It used to be in the old days when you look into a crowd of concertgoers, you might see a sea of lighters held up in the air, particularly during ballads or slower and more “emotional” songs. These days you look into a crowd and all you are greeted with are the lit up screens from smartphones that are trying to record.Sure, some might argue that they’re trying to preserve their memories and share with their friends what they’ve been up to, but for the performers on stage, they feel like it can be distracting, which is why musician Alicia Keys has decided to ban phones from her concert. How will this work? Concertgoers are given a small grey pouch provided by Yondr.
These pouches make it impossible to access the phone unless unlocked by one of the concert’s organizers/bouncers/staff/etc. According to Yondr, “We think smartphones have incredible utility, but not in every setting. In some situations, they have become a distraction and a crutch — cutting people off from each other and their immediate surroundings.”
Keys is not the first musician do something like this. In the past we have seen how some actors like Benedict Cumberbatch appeal to those who attend his stage plays to put their phone away. More recently, musician Adele was caught on video telling off a fan for filming her concert, not so much that she was worried about copyright or piracy, but more of the fact that she feels that the fan is missing out as they can’t be in the “moment” if they’re too busy trying to film.
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