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The Decibel Diaries: A Journey through Rock in 50 Concerts
Sometimes a rock concert is more than just an event. Every so often a band’s performance becomes a musical milestone, a cultural watershed, a political statement, and a personal apotheosis. On any given night a rock concert can tell the truth about who we are, where we are, and what’s going on in music and life right now. In The Decibel Diaries, Carter Alan, longtime DJ and music director at WZLX in Boston, chronicles a lifetime in rock with a tour through fifty concerts that defined such moments―from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the rain when Richard Nixon resigned to Talking Heads and the first stirrings of punk in the basement bars of New York and Boston to the bluegrass angel Alison Krauss and the adaptable veteran Robert Plant forging a plangent, plaintive postmodern synergy. For each event Alan shows us what it was like to be there and telescopes out to reveal how this show fit into the arc of the artist’s career, the artist’s place in music, and the music’s place in the wider world. Taken together, The Decibel Diaries is a visceral and visionary portrait of nearly fifty years of rock ’n’ roll.
352 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 30, 2025
This book was cool.
From hitchhiking in Florida, knocking into Joey Ramone in Boston, witnessing John Cougar's animal instinct first hand, or giving away free Paul McCartney tickets, Carter Alan has seen and done a fair share of incredible events in his lifetime.
I intended on seeing his seminar at the public library, but opted to attend my youngest brother's chorus perform Katy Perry and eat Chinese food after.
--
Edit:
Philosophically or fundamentally, if life is a gift and the human body is an experience machine, these were my own top 10 most fun and top 10 least favorite concerts by professional bands:
TOP 10 MOST FUN:
10) Against Me! @ The Paradise 6/9/2011
9) Presidents of the United States of America @ The Paradise 4/11/2013
8) Riot Fest 2013 @ Byers, Colorado
7) Beastie Boys @ The BOA Pavilion 8/6/2007
6) Frank Turner @ The Middle East Downstairs 11/2/2011
5) Street Dogs Savin Hill CD Release @ Axis 10/11/2003
4) Menzingers @ HOB Boston 5/13/2022
3) WBCN River Rave 2002 @ CMGI Field (now Gillette Stadium)
2) Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Bouncing Souls @ The Middle East Downstairs 12/26/2007
1) Reel Big Fish and The Aquabats @ HOB Boston 11/21/2010
TOP 10 LEAST FAVORITE:
10) Jawbreaker, The Getup Kids, and Worriers @ HOB Boston 4/23/2022
9) Phish @ Verizon Wireless Arena 10/26/2013
8) Jimmy Eat World @ HOB Boston 8/5/2013
7) Desaparecidos and Joyce Manor @ The Paradise 2/24/2013
6) Black Francis @ Brighton Music Hall 10/22/2011
5) Yin Yang Twins @ Eckerd College 2007
4) Courteeners @ Brighton Music Hall 11/10/2022
3) John Doe and Mark Lind & The Unloved @ TT The Bears 5/5/2009
2) Thick and Bad Waitress @ Brighton Music Hall 9/9/2022
1) Prophets of Rage @ Xfinity Center 9/21/2016
From hitchhiking in Florida, knocking into Joey Ramone in Boston, witnessing John Cougar's animal instinct first hand, or giving away free Paul McCartney tickets, Carter Alan has seen and done a fair share of incredible events in his lifetime.
I intended on seeing his seminar at the public library, but opted to attend my youngest brother's chorus perform Katy Perry and eat Chinese food after.
--
Edit:
Philosophically or fundamentally, if life is a gift and the human body is an experience machine, these were my own top 10 most fun and top 10 least favorite concerts by professional bands:
TOP 10 MOST FUN:
10) Against Me! @ The Paradise 6/9/2011
9) Presidents of the United States of America @ The Paradise 4/11/2013
8) Riot Fest 2013 @ Byers, Colorado
7) Beastie Boys @ The BOA Pavilion 8/6/2007
6) Frank Turner @ The Middle East Downstairs 11/2/2011
5) Street Dogs Savin Hill CD Release @ Axis 10/11/2003
4) Menzingers @ HOB Boston 5/13/2022
3) WBCN River Rave 2002 @ CMGI Field (now Gillette Stadium)
2) Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Bouncing Souls @ The Middle East Downstairs 12/26/2007
1) Reel Big Fish and The Aquabats @ HOB Boston 11/21/2010
TOP 10 LEAST FAVORITE:
10) Jawbreaker, The Getup Kids, and Worriers @ HOB Boston 4/23/2022
9) Phish @ Verizon Wireless Arena 10/26/2013
8) Jimmy Eat World @ HOB Boston 8/5/2013
7) Desaparecidos and Joyce Manor @ The Paradise 2/24/2013
6) Black Francis @ Brighton Music Hall 10/22/2011
5) Yin Yang Twins @ Eckerd College 2007
4) Courteeners @ Brighton Music Hall 11/10/2022
3) John Doe and Mark Lind & The Unloved @ TT The Bears 5/5/2009
2) Thick and Bad Waitress @ Brighton Music Hall 9/9/2022
1) Prophets of Rage @ Xfinity Center 9/21/2016
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2017
This is a great book for music fans. Especially if you are of a certain age to remember some of the groups and artists he talks about. It was like a tour through my musical history. We get to hear the author's experience at the different shows as well as background information about the artist or group. I found it best to read only a chapter or two at a time. I bet it would be fun to read a chapter and then listen to some music of the concert he describes. I may have to go back and try that...
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August 4, 2017Carter Alan is a DJ and the program director for the classic rock radio station WZLX in Boston. Over his career he has been on the forefront of the music industry. He was instrumental in getting U2 to the United States, when DJs had that kind of influence over programming. This book is a collection of essays that chronicle 50 years worth of concerts Alan has attended. These stories are both anecdotal and critical. He has chosen to write about the top names in music, beginning in the 1970s. Although he is a fan of all of the artists included, he has not sugar coated any of the mistakes that they may have made during their show. One has to remember it is one night in their career, and we all don’t have good days all the time. Alan’s anecdotes are funny and entertaining as well as informative. It may bring you back to your own similar concert experiences. If you don’t like a particular artist you can skip over as each concert is its own chapter. This was a thoroughly entertaining book. —Barb (https://www.bookish.com/articles/staf...)
October 14, 2017
Carter Alan assembles a list of fifty concerts (out of the 3300+ he's seen) and provides context for both his own life and where the act was at the time. It's an interesting undertaking, but much of it doesn't work for me for various reasons and would normally lead me to a two star review. Understand that some of these are issues that I deal with as an English teacher and not as a music lover.
*I understand that not all writing is formal writing and occasions exist where it's acceptable to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. That said, Alan's routine use of commas after those conjunctions is profoundly irritating to me: "But, those guys across the square didn't know any of that yet", "But, the palpable buzz flying around the sold-out room couldn't be ignored", and "So, now I had a rock-and-roll fantasy of my own".
*And on the topic of punctuation, anyone who works with me will speak of my disdain for exclamation points. They are rarely necessary and often serve only to counter the intended use. Alan is a frequent user of these in a way that doesn't convey the intended emotion as much as it forces it: "let the [J. Geils Band] boogie-woogie!", "Now the show fit my budget!", and "the lights finally went down and the real star of the night arrived!" Each of these sentences can put across the intended feeling without the unnecessary abuse of this poor punctuation mark.
*It's a proof-reading error but one I can't let slide (unlike a missing quotation mark here and there). Alan references the highlight of a Guns 'n' Roses show at the Paradise as "a magnificent 'Paradise Theater'", yet anyone with a vague familiarity with the band should know that it's "Paradise City". It's almost understandable as the show was at the Paradise Rock Club, once known as the Paradise Theater, but not quite. On top of that, Alan elevates GNR's status when describing them as the band that ended much of the 1980s' cheesier fare, and "Paradise Theater" is a 1981 album by Styx, a band that could be argued as one that fits in that category. I can't blame Alan alone for this, as I know writers often get too close to the material and know what they're trying to say even if they don't say it accurately, but someone in editing should have caught this.
*Punctuation aside, Alan - while knowledgeable and a helluva nice guy - is not a great writer. His style of writing is a bit formulaic and more declarative and less evocative. Almost every chapter includes glowing praise of each band member, as if every band were as thoroughly talented as The Who. I'm sorry, but Nikki Sixx doesn't quite top my list of bassists. And almost every show has a bouncing crowd and leaves Alan drenched with sweat and barely able to move at the end. If every show is like that, then few stand out. It might be possible that he chose these fifty shows because of that, but they would distinguish themselves if the set-up of each chapter would vary a little. When he writes about camping at a Phish festival, he relates that many people had camped next to him and he found it "odd since there was such a large field available. I joked that the occupants must be from New York City and couldn't stand to be out of sight of their neighbors." Writing it this way makes HIM the focus instead of the story. My editorial brain had to reword it: It was odd that they would camp there given the large field available; they must have been New Yorkers who couldn't stand to be out of sight of their neighbors. The idea is the same, but the focus is shifted to the story, not the story teller.
*Alan is also a fan of trying to connect two disparate concepts to the point of forcing the issue. When writing about Jack White playing at Fenway Park, he tries to put in as many baseball references as he can to connect the show to the venue. When done well, this is effective, but Alan doesn't seem to realize which terms work and which ones don't. He addresses the fact that the crowd spanned a wider age range than he anticipated and writes that White has "something to say to everyone. You just had to leave the bullpen to hear it." I might be missing a reference, but I don't think it's common to say that someone who doesn't realize something is in the bullpen.
*Lastly, Alan often drops references to song lyrics in connection to the acts he sees. When bemoaning the break-up of the J. Geils Band, he writes that they "musta got lost." This works because it's Geils's lyric. But when he writes about Kenney Jones replacing Keith Moon in The Who, he asks if the band could "get back in the ring for another swing." I don't see how an AC/DC reference boosts his point. Then there's the fact that he drops the phrase "out of the blue and into the black" three times in the book - once about the Black Crowes, once about Nirvana, and once about Pearl Jam, but NOT when he writes about seeing Neil Young.
These are my issues with the book, as pointless and pedantic as they might be.
However...
I am giving this book three stars. Not because it's great writing and not because I feel I was at the shows. I'm giving it three stars because it's allowing me to relive my own musical past. Alan and I have seen many of the same bands, although not necessarily at the same shows: Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motley Crue.... This book allows me to experience those shows again. Alan and I have been to many of the same venues: Boston Garden, the Paradise, the Orpheum, Fenway Park.... This book allows me to go back to those places and relive other shows I've seen there.
That's why I started posting my concert stubs on Facebook, to remember the shows - good and bad - that I've been to and start a conversation with friends and family who were there or wanted to be (or didn't want to be there) and keep these memories alive.
*I understand that not all writing is formal writing and occasions exist where it's acceptable to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. That said, Alan's routine use of commas after those conjunctions is profoundly irritating to me: "But, those guys across the square didn't know any of that yet", "But, the palpable buzz flying around the sold-out room couldn't be ignored", and "So, now I had a rock-and-roll fantasy of my own".
*And on the topic of punctuation, anyone who works with me will speak of my disdain for exclamation points. They are rarely necessary and often serve only to counter the intended use. Alan is a frequent user of these in a way that doesn't convey the intended emotion as much as it forces it: "let the [J. Geils Band] boogie-woogie!", "Now the show fit my budget!", and "the lights finally went down and the real star of the night arrived!" Each of these sentences can put across the intended feeling without the unnecessary abuse of this poor punctuation mark.
*It's a proof-reading error but one I can't let slide (unlike a missing quotation mark here and there). Alan references the highlight of a Guns 'n' Roses show at the Paradise as "a magnificent 'Paradise Theater'", yet anyone with a vague familiarity with the band should know that it's "Paradise City". It's almost understandable as the show was at the Paradise Rock Club, once known as the Paradise Theater, but not quite. On top of that, Alan elevates GNR's status when describing them as the band that ended much of the 1980s' cheesier fare, and "Paradise Theater" is a 1981 album by Styx, a band that could be argued as one that fits in that category. I can't blame Alan alone for this, as I know writers often get too close to the material and know what they're trying to say even if they don't say it accurately, but someone in editing should have caught this.
*Punctuation aside, Alan - while knowledgeable and a helluva nice guy - is not a great writer. His style of writing is a bit formulaic and more declarative and less evocative. Almost every chapter includes glowing praise of each band member, as if every band were as thoroughly talented as The Who. I'm sorry, but Nikki Sixx doesn't quite top my list of bassists. And almost every show has a bouncing crowd and leaves Alan drenched with sweat and barely able to move at the end. If every show is like that, then few stand out. It might be possible that he chose these fifty shows because of that, but they would distinguish themselves if the set-up of each chapter would vary a little. When he writes about camping at a Phish festival, he relates that many people had camped next to him and he found it "odd since there was such a large field available. I joked that the occupants must be from New York City and couldn't stand to be out of sight of their neighbors." Writing it this way makes HIM the focus instead of the story. My editorial brain had to reword it: It was odd that they would camp there given the large field available; they must have been New Yorkers who couldn't stand to be out of sight of their neighbors. The idea is the same, but the focus is shifted to the story, not the story teller.
*Alan is also a fan of trying to connect two disparate concepts to the point of forcing the issue. When writing about Jack White playing at Fenway Park, he tries to put in as many baseball references as he can to connect the show to the venue. When done well, this is effective, but Alan doesn't seem to realize which terms work and which ones don't. He addresses the fact that the crowd spanned a wider age range than he anticipated and writes that White has "something to say to everyone. You just had to leave the bullpen to hear it." I might be missing a reference, but I don't think it's common to say that someone who doesn't realize something is in the bullpen.
*Lastly, Alan often drops references to song lyrics in connection to the acts he sees. When bemoaning the break-up of the J. Geils Band, he writes that they "musta got lost." This works because it's Geils's lyric. But when he writes about Kenney Jones replacing Keith Moon in The Who, he asks if the band could "get back in the ring for another swing." I don't see how an AC/DC reference boosts his point. Then there's the fact that he drops the phrase "out of the blue and into the black" three times in the book - once about the Black Crowes, once about Nirvana, and once about Pearl Jam, but NOT when he writes about seeing Neil Young.
These are my issues with the book, as pointless and pedantic as they might be.
However...
I am giving this book three stars. Not because it's great writing and not because I feel I was at the shows. I'm giving it three stars because it's allowing me to relive my own musical past. Alan and I have seen many of the same bands, although not necessarily at the same shows: Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motley Crue.... This book allows me to experience those shows again. Alan and I have been to many of the same venues: Boston Garden, the Paradise, the Orpheum, Fenway Park.... This book allows me to go back to those places and relive other shows I've seen there.
That's why I started posting my concert stubs on Facebook, to remember the shows - good and bad - that I've been to and start a conversation with friends and family who were there or wanted to be (or didn't want to be there) and keep these memories alive.
July 10, 2018
In college I took a series of Surveys of Literature (America, British, and World in case you're interested). This book was like a survey of Rock. From The James Gang in the 60s to Joe Walsh in 2010s. In a nice bit of book-ending, Joe Walsh was a member of The James Gang. In between was a great look at how society influences music and vice versa.
While it was very Boston-centric, that's to be expected because Carter has been a Boston DJ for decades. I loved reading about how each of the concerts fit in both the grand scheme of popular music and the physical experience of being in those concerts. Since I'm a big fan of 70s and 80s rock, I got nostalgic for a lot of the bands. I also got many of the songs stuck in my head!
One thing I got tired of quickly was how many times he'd reference that the concerts were (largely) in a pre-internet world. Coupled with a few of the last concerts clearly not being his bag, he came across as a grumpy old man at times. But he owned up to it. So that's something.
This was a great read for anyone interested in seeing the development of the Rock scene in the north east.
While it was very Boston-centric, that's to be expected because Carter has been a Boston DJ for decades. I loved reading about how each of the concerts fit in both the grand scheme of popular music and the physical experience of being in those concerts. Since I'm a big fan of 70s and 80s rock, I got nostalgic for a lot of the bands. I also got many of the songs stuck in my head!
One thing I got tired of quickly was how many times he'd reference that the concerts were (largely) in a pre-internet world. Coupled with a few of the last concerts clearly not being his bag, he came across as a grumpy old man at times. But he owned up to it. So that's something.
This was a great read for anyone interested in seeing the development of the Rock scene in the north east.
May 31, 2018
I did not expect to like this book at all. I’m not a fan of much rock, and I don’t like talking/hearing about music. I like to just listen to songs that I enjoy, not have people pick things apart or analyze them or try to turn them into something bigger and more important than they really are.
So, imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying this man’s relaying of concerts, musicians, and rock music history. I didn’t like every chapter necessarily, but found the majority of them to be entertaining and interesting. The fact that Mr. Alan has never lost his love and enthusiasm for music is obvious, and what I think makes this such a good read. He captures moments, feelings, and how music sets the backdrop for our lives.
I think this is probably a 4, or maybe even 5, star book given that it kept a non-fan like me reading the whole way through. I’m giving it a 3 based on my personal opinion/experience, but think a rock music or concert lover would rate it higher.
So, imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying this man’s relaying of concerts, musicians, and rock music history. I didn’t like every chapter necessarily, but found the majority of them to be entertaining and interesting. The fact that Mr. Alan has never lost his love and enthusiasm for music is obvious, and what I think makes this such a good read. He captures moments, feelings, and how music sets the backdrop for our lives.
I think this is probably a 4, or maybe even 5, star book given that it kept a non-fan like me reading the whole way through. I’m giving it a 3 based on my personal opinion/experience, but think a rock music or concert lover would rate it higher.
June 6, 2017
As someone who attended rock concerts regularly through the time period covered here by Alan, I was as interested in his memories as in any insights to the music or culture he might provide. His memories were interesting albeit rather cursory. His insights? Well, he's no Lester Bangs, but that's ok. His trip down memory lane triggered many memories of my own, which made my journey through his book enjoyable. Frank Hoppe--KCSN.
March 14, 2021
I used this book for the 2021 Pop Sugar reading challenge. It was a prompt I wasn't really a fan of - a book on my TBR list with the ugliest cover. I didn't have any "ugly" covers.
The book. Carter Alan is a local DJ on stations I listen to (plural because one of them doesn't exist anymore). He and I have similar taste in music and I've been to some of the same concerts, so it was kind of cool learning his take and some extra bits that I wouldn't know because he has more access.
The book. Carter Alan is a local DJ on stations I listen to (plural because one of them doesn't exist anymore). He and I have similar taste in music and I've been to some of the same concerts, so it was kind of cool learning his take and some extra bits that I wouldn't know because he has more access.
June 8, 2017
Given the so loose its almost not even there throughline of this biography and the occasional bits of repetition, it wouldve worked much better spaced out over time, as a series of blog posts for example. But still some fascinating and envy inducing recollections of seeing incredible bands at important periods in their careers
February 6, 2018
A very fun read through rock history! A lot of my favorite bands aren't mentioned, but it's still a fun read through rock history and a great way to discover new songs with the suggest songs at the beginning of each chapter
November 19, 2021
Not enough women but not his fault. Love and passion for (American) rock comes through on every page. A lost era, I think, but a key part of culture before the Internet that brought people together. Rock'n'roll will never die, but it's certainly in pensionable age.
December 26, 2023
3.5. Some of the stories were entertaining, but for most, "you had to be there." Nice that Mr. Alan had a cool job and got to be besties with U2 though.
January 22, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable memory trip of 50 rock concerts relayed by Carter Alan, DJ at WBCN in Boston during my formative years. Great background info on bands, musicians. Well written too !
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April 30, 2017I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
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May 30, 2019Boston DJ Carter Alan provides a detailed concert travel log for major music acts from 1970 through 2015. Each entry provides a list of songs one should listen to, a brief historical background of the band performing and where they were in their career, and details from that specific concert. These logs provide a representative sampling of live performances of rock and roll, blues, heavy metal, soul and grunge. Some bands, like U2, are listed more than once, but you see them at two different times in their career. Alan includes concerts from when bands were just starting out like the Police in 1978 and Prince in 1981, and bands that had been around for a while like Paul McCartney on his 1990 tour. The reader can also read concert reviews of bands at their height in popularity like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. If you like rock and roll and want to relive a concert you went to or read about that artist or band you wish you’d seen back in the day (or couldn’t get tickets to), this is an excellent book to read and relive the glory days of rock. - Sara H.
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