DEAR ABBY: Do you enjoy large, festive parties where the band is so loud you cannot hear the guest next to you speak?
We went to a very expensive black-tie wedding last week. Most of the guests left the room at various intervals throughout the evening in order to be able to converse with other guests without shouting.
The guests complained to each other about the loudness of the music, but no one felt they could speak to the host and hostess about it because they thought the loud music was their choice.
I spoke with the hostess about it today. She said she also thought the music was too loud, but she thought the guests were enjoying it.
Abby, is there anything guests can do about it? I am not complaining about music in general. It's only the very loud music I resent, which causes me to go home with a sore throat from shouting.
Do other readers agree? -- ROBERTA BERENS, ENCINO, CALIF.
DEAR ROBERTA: I'm sure many readers will agree with you, depending upon their age. It's a generational thing. Young people tend to favor loud music, which explains why so many have hearing problems in their later years. Had you asked the host, the hostess or even the band leader to tone down the volume -- your request may have fallen on deaf ears.