Whilst I love the sound & feel of big amps going (they don`t have to be massively loud tho, just to drums level) I have to admit that since wearing ear-plugs (ACS), which really reduce the volume of the whole band down, I can hear much more of what each instrument is doing and it does make rehearsing much more enjoyable. I`m yet to do a gig like this so can`t comment on that aspect.