MUSICIANS FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO GET LOUD

As noise complaints threaten the survival of independent venues everywhere, these artists turned policy nerds are striking back

- KATIE THORNTON

Forest Hills Stadium is one of New York's most storied concert venues: a tennis arena that's hosted shows for decades, from the Beatles to newer stars like Rex Orange County. But last year, it was in the news not for helping propel bands to stardom, but for a legal battle over noise. After neighbors complained about the din from the stadium, lawsuits ensued, and judges have alternatingly banned and re-allowed concerts all year in a kind of aural roulette. When a judge let the music bang on this past fall, sonic private eyes and city officials patrolled the neighborhood with microphones and decibel meters, gathering ammo for the battle.