Genevieve Condon, PRO:
Whether or not concerts should be phone-free spaces is becoming a popular conversation due to artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan and Jack White enforcing phone-free policies at their shows.
In today’s world, our phones are attached to us like body parts. So naturally, when Phoebe Bridgers announced that phones would not be allowed at her “Lost Tour,” there was a variety of opinions.
On a TikTok video discussing Bridgers’ phone policy, a popular comment states, “Never been to a concert that requires your phones to be locked up, there’s not a musician alive I’d do that for.” However, others disagree. An X user said, “No phone concerts should be the norm. #phoebebridgers show was unreal without phones.”
As an avid concert attendee, I have to agree with the latter. Having my phone at a concert is simply not important to me; I am there for the experience, not to get footage. Lorde’s “Ultrasound World Tour” remains as one of my favorite concerts of all time, and I do not have a single video from the show. Never once have I regretted this because I spent the concert singing and dancing in the moment, taking in every visual without worrying about my camera angle or storage space. Looking back to the Lorde concert as well as other shows I have attended, I honestly believe my memory suffices. I can still feel every moment of each concert, and that is better than any video or picture I could have taken.
However, I recognize that phone-free concerts present issues such as safety risks, accessibility challenges and logistical problems. Users on TikTok have voiced issues with the amount of time it took them to leave the venue after Bridgers’ concert because the line to get their phone was so long. Additionally, in the case of an emergency, attendees not having direct access to their phone could be dangerous.
Despite my personal disdain toward filming concerts, I understand the appeal. Having photos and videos of your favorite artist allows people to connect with the show even after it is over. Photos and videos can also be sent to loved ones that were unable to attend for reasons beyond their control, such as finances or health issues. I have attended shows where people around me are FaceTiming loved ones as well. Seeing faces light up as a concert experience is being shared with even those who cannot be there physically is special.
Concerts are once in a lifetime experience for some, and therefore, people should be given the choice to experience them with their phone if they wish.
Samantha Funk, CON:
The new trend of becoming unplugged at concerts is one that can be beneficial for multiple reasons in the concert-going experience. The primary reasoning being that not everything needs to be documented to matter.
According to CNN, musical artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Harry Styles have been instating a rule at their shows, banning cell phone usage. Styles gave out disposable cameras to his audiences so that they would have no need for their phone cameras, which were covered by “smart bags,” which allowed audience members to use everything as normal on their phone with the exception of the camera feature, which was blocked by the bag, CNN says. They were still able to call their loved ones and get help in case of an emergency, they just couldn’t capture every single moment of the concert on their phones.
These artists are not making phones wholly inaccessible to their audiences, they are not asking for anything too unreasonable – just that you pay attention to them and give them the respect that should’ve been bought alongside your ticket. They are giving you a show, it is not unreasonable to ask that you be in the moment and (hopefully) enjoy that said show you paid good sums of money to see.
We are in an age where phone addictions are all too real amongst the general population, and this shows in the outcry against the unharmful notion of turning your phone off for a few hours to enjoy a live experience. Phones also serve as a practical harm to the artist themselves, as well as to the band, they can be extremely distracting whilst on the stage. This is one of the same reasons you are asked to turn off your phone at live theatre, so that the actors do not get distracted and thrown off of their game.
Being unplugged can also help you to enjoy and connect with the music and other audience members around you – it can help you make core memories that you cannot replace.
Phone usage at concerts makes for disconnected performers and audience members, which is something that lessens the concert experience for both parties. Focusing on documenting the atmosphere takes away from absorbing the moment at hand if you aren’t careful.
