Maybe it's me, but in my experience, concerts have been less loud than they have been in the past. The loudest ones I've been at recently were Gene Simmons in a small club, and Yngwie Malmsteen in a theater. I bring plugs to most shows I go to, but I don't use them more than half the time.
I remember seeing Pearl Jam in a small hockey arena, and it sounded like someone screaming over a bunch of marbles rolling around in a steel drum. I saw Ozzy back with Joe Holmes and it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Contrast that to both Slash and the Claypool Lennon Delirium, which sounded like I was listening to my stereo in my living room.