Why are pub bands so loud, or when did I get so old?

Tonight we went to the pub.  Not something I've done a lot of, even in my younger days, I was not a huge fan of pubs.  When I was at uni (the first time around anyway), pubs were not smoke free, and nobody had Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificates, and all bartenders wanted to be Tom Cruise in Cocktail.  This was also when I was still watching Tom Cruise movies, which I won't do anymore because I think he's kind of an arse.  Partly because his religion has given him some seriously overbearing opinions on stuff he obviously has no clue about, and partly because he seems like the quintessential short man.  Now, pubs are smoke free, and all the smokers have to sit outside in the cold in a resentful huddle, where they smoke up a veritable cloud of fumes that everyone else has to walk through to get to their cars.  And it was cold tonight, cold enough to warrant two cardigans.  It's nice being able to sit in the warm in air untainted by the eye watering fug of cigarette smoke. 

The one thing that hasn't changed though - pub bands are still loud.  Loud in a way that makes you uncomfortably certain that your ear drums are being damaged.  So loud that even surrounded by people, you feel terribly isolated, because no-one can hear anyone else speak above the racket.  So I sat in my little bubble of isolation feeling disgruntled, because I really would have loved a catch up chat with a friend I haven't seen in about ten years.  Apart from grimacing at one another, in agreement that yes it was flipping loud, we just smiled a lot, and mouthed stuff that I'm sure mostly consisted of moaning about the loudness.

And I hate drums.  Just putting it out there.  And no offense to drum players, I'm sure it takes a heap of skill and practice to make that kind of noise, but seriously, can't you turn it down?  And the bass.  I'm the kind of easy listener who turns the bass down to non-existent on my car stereo, because I prefer it that way.  So pub bands aren't really my thing.

I was there to hear the support act, my eldest son and a friend who have recently started singing together.  And they were good (there were no drums, so good start for me).  I did enjoy listening to them sing, and it was all very grown up to go out on a Saturday night. 

I've realised tonight, that the thing I enjoy most about being a grown up is being able to please myself and not make excuses about it.  So here I am now, in my pyjamas, sitting in my bed, with a slight ringing in my ears, and this is almost certainly the way I'll spend next Saturday night too - probably without the outing to the pub first (and the subsequent ringing), and I'm good with that. I don't care that it's boring and middle aged, and mundane, it's also comfortable, more interesting, warmer and it smells better.  And I can hear when people talk to me.