beavis69

Nope, nope, nope. Nope.

Then again I go to metal shows and stand in or near the pit. You're not having your phone out for long there.

davidh777

I've only had one removed from a prominent national artist and got a "strike" on my account. However, I tend to err on the side of caution when putting stuff on YT. I've never had a problem on Instagram or Facebook except for one time when I tried to post a short movie clip that had a song in its soundtrack that was killed. I assume auto-matching doesn't work quite as well for live performances.

I like having my phone at concerts but would never use it during a movie. And it depends on the kind of concert too. I wouldn't use it at a classical concert or a stage show.

sauce07

At a Phish concert a few years back I was in awe when the arena actually filled up with lighters, hadn't seen that done in years, then I remembered what concert I was at.

mndtrp

5'9"

Paff

That's a surprise. Average height. I'm imagining a lot of people at gigs are already taller than you, and holding cell phones makes it worse. I'm actually slightly below average height, so it never fails that if it isn't cell phones in the air, some six-and-a-half-footer will work his way through the crowd and pick a spot directly in front of me.

TheBang

I was recording a show in Japan once using a camcorder. It wasn't bothering anyone because I had it at eyeball height, and because the concert hall floor was slightly tiered, I had a clear sightline to the stage over the levels and people in front of me. But probably the only 6'3" Japanese male in the country decided to come stand in my sightline, ruining the bottom middle part of the recording.

slop101

Issue is, even though I hardly ever use my phone during a show - before the show, I'm usually texting friends who will also be at the show, telling them where I am (i.e., "stage left, half way up"), and where/when to meet up, etc. I'm not talking about emergencies either. This is just how we communicate now. This communication is now such an ingrained part of regular life for most (all?) people, that getting rid of it is a huge detriment.

And speaking for White, personally, I think there's a fair amount of entitled vanity in him doing this.
If it were up to him, he'd probably rather people arrive at his show in a horse-drawn carriage instead of a car.

davidh777

And texting is a million times better in that situation than calling. Not that it matters if all phones are banned, of course, but it’s a fact.

Mikael79

I think it's kind of idiotic to assume that in today's culture, any large gathering of people will leave their phones behind. Sounds like a good idea, but it just doesn't work.

jpcamb

so what happens with the locking bags? You need to go back and get the phone like a coat check or something? that would seriously irk me...

TheBang

https://www.overyondr.com/howitworks

rw2516

Why not just leave them in the car. Or at home. I've been smoking for 45 years and am hopelessly addicted, yet I can easily go without for hours at a time.

jpcamb

I have 2 kids, 12 and 14 yrs old and we occasionally leave them at home while we go to a show. They are responsible enough to be left alone, but I would not be comfortable with them not being able to contact me. Also we live in a day and age where things like Las Vegas have occured.

Of course I wasn't aware that you maintain possession of the phone, but you still need to go outside to unlock it which is a PITA.

Sonny Corinthos

Some people who think they have to have their phone attached to their hips 24/7 would have never made it in the 70's or 80's. We went everywhere (movies, concerts, restaurants, etc) and were fine.

Eddie W

I don't really care either way but people who record vertical videos at concerts and then put them up on YouTube should be flogged. Just turn your phone sideways and it will fill up the screen dammit!

slop101

Some people who think they have to have access to a vehicle would have never made it in the 1870s or 1880s. We went everywhere (work, farms, factories) without cars and were fine...

Sonny Corinthos

My point exactly!

Obi-Wanma

Translation of Sonny's comments: Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

Mike86

I know the post wasn’t completely serious but having a car is a lot different than the way people rely on their phones now days. Some act like it’s life or death whether they can’t use it for two or three minutes let alone two or three hours.

slop101

My point was the opposite, hence the sarcasm face.

Point being, as a society, we move on to different ways of living together, and what was once normal changes into something else as we all adapt to it together. Be it mass transport or mass communication. You can't expect society to behave as it did 100 or 50 years ago - shit moves on, and you can't be expected to be accommodated to if you insist on living like it was the past.

Sonny Corinthos

Your sarcasm meter must be broken. Yes, times and technology change, I get that, but some people in today's society act as if the world will end at any moment if their cell phones are not on them 24/7.

I'm not knocking anyone here because I don't know anyone personally but I have family and friends who would rather stay home than go somewhere without their phones.

Enjoy things in the moment and not through the camera of a cell phone.

TomOpus

I think it's a pretty good alternative to leaving it in the car or at home.

Anyone catch The Emmys giving a concert experience to home viewers? A dozen hands with cell phones suddenly blocked the screen.

slop101

What? You're the one that couldn't discern my sarcasm even with the sarcasm smilie and you say my meter's broken? Please.
No they don't. I've literally never seen anyone act like this, much less freak out over it.
But, for good or ill, it's just how people live their lives now.

Sonny Corinthos

Just because you personally say you haven't seen it doesn't mean the rest of the world hasn't. I have seen it numerous times.

islandclaws

As someone who went to most of his concerts pre-cell phones... yes, go ahead and ban them because it absolutely kills an experience.

I went to see the band Crosses, side project of Chino from Deftones, and nearly EVERYONE had a phone out the entire time. You couldn't even see the band, just a sea of screens.

Recently, Misfits played a show in L.A. that used Yondr bags and - guess what? - people on the floor simply ripped them open and took pics/vid anyway. I wasn't at that show but from what I've heard you can get into those bags if you really try.

My idea: bands should announce at the top of a show they'll have one song during the evening when pics/video are ok. Snap away, get plenty of shots, then put it away for the remainder. Not that anyone would ever follow such a missive.