It does say Opera House — as in Sydney Opera House, one of the world’s most famous. But the decibel level of a certain Florence and the Machine show there was decidedly not a mezzo soprano hitting high notes without a mic. This is rock and roll. Local residents felt assaulted by the sound, according to The Australian, which reports that the Sydney Opera House had to pay a $15K fine for exceeding the allowable noise limits. Florence and the Machine rocked this section of Sydney — well beyond the concert margins apparently — in November 2015.
Residents in a local luxury building have been trying to win a case against the Opera House for years, apparently. This is its first victory, says The Australian. Plenty of technical details about decibels and the zoning regulations attend the decision, but music fans will note that it only adds to the hard-rocking legend of Florence and the Machine. “Fined in Sydney” could be to concerts what the old “Banned in Boston” was to books — a designation meant to punish that worked as a virtual advertisement instead. The Who is still famous for its volume, 40 years on.
