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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - A Princeton University
            music professor claims his hearing was damaged by an
            ear-splitting performance by the rock band Smashing
            Pumpkins, even though he was wearing earplugs, his lawyer
            said Wednesday.

            Peter Jeffrey, 45, is suing the members of the alternative
rock
            band, the city of New Haven and the New Haven Coliseum,
            where the concert took place in January 1997.

            Also named in the suit, filed in New Haven Superior Court,
            are the bands Fountains of Wayne and the Frogs, as well as
            earplug maker Siebe North Inc., lawyer Anthony Wallace
            told Reuters.

            Jeffrey "has chronic tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears)
            and also suffers from sleep deprivation," Wallace said. "He's
            a music professor at Princeton, so the effect on his research
            is (severe)."

            The suit seeks an unspecified amount of damages.

            "There's definitely a breach of duty by either the bands or
the
            coliseum, so I think we've got a good case," Wallace said.

            Smashing Pumpkins could not immediately be reached for
            comment, according to a spokeswoman for their label, Virgin
            Records.

            Neither could New Haven officials or a representative of the
            earplug company.

            Jeffrey, who specializes in Gregorian chant, attended the
            rock show for about 20 minutes to look for his son, Wallace
            said. He was wearing earplugs.

            After leaving the auditorium, the professor felt a sharp pain
            in his left ear, followed by nausea and dizziness, Wallace
            said.

            Jeffrey, who lives in Guilford, Connecticut, hopes his suit
            will make young people more aware of the dangers of loud
            music, Wallace said.