Why Keith Urban Was So Loud At Cheyenne Frontier Days

If you were anywhere near Frontier Park last Friday night, you probably heard Keith Urban's concert loud and clear. But it wasn't the band cranking the sound up to 11, it was the weather.

"Sound can get trapped in layers of different temperature," Day Weather meteorologist Don Day Jr. said. "Since it rained a little and cooled off Friday evening and the winds stayed light, the sound was able to travel further in the cooler layer near the ground."

Day was at the concert Friday night and said that it didn't seem louder than a typical CFD night show inside the arena. He's right. Although volume levels can vary slightly, they usually range between 100 and 120 decibels.

CFD upgraded their sound system several years ago, working with an acoustic engineer to distribute sound more evenly by raising and revamping the speaker rigs on the north and south ends of the stage. They also installed soundproofing material in the grandstands to help prevent distortion.

If one CFD night show is louder than the others, don't blame the venue, blame Mother Nature.