The fans are able to hear the show through the use of special wireless FM systems that receive the sound transmitted from the band's microphones through their hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Prior to each show, the teens' are given receivers that are slightly larger than an iPod. The receivers and the band's sounding board are put on the same frequency. The mix of vocals and instruments is then carried from the board to the hand-held receiver.

The receivers are attached to the teens' hearing aids or cochlear implants through a cable, and the sound goes straight to the auditory nerve.

Lead singer Pierre Bouvier says his band is excited and proud to be part of the project.

"For some of the fans, it's one of the first times they hear music, so it's pretty exciting. They get to come around and they get to use all the stuff and they get to actually feel a little more part of everything because they can hear."

The sound that the hearing-impaired fans hear is probably not perfectly rendered, Bouvier admits, but it's likely a reasonable fascimile.

"They hear differently than we do. They completely bypass the ear for the ones that are completely deaf and they hear in a digital way, which apparently is a little different than what we hear. But it's probably a lot better than nothing at all."

And Bouvier says wherever they go, they invite their hearing-impaired fans backstage.

"We meet them before the show, do a meet and greet, sign autographs, pictures, and they come to watch the show. And for a lot of them, it's the first time they have ever heard a live show in their life."

Some of the fans find the experience quite emotional, Bouvier reports.

"Yeah, it's pretty mind-blowing," he says. "The kids are walking out and saying basically 'This is music, that's what you're hearing.' So this is pretty new stuff. And I think the kids are pretty happy about it."

By CTV.ca
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051216/simple_plan_051216/20051216