Based on materials from androidauthority.com
At the end of 2017, attendees to the gothic rock band A Perfect Circle's concert were shocked to see warnings everywhere that smartphones were banned at the concert. It was not only about photography: it meant sending messages, talking on the phone, and everything else. A warning was required for a violation, and after the second warning, the offender was simply escorted from the event.
In addition to the warnings that could be seen, the same was said by the employees conducting searches at the entrance and scanning entrance tickets. And even seeing off the visitors to their places, they were reminded of the rules for attending the concert.
Before A Perfect Circle appeared on the stage, an announcement was made that emphasized the importance of the restriction: until the end of the event, no smartphone display should be visible.
But even with all these measures, several violators were kicked out of the concert after they defied the ban for the second time. These people spent about a hundred dollars on each ticket – and were unable to watch the concert simply because they were unable to comply with one simple rule.
The trend is gaining popularity
A Perfect Circle is far from the only music group to set such rules at their concerts. The same thing happens when Maynard James Keenan's other projects, Tool and Puscifer, Jack White, former member of The White Stripes, and many others have similar policies regarding smartphones.
And it's not just musicians, famous comedians also set limits. Chris Rock has gotten to the point that at his performances, the audience is given special cases with zippers, where smartphones should be. Several attendees of Kevin Hart's latest performance were forced to leave the show after violating the ban on smartphone use.
There is a chance that the next time you attend a performance by a group or artist, you will also face the fact that you will not be allowed to use your smartphone. If this has not already happened.
And, as usual, you can look at the smartphone restriction policy from two different angles. And we will start with the arguments against such a decision.
Banning smartphones is a bad idea
The most obvious argument against limiting smartphone use, of course, is that people paid for the concert, and sometimes this is a very significant amount. And if someone pays money to enjoy the event, he can do it however he wants.
Of course, this should not prevent others from enjoying the concert – that's why there are so many safety rules at such events. Do not be offended if you, a two-meter uncle, who decided to jump, pushing neighbors and pouring beer on them, will be asked to behave more restrained, even if you paid a thousand dollars for the ticket, earned in the sweat of your brow. However, can you compare with this the need to quickly get your phone and write a message at a concert? Does it hurt those around you?
Also, what if you received a very important message? After all, it's 2018, and in our world people expect us to be available 24 hours a day. What if a concert goer receives a message with information that needs to be delivered immediately? It is unfair to force people to put up with potential problems, especially if, as mentioned above, they paid for the concert.
Finally, it is difficult to argue with the fact that phones are ubiquitous in our world, it is useless to fight this. We hold our devices in our hands every day and every minute, and artists shouldn't expect us to make such drastic lifestyle changes simply because we came to listen to their music or laugh at their jokes.
But will these arguments convince the other side?
Banning smartphones is a great idea
The main reason why artists want to restrict smartphone use in their shows has to do with protecting their art. If we're talking about bands like A Perfect Circle, a poor quality video uploaded to YouTube will give the viewer an impression of the concert as a low-quality product. It will turn out as with the well-known character of the anecdote who 'sang' and created the wrong impression about the group.
Smartphone recordings can also showcase online audiences that an artist would rather not release for free. For example, if we're talking about comedians, their jokes don't change every night, and if someone posts a performance on YouTube, the next concert attendees won't hear anything new. It’s foolish to expect comedians to write new material for literally every gig, so the zip cases on the Chris Rock show make sense.
With this in mind, someone may argue: but then prohibit recording on a smartphone, and not using a smartphone at all! But this is difficult to achieve, because how do you know in a crowd, where many people are holding a device with the screen on, who is recording and who is just texting?
Even if you don't care about the artists' problems and the fact that the right to control the distribution of their art belongs to them, there is another problem. Smartphone use distracts the audience. I think you've seen it live many times.
A group that travels frequently can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their amazing shows, and for what? In order to spoil the atmosphere by those who prefer to observe everything through the screens of smartphones that they raise in front of them. Not to mention how such characters make it difficult for those behind them to look at the scene.
And finally, is having to spend two hours without a smartphone really something new? 15 years ago, when you came to a concert, you didn’t see someone picking up the phone, because then there was no dominance of smartphones. If you look at the entire history of popular music, from Frank Sinatra to the Backstreet Boys, people felt great at concerts without smartphones, so why is this not possible today?
Don't like the conditions? Don't come
You may not agree with the arguments presented. Maybe you don't like the idea of someone telling you when to use your smartphone and when not, whether it's a celebrity or someone else.
But in this case, everything is simple – do not come to the concert.
Think of a concert as a visit to someone's home. Now, you came to a friend's house for lunch, and you were asked to take off your street shoes at the door. You will fulfill the request, right? And if in the house it is not customary to stick to the phone at dinner, you will not refuse the request to postpone it for a while, show respect for the owners?
Of course, the guys from A Perfect Circle are performers, not friends, and they do not offer dinner to their fans. But while the concert is going on, the visitors are guests in their 'house', and if there is a rule here not to use a smartphone, you can either agree with it or leave. The only problem may be that the visitor learns about the ban, having already bought a ticket and came to the concert. And in this regard, the rules can be improved by more clearly warning about the ban on ticket sales.
Of course, among our readers there are those who often attend concerts and other similar events. What do you think of the smartphone ban policy? Do you support or disagree? Do those who are not able to live without a smartphone for a couple of hours bother you while the concert lasts? Do you actively use your smartphone yourself? Share in the comments!