I am just north of the chairbacks on the west side and you can't hear the music or anything else that is being said on the PA. Loud? It needs to be turned up! Louder is better as it gives the illusion of a big time event. Go to Nebraska this weekend and see how loud things are. Any big time school or Chicago sports teams play things loud. The problem with NIU's attendance is it's fan base is old! I go to so many of the events and at 50 I am usually one of the youngest there. We need more late 20's-40's fans. The older you get the more you need a perfect environment or you won't attend.