Unable To Sound Your Complaint

It is about an hour before a music festival starts. The festival is showcasing electronic music, and the musicians are all warming up and performing sound checks. An older woman comes up to where we are queueing.

Woman: “Excuse me, can you please tell them to turn the sound down?”

Security: “Sorry?”

Woman: “The bass is too loud. Can you please turn it down?”

Security: “Ma’am, I’m just working security.”

Woman: “Well, who do you report to? The sound is too loud!”

I try my hand at an explanation.

Me: “Ma’am, it’s a music festival. I don’t think you’ll have much luck.”

Woman: “I don’t care! It’s too bloody loud!”

I quickly — and wisely — give up, but she carries on. She storms over to the ticket office. I can’t hear the exchange, but next thing I know, she draws away from the window with a wireless bank card reader in her hand.

Woman: “You can have it back when you turn the noise down! It’s too loud!”

A man steps out of the ticket office.

Ticket Seller: “Ma’am—”

Woman: *Firmly but not loudly* “It’s too loud!”

Ticket Seller: “—if you’ll just hand me my property back—”

Woman: “It’s too loud!”

Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, I will call the cops—”

Woman: “Do it! Call them! They’ll turn the sound down! It’s too f****** loud! I am in [Public Place] and the bass is too loud!”

This festival is indeed in said public place, but it’s been known about and licensed for some months and publicised across the entire country.

Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, can you please—”

Woman: “It’s too loud!”

Ticket Seller: “Ma’am, I—”

Woman: “You can have this back when you turn the sound down! It’s too loud!”

The ticket seller makes a grab for the machine, but she pulls it out of his reach. He remains calm, as does the security guard.

Ticket Seller: “Ma’am—”

Woman: “It’s too loud! The bass is too loud!”

Fortunately, a policeman shows up in his car. The woman goes over, machine still in hand, and knocks on the policeman’s window. The ticket seller follows her. Again, I can’t hear this exchange, but shortly after, the policeman steps out of his car and walks around to the quarrelling pair. She keeps repeating her phrase, “It’s too loud!”, but the policeman eventually gets the card reader back to the ticket booth and leads the woman away.

Me: *To others in line* “Well. This could be an interesting day.”