Listening to Eric Clapton in Concert with My New Hearing Aids

Being able to hear well, or at least well enough, is an important ability for one who is blind.  For example, being able to hear traffic patterns is what enables me to cross streets safely because I cannot see traffic signals.  Moreover, all of my spoken and written communication to and from others, including my written work on gather, is accomplished aurally through the spoken word, even when the speech comes from a computer.   
About five years ago, I began hearing a "buzzing" noise in my ears.  My internist referred me to an audiologist who explained that the buzzing sound or tinnitus was caused by a mild to moderate bilateral sensory-neural hearing loss in the upper frequencies only.  Consonants are distinguishable based on the quality of their higher pitch sounds which explained why I sometimes had to ask a person to repeat or even to spell a consonant-laden word I could not quite make out.  The audiologist could not give me an opinion as to whether my hearing loss was stable or would degenerate over time.  Apparently, the prognosis varies person by person.
News of my hearing loss did not fill me with joy. Contemplating my future often fills me with anxiety and dread because of imagined possibilities of new, unforeseen challenges to my abilities and independence.    For this reason, I try hard to live as much as possible in the present moment so as not to get caught up in the past which I cannot change or the future which I cannot control.  Focusing on the present moment cannot give rise to such imaginary, speculative fears because the now is known.  Sustaining presence in the now, however, is difficult for me to maintain beyond a minute or two.  Then my mind wanders off alone like a curious, wayward toddler, usually to places it should not venture alone without close adult supervision.  So it was not too surprising that my mind sometimes fixates on my newly-heightened fear of becoming deaf on top of my being blind.  Deaf-blind is not a status to which I aspire, I can assure you.   
The good news, of course, is that I have no basis to believe I will reach anything like that degree of additional impairment.  And, should I reach that point, I will have no real choice but to accept it, just as I finally have accepted my blindness.
I have been wondering whether hearing-aids might be helpful.  My audiologist and I have discussed this possibility on several occasions.  Although she easily understood how my ability to hear was of critical importance to me, she was doubtful my relatively slight degree of hearing loss might be overcome with hearing aids.   This week, however, I decided to try on a pair of hearing aids to see if they helped.  What a marvelous change!  Sounds are brighter, clearer, and sharper. The birds even sound happier!  Best of all, it is easier for me to understand conversations!  I even wore them during last night's Eric Clapton concert which I attended with my son.  I thought I might have my hearing blown out by the double amplification of my hearing aids plus the huge speakers on the stage but that didn't happen.  Instead, I found it easier to understand Clapton's lyrics.  The concert was great with Clapton playing a mix of his new bluesy material and some of his old classics.  So, once again, I am truly blessed in so many ways!