Does it bother anyone else if the person they’re next to at a show is recording THE ENTIRE TIME? It’s the worst when you’re at a general admission concert, and all you see are phone screens in front of you – this blocks your view even more, especially if you’re short. Now I know this may be a little hypocritical as I have to record & take photos to get content for my posts on this exact blog, but I honestly believe as a concert-goer, it takes away from the experience if you just record the whole thing. And let’s be honest, do you really go back and rewatch all of your videos? I know I don’t.
Although it could be therapeutic for some (to get over that post concert depression, am I right?) to go back & watch the videos taken at the concert, I don’t believe that should be the experience when going to see an artist or band live. You don’t get to be in the moment. You’re watching the show through your phone screen, rather than watching it live. You can’t fully embrace the concert experience this way.
I remember when I saw Maroon 5 a couple of years ago, Adam Levine asked the ENTIRE crowd to put away their phones for ONE song. Granted, this was an arena venue, so a pretty hard ask, but I really enjoyed that moment because he truly wanted everyone to experience it with their own eyes, not through their screen.
My suggestion: take a short instagram story clip, a few photos & then PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. You want to dance, don’t you? You want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs, don’t you? And…if you’re close enough, you want to be able to lock eyes with whoever is on stage, DON’T YOU? Be in the moment. Engage. Enjoy.
Sometimes I wish concerts were like comedy shows, where you’d get kicked out if you get caught with your phone out. If this were the case, people would actually be surprised by the show & not have already seen it on someone else’s Instagram story.
Music industry, DO YO THANG. No phones may be the best way to help our post concert depression. Real life memories formed from enjoying the moment in real time.
Have you seen what Lane 8 did with This Never Happened Tour? They enforced no phone recording, and I went to one and it was great. People rarely used their phones (of course some people figured out how to cheat), and the whole experience was very enjoyable. https://this-never-happened.com/
Woah!!!!! That is so cool. I hope this becomes more mainstream at shows
[…] I have some strong thoughts on phones at concerts, someone recorded the ENTIRE show. There are some shaky parts and loud screams, so be warned, but […]