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Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

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Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main problem is that your way of "enjoying the experience" is detracting from the experience of those around you.

How so? Texting someone isn't distracting to anyone around you... unless I'm missing something? Are you really that easily bothered by other people that them enjoying something in a different way than you detracts from your experience?

Went to a concert this summer where the woman in front of me was taking pictures/videos and posting them during the concert to Facebook. It was a blacked out arena and she had the brightness near full. Saying it was distracting is an understatement and thankfully someone told her to quit the shit after a few songs.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's hardly anything more annoying at gigs than those dunces in front of you recording some ultra-shitty video that nobody ever looks at. Au contraire. The people on either side having a conversation about their weekend dinner party whilst Lisa Gerrard does a quiet solo piece are infinitely more annoying than any camera phone. Or a lady with big hair in the first 3 rows sitting on someone's shoulders and blockin…

Which is why they also have ushers whose job it is to move those conversations out of the concert hall. I'm not sure why you disagree with someone talking about Led Zeppelin based on your experience with Lisa Gerrard...

> Which is why they also have ushers whose job it is to move those conversations out of the concert hall.

I've been to triple-digit number of gigs and that has never happened. Not once. Perhaps it's peculiar to the UK but still.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's hardly anything more annoying at gigs than those dunces in front of you recording some ultra-shitty video that nobody ever looks at. Au contraire. The people on either side having a conversation about their weekend dinner party whilst Lisa Gerrard does a quiet solo piece are infinitely more annoying than any camera phone. Or a lady with big hair in the first 3 rows sitting on someone's shoulders and blockin…

Why does it have to be either/or? Why not ask people not to talk disruptively and disallow people from sitting on someone's shoulders in addition to the phone ban?

It doesn't (although I don't agree with the phone ban anyway) but GP specifically made a point of claiming there was hardly anything more annoying and, in my experience, that's just not true. Consider it an Anecdata Pebble.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#115
post #87

I experienced the Yondr phone prison last night for the first time (at a Chris Rock show). While I detest people being disruptive with their phones, I don’t think this is the right solution. From a practical standpoint, it took a lot longer to get into and out of the venue when phones had to be locked up. Checking your phone when you pop out to the toilet meant waiting in a queue to have your phone unlocked, and bein…

> Consequently, Apple Pay will not be available tonight.

I hadn't thought of that aspect, but that presents an interesting problem. As more things get centralized on phones, this will become less & less feasible.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#116

Great to tell people to put away their phones and not record because that really is obnoxious, but to actually confiscate phones is fascistic and shouldn’t be tolerated IMO. I mean who does he think he is?

I don't think it's fascistic at all. Think about it this way - I would like to trade my right to bring a cell phone into group event in exchange for the benefits I receive from participating in a group event without cell phones.

If you don't like that trade, don't make it! But don't deny those who wish to engage in that transaction the right to do so by forcing them to have a "cell phones are welcome" policy.

This is a rock concert. There is no coercion to attend whatsoever. You are absolutely, 100% free to decline this transaction.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#117
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does it have to be either/or? Why not ask people not to talk disruptively and disallow people from sitting on someone's shoulders in addition to the phone ban?

Because they will break any rule you set. People at concerts are inebriated and uninhibited. That's the point. So you do actually have to physically enforce any rules you want to exist at a rock show.

Well it's a chicken and egg thing. If rules are never enforced at concerts, people will continue to break the rules thinking nothing will happen to them. If rules tend to be consistently enforced and people know they run the risk of being ejected from a concert, people might be more likely to behave a little more.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is why they also have ushers whose job it is to move those conversations out of the concert hall. I'm not sure why you disagree with someone talking about Led Zeppelin based on your experience with Lisa Gerrard...

> Which is why they also have ushers whose job it is to move those conversations out of the concert hall. I've been to triple-digit number of gigs and that has never happened. Not once. Perhaps it's peculiar to the UK but still.

And you'd complain if an artist insisted on ushers doing that? I get the feeling you're just trying to drop how many non-mainstream music events you go to.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#119

FAN! FUCKING! TASTIC! Sorry, I'm aware that yelling is not appreciated, but this is a really cool idea. There's hardly anything more annoying at gigs than those dunces in front of you recording some ultra-shitty video that nobody ever looks at. Those small screens are a real distraction and phones also don't really serve as substitutes for lighters used, when Led Zeppelin started with Stairway to Heaven. A rant about…

If this policy were blanket, we wouldn't have things like this [1][2], a crowd-sourced film, pieced together from many individual audience recordings, which won a Live Production of The Year award. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Praha_(Radiohead_video... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzKHJkA8keg

Thanks for that, I didn't know that and will certainly check it out.

But here's the rub (or actually a very good thing):

"Radiohead contributed their own audio masters of the show."

That's really amazing, but also indicates (not necessarily, I grant that. The article doesn't say) that the project was actually planned and that the band and audience were in for it from the start.

Re: Jack White bans phones at gigs for “100% human experience”

#120

Perhaps an outright ban is a bit heavy-handed, but we do need to come to terms with what the appropriate etiquette for the usage of personal electronics is. I guess I could care less is someone wants to spend a show checking Facebook, but it's rude to other guests if their screen grabs your attention or it blocks your view. This ties into general camera usage -- wanting to take a picture (or 50) does not entitle you…

>> but we do need to come to terms with what the appropriate etiquette for the usage of personal electronics is. Isn't it actually simpler than this? To me, it's just about being aware of your surroundings, and acting appropriately. The people who are disruptive at live events, movies, airplanes and other public places seem very focused on "what I want to do" and are ignorant of the fact that there are other people a…

Exactly. There are always going to be a few people who don't care if they ruin it for the rest. To them, they are the only ones that matter.
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