I wish I could enjoy "stone-cold silence" but tinnitus has other ideas. :(
Dude, I'm with you. Loud bands in small bars and the basement of the fraternity house seemed like a good idea at the time.
My story is similar. I worked security at the Providence Civic Center back in the day. Worked the concerts for Def Leppard, Van Halen, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Dokken, Judas Priest, etc. If they were metal and loud, I wanted to be there. Not only did I work them, but I stood right in front of the huge banks of speakers in front of the stage.
By choice. Without earplugs. I wanted to soak in every decibel. So dumb. I'm paying for it now.
ETA: That was where the groupies hung out though, so that post did have its benefits.