More artists banning cameras at concerts

[Flint]

https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/25/jack-white-bans-phones-at-shows/

The article is about Jack White, but in the past year I've attended several concerts which banned cameras during the performance. Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Elvis Costello, and Spoon all banned cameras, and while at first it was annoying, the concert was much more enjoyable than other concerts where cameras were allowed, and genuinely abused in comparison. I watched one guy record the full length of every song at Brian Wilson and at the B-52s it was more like a selfie party than a concert.

I am hopeful it will become the norm to ban phones.

What do you guys think?

 

[Towen7]

I dunno. On one hand I believe a paying customer should be allowed to experience the show however they please. On the other I understand that one person’s selfie can be incredibly distracting and annoying to others.

I recall the a James Taylor concert where about 1/2 way through the show my wife snapped at the woman in front of us who was ruining the show for us because she was on her phone the whole time talking about the concert with her friends. Some who were apparently in the venue.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

For classical music concerts, I would be all for it. Nothing is as aggravating as some blue haired old lady doing video recording during Rachmaninoff.

 

[jomari]

im more annoyed by people using their cellphones midlessly, and putting it right in front of our viewing pleasure. of course at that point you'd be the d*ck if you point it out.

sure, a picture or two, great. i dont mind that. but to do the whole concert, or a 'meaningful' moment and not being conscious of OTHER attendees really pisses me off.

 

[Flint]

But, how can you draw the line. For most people in the audience, there are at least fifty people between you and the stage. If each person in front of you takes two photos per song, how much time will be camera free without distracting you?

I can say from experience, it was angering at first when I realized the show had banned all phone use, but once the show was going along, I couldn't help but feel a certain sense of joy and comradery with the audience as we were all completely focused on every little aspect of the show.

 

[jomari]

because at this point in time, its a 'part' of the experience. no point can we 'ban' someone from using their cellphones at a concert, heck taking pictures of their food annoys me if i was the chef. but i cant do anything about that either.

i could care less for a snapshot once or twice, heck even do a selfie if you want. but not at the cost of MY experience. just be considerate, thats all i ask. just like that guy who smoked pot right next to you without asking.

oh, dont get me started with tablet photographers...

 

[Dentman]

Cell phones at concerts make nuts! These people miss so much of the live show so they can watch it latter on a tiny cell phone. Makes no sense. Makes even less sense when you can always watch it latter on YouTube.

 

[Randy]

https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/25/jack-white-bans-phones-at-shows/

The article is about Jack White, but in the past year I've attended several concerts which banned cameras during the performance. Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Elvis Costello, and Spoon all banned cameras, and while at first it was annoying, the concert was much more enjoyable than other concerts where cameras were allowed, and genuinely abused in comparison. I watched one guy record the full length of every song at Brian Wilson and at the B-52s it was more like a selfie party than a concert.

I am hopeful it will become the norm to ban phones.

What do you guys think?

Thread HIJACK!!!

How was Jethro Tull? He is coming to St. Louis and I thought about going but wasn't sure.

 

[Flint]

Ian Anderson is great, so is his bassist. The rest of the band lack the energy of the original, but the do a great job. The video show with clips of their past performances synced to the live music is great, too. I recommend you go.

That said, it does feel a bit like the fund drives for PBS when they would play concerts from the Mammas and Pappas. Lots of tired old hippies in the audience.

 

[Flint]

because at this point in time, its a 'part' of the experience. no point can we 'ban' someone from using their cellphones at a concert, heck taking pictures of their food annoys me if i was the chef. but i cant do anything about that either.

i could care less for a snapshot once or twice, heck even do a selfie if you want. but not at the cost of MY experience. just be considerate, thats all i ask. just like that guy who smoked pot right next to you without asking.

oh, dont get me started with tablet photographers...

As I mentioned in the original post, I have been to several shows where phone use was banned. It worked and the experience was completely different from anything I've seen since the era before smartphones with cameras. Saying there is no point isn't fair, and saying it is part of the experience clearly isn't true. It may have been part of the experience for a decade, but the artists and some fans are clawing back.

At the King Crimson concert they played their entire show - the audience was mostly younger men (and a few extremely bored female dates) - with not a single camera phone held up. Robert Fripp (leader of the band and seated guitarist) was watching the audience and would point out in the audience whenever he saw a phone light up. The culprit was escorted out of the venue immediately, no exceptions. It happened about ten times, but it worked. Then, after the final encore, the band stood up and pulled out their camera phones and started shooting photos and video of the audience, signaling that it was now okay to shoot all the photos and video you wanted. Simple, and it worked.

At Jethro Tull, there were signs everywhere and violators got one warning. I didn't see a photo being the entire time, though I heard about a few who were caught. Given the subtle performance of Ian Anderson (singer, guitarist, flautist, leader of the band) who has honed his skill and entertaining audiences over five decades, not being distracted from any of his humorous gestures, actions, or comments made a massive difference. Back when the audience would be otherwise bored if the performance was lackluster artists learned out to visually add entertainment value beyond just the music. And pithy stories, jokes, and commentary between songs used to be valued, but many of today's current generation of artists are incapable of adding any value beyond merely playing the tunes.

The more I consider this topic, the more I believe it would be great to restore the experience to the show and ban cellphones across the board at live performances. Exceptions could be made for the more free for all party-like shows such as Joe King Carrasco, the B-52s, or Jimmy Buffett.

 

[Randy]

At this years TSO concert I took more pictures than I have taken at all other concerts collectively.

But, I was front row BITCHES!!!

Seriously though, I was also very aware of not disrupting others experience while recording mine for prosperity. I also got some3 killer shots with my little camera phone.

 

[jomari]

At the King Crimson concert they played their entire show - the audience was mostly younger men (and a few extremely bored female dates) - with not a single camera phone held up. Robert Fripp (leader of the band and seated guitarist) was watching the audience and would point out in the audience whenever he saw a phone light up. The culprit was escorted out of the venue immediately, no exceptions. It happened about ten times, but it worked. Then, after the final encore, the band stood up and pulled out their camera phones and started shooting photos and video of the audience, signaling that it was now okay to shoot all the photos and video you wanted. Simple, and it worked.

At Jethro Tull, there were signs everywhere and violators got one warning. I didn't see a photo being the entire time, though I heard about a few who were caught. Given the subtle performance of Ian Anderson (singer, guitarist, flautist, leader of the band) who has honed his skill and entertaining audiences over five decades, not being distracted from any of his humorous gestures, actions, or comments made a massive difference. Back when the audience would be otherwise bored if the performance was lackluster artists learned out to visually add entertainment value beyond just the music. And pithy stories, jokes, and commentary between songs used to be valued, but many of today's current generation of artists are incapable of adding any value beyond merely playing the tunes.

The more I consider this topic, the more I believe it would be great to restore the experience to the show and ban cellphones across the board at live performances. Exceptions could be made for the more free for all party-like shows such as Joe King Carrasco, the B-52s, or Jimmy Buffett.

i like this idea, i like the fact that this should be the norm.

its been a while since ive been to a concert. does this impede their rights during a concert? or do they say this prior to buying or purchsaing the ticket?

 

[heeman]

No pictures or videos at The Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena this past Wednesday night.

 

[Flint]

Did you see that kid during the Justin Timberlake Superbowl halftime show? That's exactly what is ruining amazing real life events for all of us. So busy snapchatting, instagramming, or whatever that we miss seeing the thing literally a foot away.

 

[Deleted member 133]

I agree.

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