The plain fact is that my generation - those in their sixties now - were the last not to grow up listening to rock with powerful amplification; and therefore the last to even grasp the concept of shutting up and listening. People who are middle-aged or younger now, in general, consider it perfectly normal to carry on a conversation during a performance, and even to speak quite loudly so they can hear each other over the "interference" of the music.

So amplification becomes a necessity even in a small hall where you should be able to make yourself heard perfectly well without it.

Peter