Look, I know in this sort of political climate we don’t need another thing to divide us. But unfortunately, there is quite a debate about something unrelated to politics that I would like to address.
Cell phones at concerts have become a hot-button issue as of late. Many musicians have spoken out against people using their phones to record videos or take pictures of a show as it’s going on. However, the practice doesn’t really seem to be going away any time soon. Who’s right?
It’s hard to say that there’s a right or a wrong thing to do in this situation, especially since this is a trend that just started within the last ten years or so. People tend to have a strong opinion either way.
For example, I recently went to a Lumineers concert. About halfway through their set, the lead singer, Wesley, asked the audience to do him a favor and put their phones away for the rest of the show. Because my seat was so high up in the venue, I could see that the majority of people did this—but there were still those who continued to keep their phones on.
So why is that?
Personally, when I’m at a concert where I have a seat or a clear line of vision to see the act onstage, I use my phone pretty sparingly. I may take a few pictures when the stage looks cool, and I may record videos of the chorus of my favorite songs, but that’s about it for me when I can see the artist.
These little snippets stay with me for a long time. I rewatch them over and over, and they give me the same happy feelings that I felt the night of the concert. Whenever I have a bad day, I know I can pull out my computer to watch some old concert videos to make myself feel better.
You may say that I should just enjoy the moment, and I honestly do. I film certain things at concerts for several reasons.
One of these is that I have a terrible memory. I saw my absolute favorite band Fun. in 2013, and I didn’t have a smartphone at the time. All I have from that night are a few blurry photos and a vague memory of what happened. I do remember them playing certain songs and joking about certain things, but I would give anything to have at least part of my favorite songs on video. Why? Fun. hasn’t made an album since 2012, and the members are all doing different things right now. So who knows if Fun. will ever be a thing again? That could be the only time I will ever get to see them, and I don’t have anything documenting the fact that they played specific songs that were the soundtrack to my life at the time. It can be sad to think about.
Another reason is that I am incredibly short, so music festivals are a bit ridiculous. In order to see anything at all I usually have to watch the video screens at all time, regardless of how close to the stage I am. So naturally I’ll try to snag a video of what the band was doing during one of my favorite songs, because I won’t know otherwise.
Also, there are some moments that I’ve captured that I’ll never forget. For example: when I saw Panic! At the Disco at Music Midtown in 2015, Brendon Urie, while performing “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” yelled “JOHN CENA” instead of “whore.” I didn’t even realize he did this until I was watching the video later. Sneaky.
Don’t get me wrong, though; some people do take it too far. I’m talking about the people that take full videos of every single song and even livestream entire concerts. I can understand posting a snapchat or two, but more than ten seems a little unnecessary to me. I do think that just being in the moment and enjoying what’s right in front of you is incredibly important. It also shows the artist that you’re in it just as much as they are, and demonstrates a decent amount of respect.
All of this is just my opinion, though. I don’t mean to shame anyone who records a lot when they see a concert; it’s just not something I would do.
At the end of the day, just make sure you enjoy yourself! Do what makes you happy as long as it doesn’t interfere with others’ enjoyment of the concert. If you see a good shot, take it.
