Are Concerts At The Maine State Pier In Portland Really Too Loud?

Waterfront Concerts wants to bring shows back to the Maine State Pier again in 2017 but dozens of complaints have given the City of Portland pause. 

Remember that crazy loud Anthrax show last year in Portland? Remember when Ozzy Osbourne blew out the speakers on the Pier? If you're having trouble remembering those super loud events, that's because they never happened. But according to the Portland Press Herald, the City of Portland has received dozens of complaints that the decibel levels for concerts on the Pier are affecting people's "quality of life".

Waterfront Concerts held 30 concerts on the Maine State Pier in 2016, corralling more than 50,000 people to Portland to see national acts perform. From those 30 shows, the City of Portland received 45 sound-related complaints from residents. The year prior, 2015, the City of Portland had only received 36 complaints.

So how much louder were the shows in 2016? Not any louder at all. The Portland Press Herald researched the decibel levels between the 2015 and 2016 shows and found no discernible difference between the two. In fact, some of the shows that registered the loudest decibel levels didn't receive the most complaints. So what seems to be the problem?

The City of Portland will decide what, if any, actions need to be taken to have a successful 2017 season on the Maine State Pier. Promoter Alex Gray would love to make sound reducing improvements to the Pier permanently, but not without a long term commitment from the city on making the Pier a more permanent concert venue.

So what do you think? Are concerts on the Portland waterfront affecting your quality of life in the summer?