Mobile F*****g Phones at gigs

[Smeble]

Saw The Darkness last weekend and Justin mentioned peoples phones a few times, even at one point demanding people put them away and leading the crowd in a chant of ‘put your f**king phones away’. All lighthearted but he’s right, put your phones away.

[stuie]

26 minutes ago, Smeble said:

Saw The Darkness last weekend and Justin mentioned peoples phones a few times, even at one point demanding people put them away and leading the crowd in a chant of ‘put your f**king phones away’. All lighthearted but he’s right, put your phones away.

He's been doing that for ages, before 'I believe in a thing called love' which 100% of people usually record 🙂 

[UEF]

12 hours ago, faymondo said:

PSB played this before their gigs

 

 

A similar video could be made for those who stand in front of stages with flags - blocking the eyeline of thousands of people. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

Might as well widen the topic😉

mobile phones, talking loudly and ignoring the gig, flags not on long poles, picnic rugs and chairs.

but not hats, they are brilliant 

[Mich1268]

12 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

Chains of people barging through crowds

People with blankets and chairs refusing to put them away when its busy

People with rucksacks dancing and hitting the people behind them with them instead of putting them on the ground

People chatting loudly through gigs

Bloody rucksacks.  Don't get me started on flags!!

[Superscally]

Ha @Bike_Like_A_Mum, thats hilarious! 

Poor fella 🤣

Edited November 24, 2023 by Superscally

[danmarks]

I delete so many photos of things i think i need to remember.  My phone is crap and as i see them i think- oh yeah i remember that - and i would anyway if someone mentioned it etc- or it's a j- i have no idea when that was.

 Either way ive stopped even getting my phone out.  Its pointless for me and is definitely annoying for others. 

But yep im old 

[Flying_Hellfish]

One photo at the start, as a memento of where I was stood, then that's it for me.

If people wanna stand there videoing it then fine... but I can't understand it. They aren't really part of the atmosphere then, they are missing out 🤷‍♂️

[stuie]

44 minutes ago, Flying_Hellfish said:

One photo at the start, as a memento of where I was stood, then that's it for me.

It will be much better when we’ve all got built in memory recorders.

 

[ModernMan]

Pleased I started a debate about this. For those who’ve said “let people do what they want”, I agree to an extent. But the point is it’s incredibly distracting to see the light, and if you’ve paid for a gig you are entering into a contract to watch and experience the artist. It’s not an excuse that people “experience it in a different way”, if you want to be on your phone then you can watch clips on YouTube sat at home. 
 

I think the baseline is about respect. Respect the artist, film, theatre, whatever it is, respect the audience. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

2 minutes ago, ModernMan said:

Pleased I started a debate about this. For those who’ve said “let people do what they want”, I agree to an extent. But the point is it’s incredibly distracting to see the light, and if you’ve paid for a gig you are entering into a contract to watch and experience the artist. It’s not an excuse that people “experience it in a different way”, if you want to be on your phone then you can watch clips on YouTube sat at home. 
 

I think the baseline is about respect. Respect the artist, film, theatre, whatever it is, respect the audience. 

That’s correct. I’m not all that tall and at most standing gigs I can usually just about see the stage but not through a sea of arms raised up holding illuminated mobile phones.  Don’t mind folk taking a quick video but not the whole gig! 

[clarkete]

11 hours ago, danmarks said:

I delete so many photos of things i think i need to remember.  My phone is crap and as i see them i think- oh yeah i remember that - and i would anyway if someone mentioned it etc- or it's a j- i have no idea when that was.

 Either way ive stopped even getting my phone out.  Its pointless for me and is definitely annoying for others. 

But yep im old 

I'm old but I have a terrible memory, so most nice things I experience I just want a picture or two so I'll remember what I did and when. No vids or anything during shows and for comedy or other stuff I won't do it during the show - just a pic of the stage/venue. Cloud or socials will tag it anyway. Ten years later - "ahh, there's a pic of Harry Hill's sausage on stage"

Edited November 25, 2023 by clarkete

[CaledonianGonzo]

I wish I'd had a phone for memories of the hundreds of gigs I attended before they became a thing.

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

I wish I'd had a phone for memories of the hundreds of gigs I attended before they became a thing.

Same, also for the "what was your favourite set" threads here.  Sometimes I've needed to look at clashfinder "oh yeah I was at x then", but not so good if it was printed and in a wet year and it's like ancient parchment with a faint trace of highlighter. 

Sometimes I've tagged old stuff in setlist, but I'd like to do it properly, as with many of us those memories are very precious to me. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

I wish I'd had a phone for memories of the hundreds of gigs I attended before they became a thing.

I just go on setlist fm and memories come flooding back!

[Alvoram]

Like this the whole way through Coldplay... And near the front too!!! I'm not exaggerating, the whole damn show!

I like to grab a photo or even a short video from time to time, but keeping your phone up the entire show is sh*tty thing to do. Even crazier when all 4 people in the same group are doing it side by side... I mean ffs, can you not just pass one copy around? 

 

[gblock]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:51 AM, ModernMan said:

It’s not an excuse that people “experience it in a different way”, if you want to be on your phone then you can watch clips on YouTube sat at home. 
 

I think the baseline is about respect. Respect the artist, film, theatre, whatever it is, respect the audience. 

I completely agree, people should be able to experience a gig in any way they want, so long as it does not impede on the experience of others. It’s just plain disrespectful to hold up a phone throughout a show, knowingly diminishing the same experience for everyone behind you.

That makes it wrong. Nothing to do with how you enjoy a gig, it’s just about not being selfish. Get a quick snap, and then enjoy the moment as best you can without a phone. If you really must record a video - brightness down, and hold the phone below head height. 

For context I’m too young to have been to a gig before iPhones were everywhere. It’s not just an ‘old man yells at cloud’ problem, I think most people share a similar opinion regardless of age

[oneeye]

 

[Drinky]

12 hours ago, Alvoram said:

Like this the whole way through Coldplay... And near the front too!!! I'm not exaggerating, the whole damn show!

I like to grab a photo or even a short video from time to time, but keeping your phone up the entire show is sh*tty thing to do. Even crazier when all 4 people in the same group are doing it side by side... I mean ffs, can you not just pass one copy around? 

 

Coldplay have been doing a bit all through this tour where they segue neatly into A Sky Full Of Stars, then stop abruptly and tell everyone to put their phones away, then restart it. Weirdly, a lot of people obey it (and then bring them out again at the end)

[Calvin Klein]

The funniest thing is people who only like a couple of songs in the set and when that song is played, they choose to watch it in their tiny screen.

 

Also, completely pointless: people who film the screens!

Just get a couple of quick pictures and enjoy the gig. I hate people who record long videos. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Calvin Klein

[BenG92]

Ctrl+F "tool" no results

Tool ban phones at their shows and security are ruthless at chucking people out. It's amazing. Not a single stupid light through the whole thing, full engagement. They let you film the final song for your memento since they can't chuck a whole arena out at once but aside from that it's great.

[Alvoram]

41 minutes ago, Drinky said:

Coldplay have been doing a bit all through this tour where they segue neatly into A Sky Full Of Stars, then stop abruptly and tell everyone to put their phones away, then restart it. Weirdly, a lot of people obey it (and then bring them out again at the end)

yeh and you can feel the change in atmosphere immediately, not just because everyone starts dancing, but because everyone suddenly starts interacting with those around them, like they've just realised they're not alone... The difference really is incredible, for one song, the audience suddenly comes alive and feels 'as one.' 

[stuie]

4 hours ago, Drinky said:

Coldplay have been doing a bit all through this tour where they segue neatly into A Sky Full Of Stars, then stop abruptly and tell everyone to put their phones away, then restart it. Weirdly, a lot of people obey it (and then bring them out again at the end)

Something about Chris Martin telling me to put my phone away after I’ve paid for my ticket would make me want to get my phone out when it wasn’t out already. 

[Crazyfool01]

7 minutes ago, stuie said:

Something about Chris Martin telling me to put my phone away after I’ve paid for my ticket would make me want to get my phone out when it wasn’t out already. 

was well done tbf .... although like mentioned earlier it doesn't seemed to hold , maybe because of the size of the gigs some see it as a challenge to film and then others follow like sheep .... atmosphere definitely lifts during the time its well observed though so there's something in the not filming segments thing .... to me that seems the most reasonable option for artists 

[stuie]

29 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

was well done tbf .... although like mentioned earlier it doesn't seemed to hold , maybe because of the size of the gigs some see it as a challenge to film and then others follow like sheep .... atmosphere definitely lifts during the time its well observed though so there's something in the not filming segments thing .... to me that seems the most reasonable option for artists 

I guess it's all down to how they approach it.  But for some bands who thrive on social media content and create spectacles that people will naturally want to share on social media, it's can seem a bit odd.