Phones At Concerts: The Moment I Vowed Never To Record At A Gig Again

There has certainly been a backlash against people using phones at concerts in recent years. In addition to provoking ire from fellow gig-goers, artists themselves have joined the fight against audiences recording concerts on their mobile devices. The reasons for this modern trend being met with disdain by those both on and off the stage include:

Obstructed Views

You are treated to an obstructed view of the act you’ve paid a small fortune to go and see as people insist on holding their phones high in the air to film every single minute. This is made worse by others sitting on the shoulders of their friends/partners and filming. It is no wonder that going to gigs was certainly a thing that was better before technology took over our lives. Also, watching the band/artist in person, in the flesh, surely offers a better spectacle than viewing through a tiny screen.

Lack Of Engagement

Concerts are a great opportunity to leave your worries behind, to focus solely on the performance and fully immerse yourself in the experience. For that hour or so, nothing else should matter. Why then, do people text, scroll and sometimes even call when the artist is performing? This completely kills the atmosphere and any rapport that may be developing between the band and audience.  

Corny Light Shows

Since starting this blog, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to blame Coldplay for something (anything) to present itself. And here it is. I’m not saying corny light shows are exclusive to shows involving Chris Martin and co but they have become synonymous with them. When they play A Sky Full Of Stars live, it prompts thousands of fans to turn their smartphone flashlights on. A classic case of ‘organised fun’ that we could all do without.

The Moment I Vowed Never To Record At A Gig Again

Stereophonics might be the present-day poster boys for UK dad rock, but there was a time when they were actually quite good. In fact, they were really good. Their debut album, Word Gets Around, was a rousing celebration of working-class life. It combined catchy melodies with poignant and witty storytelling lyrics that captured the humour, tragedy and boredom of everyday life in a post-industrial town.

The album was released in 1997; fast-forward 22 years, and I had tickets to go and see lead singer Kelly Jones play tracks from Stereophonics’ back catalogue at a small, intimate gig at the Sage in Gateshead. About midway through the concert, he began strumming the opening chords to my favourite track, Local Boy In The Photograph. I instantly took my phone out of my pocket and started recording.

About 15 seconds into the track, I thought to myself, “What the hell am I doing?” I’ve waited all night for him to play this, and I’m not even fully present for it. I then duly stopped the recording and put my phone back inside my pocket, where it stayed for the remainder of the gig.

This reminds me of a scene in the 2013 film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the scene, photographer Sean O’Connell is trying to photograph a snow leopard that he has spotted in the distance. However, instead of taking the photograph, he decides to watch the snow leopard making its way along the mountainside, much to the surprise of Walter Mitty. The dialogue goes like this:

Walter Mitty: Are you going to take it?
Sean O’Connell: Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
Walter Mitty: Stay in it?
Sean O’Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.

Final Thoughts

Not every single moment needs to be captured by your phone, but instead it can remain as a memory imprint. Often, these memory imprints can remain particularly vivid as you were completely present and not distracted by attempts to record or photograph what was happening. This, I feel, is truly living in the moment.