies and the music (and had played them myself in the past) it was not until we left the theatre car park afterwards that I was told all the old favourites had been sung! I had not been able to differentiate between the individual performances of the songs which had clearly been different for everyone else. To me it had been only the backing tracks that I could follow which drowned out the vocals. I could feel the base in my feet and the drums coming through at times but the keyboard was lost amongst the united sounds of the backing with the guitars fused in there somewhere as well.

The times I did best were when the two singers were alone with one acoustic guitar for accompaniment. I could register the picking and rhythm without the former distraction. At one time during complete silence I managed a few isolated words but then, just as the introduction was being made, the guitar was strummed over it for the first bars and with it went all comprehension. Just like the mood music that often distracts me on television.

During the performance the audience was encouraged to clap along with the rhythm. This made things particularly difficult because the sound was then coming from all around me and not just the stage. If the hearing loop was working for me this would not have been such a problem. The volume then was too much for me to appreciate any music that came with it.

At the end the audience were ecstatic and encored the performers. What they sang then, I do not know but it pleased the crowd who gave them a standing ovation.

 “People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, people writing songs that voices never share, and no one dare disturb the sound of silence”.

- Simon and Garfunkel, ‘The Sound Of Silence’ -

By this time I had switched off my hearing-aids unless those noise levels should increase my tinnitus and distract even more from the stage sounds. I don’t know how many decibels the speakers were putting out nor what the audience was adding to it. I could hear nothing at all at the time!

It was obviously a very good show, superbly performed and much appreciated. But for me it was pleasant in a monotonous way as I could only hear the same sounds repeated all through. No subtlety, no variation, no definition and no appreciation came my way. I remember the songs sung in a quiet 1960s reverential mood but this time, it was a popular stage rock performance.

Perhaps I should have stayed at home and saved my money. At least I now have a bench mark to test any future improvements I may have. Though it probably will be some time before I choose to go out and enjoy myself again!

“Your time has come to shine, all your dreams are on their way”.

- Simon and Garfunkel, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ -