For the first time in three days residents on the South Shore know they will not be subjected to a wall of sound blasting across the water.

The Osheaga festival is extraordinarily popular, just wrapping up its eighth annual concert series with a long weekend of sold-out outdoor concerts.

But while musicians were playing for an ecstatic crowd, residents in St. Lambert say they were in agony.

"We couldn't stay outside, it was just impossible. We were yelling at each other to hear each other," said Jean Levesque.

Noise levels of 55 to 60 decibels are considered normal for a conversation, but in his backyard Levesque recorded levels of 93 dB, which is equivalent to being next to a busy highway. That's also loud enough to cause hearing damage after eight hours.

CTV tested for sound levels in nearby parks and found it even noisier, up to 103 db, which is equivalent to running a circular saw.

Residents of St. Lambert say they have made multiple complaints about noisy concerts on Ile Ste. Helene but are hearing nothing in response.

Montreal's Ville-Marie borough says that is not the case -- it has city employees verifying noise levels during special events and it can ask festival organizers to move stages.

"Every festivals is subject to a special ordinance," said Emilie Miskdjian pointing out that an 11 p.m. curfew is strictly enforced.

Indeed, on Friday night The Cure were in the middle of playing the song Boys Don't Cry when the speakers were turned off, much to the dismay of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance.

But Miskdjian says the noise from the concerts can never be eliminated, and is actually a sign the economy is doing well.

"People who live in Montreal or around Montreal, they benefit of all the advantages form the city and so this is one of the advantages, having some active cultural life," said Miskdjian.

Some St. Lambert residents agree that noise is a part of life.

"There is somebody somewhere who is happy that events are selling out," said Francois Boucher. "It's not the end of the world."

Guy St-Onge is not so sure. This coming weekend Heavy MTL takes place on Ile Ste. Helene and he thinks the heavy metal musicians are apocalyptic.

"The singers, they don't sing they kind of wahhhh... that kind of sound it disturbs my soul."