We all know that annoying feeling when we’re so into the live band in front of us during concerts or gigs, and someone (or everyone) starts blocking the view with their phones to capture the moment. Sometimes, we’re guilty of that too because we so want to share this moment to our friends via social media, or we simply want to have a remembrance of that night with just one tap.
Some musicians all over the world are affected by this hullabaloo that artists like Alicia Keys and The Lumineers even ban phones into the concert venue, just so they can have a distraction-free performance, and the audience can live in the moment without clicking here and there.
Of course, some would also argue that banning phones is counter-intuitive for artists because the digital age allows for musicians to connect more with their fans, and that taking photos and videos of artists during performance helps with their promotion on social media.
In the local music scene, the production company Indie Manila has started a movement called “No Phones Allowed Gig” where they refuse the usage of phones during gigs. According to the prod, they aim “to help promote live music experience the way generations before us did: being in the moment with our favorite band and their music.”
“We have been reading a lot of feedback about gig places being dominated by phone screens that people tend to forget to just be in the moment and enjoy bands and artists without that tiny screen (or sometimes large screens even!) between them. Plus, it’s has become cleary annoying to the majority of gig-goers to ‘watch’ the performances on a tiny screen rather than what they actually paid for — watching their favorite band in the flesh.”
In fact, this no-phone movement is being concretized already and will officially launch this July 6, at Route 196 during the John Mayer night gig, where the “No Phones Allowed” rule will be implemented.
They added that “the excessive use of smartphones is becoming a global problem not only during live music events but also in other instances like during class, in a courtroom, during a wedding ceremony – blocking the way, literally and figuratively, humans interact on this pivotal life experiences.”
Indie Manila isn’t quite clear yet about how they will go about banning the audience’s phones, as they are still “polishing a solution that will implement regulating the use of phones at gigs.” DSLR cameras will still be allowed in the event however, as long as there aren’t any flash, and that the cameras don’t obstruct someone’s view. Indie Manila also encourages other prods to follow suit and “have their own version of phone-free gigs.”Well, this movement can either go wrong and prove to be futile if gig-goers decide to still use their phones, or it can be a successful start to a future of phone-free gigs where everyone has their full attention on the band and their company (I mean, you can still tweet about the gig after it happens, I guess). InqPOP!/Bea Constantino
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