On Demand
Mobile Madness
At many pop concerts, the audience is so busy filming and recording the experience with their cell phones, they forget to pay attention to the music. Today, a "Soundcheck Smackdown" debate over whether cell phones are enhancing or ruining concerts. We're joined by Thor Christensen, pop music critic for the Dallas Morning News, and Eliot Van Buskirk, columnist for Wired.com.
Our blog: John Schaefer on cell phones at concerts. Plus, A listener submits a cell phone photo from a concert
Tell us: Do you have an opinion about the impact of cell phones on the concert experience? Do you have a story to tell about a cell phone at a concert? Leave a comment.
Are cellphones ruining the concert experience? by Thor Christensen
Wired.com's Listening Post blog
Watch: Prince plays Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella 2008
Watch: Past distraction -- screaming Beatles fans
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Totally ruining it. I’d saved quite a bit of hard-earned money to see U2 at MSG in early 2001. Had to deal with drunk people calling their friends every five minutes just to report, "HEY I'M IN NEW YORK CITY HANGING OUT WITH BONO!!!" That tour had an incredibly powerful sound system, but it just couldn't compete with one clown yelling into his phone. I'm a mellow guy, but that was the one time that I ever came close to punching somebody.
This trend for self-centered disruption has only grown worse over the years. I became so irritated that I stopped going to arena shows and became selective with my ticket purchases. I took a chance on seeing Bruce Hornsby perform an intimate solo piano concert at the Society for Ethical Culture, and had assumed that the crowd would be respectful and listen to the music. Instead, people in my section were killing the mood by illuminating the room in order to text friends (!) and take video. Never again.
I used to love going to concerts, but my threshold for audience rudeness has been worn down to nothing. Given the prices for tickets today, why spend all that money just to sit there and not pay attention? I spent the money, too - why should I put up with someone disrupting my enjoyment of the show?
Today, I'm happy to purchase a live album and/or concert DVD, or just download an unofficial bootleg and enjoy the space to focus on the music. It's just less stressful and frustrating that way.
I agree, it's just a sea of blue screens now when you go to a concert. The sad thing is, what kind of picture quality can you possibly get with a crappy cell phone held up in a dark room no less?
There has to be a point when it becomes nearly impossible to deal with the overload of images and video. Assuming most music fans who attend the average concert have CD/LP collections, iPods, access to iTunes or other online music resources—how much can a person possibly watch or listen to in one lifetime?
Isn't it kind of a great thing that a live music experience is ephemeral? Once it goes out into the air, it's gone. That makes it something really special. There's nothing wrong with appreciating it without "owning" or capturing it.
Yes! Cellphones are ruining some of my live music experiences!
It is absurd that people need to mediate their experience through a cellphone camera. People need to put down the cellphones and try to be in one place experiencing life in real time!
If you pay good money to attend these concerts why would you watch the entire show on a tiny cell phone screen?
I was at Sigur Ros last night and at one point tuned to find someone standing behind me holding their glowing cellphone out directly next to my head so their friend could "listen." So annoying!
You know how people traditionally used to hold up lighters and sway them back and forth during a band's performance of a slow ballad? Well, the lighter has been replaced by the lit-up cell phone screen at many concerts. The image is really cool and allows everyone to get involved -- after all, how many non-smokers carry around lighters?
The problem is not the distracting blue LCD screens or even the fact that people insist on waving them in front of your face-- the problem is the 17 peopel around you who are yelling into their phone "Oh my gawd, I can't believe their playing THAT SONG!". If only they'd shut up so I can actually LISTEN to them play that song.
It seems to mostly be the younger folk in the crowd playing with their cell phones or blackberries. If they are doing it too close to me, I 'accidently' spill my beer on their little toys.
Yeah, dammit. When you go to a rock concert you should sit still and pay attention. Proper concert goers know to show a little respect. Why I remember when I was a kid we knew how to behave at a rock concert. Damn kids.
And stay off my lawn!
Hmmmmph!
Just a correction: the song you play by Pink Floyd was "Hey you", not "The Wall"
People on cell phones are rude on trains, subways, the street... Other concert viewers like to sing/dance/not dance/push you/spill their drinks on your shoes...seeing a show can be very stressful as much exciting.
If you ask me...the real issue is people smoking! Gross! Good luck getting a good picture...
My point : everyone else is going to be annoying. thats why you didn't go there with them.
I don't think is a problem or distraction (the cell-phones that is).
If the band is good, nothing will distract you.
I went to see 'the midnight-juggernauts' -like a month ago- and 'shy child' opened up; they blew me away -and i never heard them before-.
No cellphone distract me during the whole show.
Yes, cell phones can certainly be obnoxious if people use them to actually try to make calls during a loud show, but the fact that people can make videos of a show and post it on youtube or on blogs has allowed small, indie groups a kind of publicity and exposure that a review (something you can't "listen" to) just can't achieve. With the decline of CD sales, more and more bands are making the bulk of their money through live shows and cell phone videos of those shows spread the word faster and better than live reviews or just photos.
It might be some to some extent generational thing, it's still rudeness. I don't want to hear a cellphone conversation at the movie theater either.
Not every concert is a sensory overload...some "quietre" shows are really disrupted by the cell phone chatter
I noticed that one of the wallpaper options on my cell phone is an animation of a moving lighter flame. Pretty funny I think.
I don't mind cell phones at shows. Someone talking on a cell phone is no more annoying than the guy behind you singing along at the top of his lungs -- on second thought, maybe the phone is LESS annoying!
As a performer, though, I absolutely love looking out and seeing the sea of lighted cell phones waving in the audience!
Cellphones are the new lighter at concerts. It's fine by me. I just have the guts to tell the person next to me to quiet down their conversation when it gets too loud.
As a professional trombone player, I find it totally unacceptable. It shows a lack of proper manners. If concert goers cannot behave properly, they shouldn't be there at all.
In response to the lighter argument: the light from a lighter is quite dim and omnidirectional. LCD technology aims to create ever-brighter screens and moreover the light is directional, being focused towards the viewer. In this scenario, being shot back into the crowd, obscuring the performance.
The whole practice of cell phone recording is forsaking taking in the actual experience of listening to music being played live in favor of focusing on a sub-par, lo-fi recreation of the experience
I have to mention how ridiculous people look on TV at baseball games, holding cell phones and waving at the camera so their friends know they're there. Instead of making people jealous you can't help to think, "What a yokel!".
How would these guys like it if the musicans stopped playing in to middle of a number and wiped out their cellphones to call their friends?
What memories are these people trying to capture when all they are doing is taking a picture. they aren't even enjoying the concert so whats to capture?
I'd rather deal with cell phones at rock concerts where I at least can't hear what the idiot on the phone is saying. On the street and in the resturant where people carryon the most private converstations at a louder volume than you talk to the person across the table from you and then, have the nerve to act like their converstation should be considered private and none of my business.
Dear John,
I greatly enjoy your show, discovered different bands, musicians & music genres and tremendously respect you and the show. However, in my humble opinion if I could add my 2 cents, the soundcheck smack down is a horrible idea and is a waste of precious airtime. I rather listen to you or your guests (musicians, not critics) rant about whatever than hear someone defend use of a cell phone at a show.
Sincerely,
Alex
great term: 'archiving addiction.' I have recently become aware of this, and subsequently overwhelmed. Why do 10 people need to take photos of the same group of people? This came to be when looking at graduation photos - all 300 - and none had each person looking at the camera.
why is there an obsession?
Really? Has it come to this? How is this even worth talking about? Can't we talk about Brittany or Kanye or anything else? This is the lamest Smackdown ever!
I won't go to concerts anymore because of cell phone cameras. I'm a short guy and I always had problems with tall guys blocking my view, but now with half the crowd lifting their arm in the air to try and video the performance I can't see squat. And that viewfinder is just distracting.
I read the first comment by Brian and didn't need to go any further. I completely sympathize with Brian.
The newest technology may enable it more, but it is the entire mindset that allows any behavior which gets ruder and ruder and treats & considers it the "problem" of anyone who objects, not the rude or inconsiderate SOBs, who could care less about others.
It brings to mind the discussion on Soundcheck some months ago about the protocol at classical concerts and how that was looked down somewhat at by the guests that day. I'll take the civility and an audience who is there to LISTEN any day of the week.
"We" welcome converts to a different approach to concert going. I would think more & more "grownups" to consider this behavior pretty "old" by now.
My husband and I went to Paris early in the Spring and we couldnt understand why folks were only looking at the art at the Lourve through their cell phones and video cameras. We actually went through many rooms without seeing folks look at art with their bare eyes. Somehow we have come to accept this as the way we experience what is important. I always yell at my brother at holidays for being behind a video camera instead of actually partaking of the experience and what we saw in Paris was sort of a grotesque indication of not living in the moment.
Don't overlook the positive impact that cellphone cameras and posting live performances on youtube can have. It is a wonderful way for artists who are outside the mainstream to reach a much larger audience. The success of Brooklyn based singer songwriter Jonathan Coulton can be directly linked to his fans helping to popularize him by posting his performances on the web.
2 things -
I attended the Swell Season Concert at Radio City and found the cell phones and Blackberries very distracting and experience-degrading. Also, there were two young women behind me talking all through the opening act -- really annoying.
Also, you haven't mentioned My Space/ Facebook -- my daughters' friends post photos about everything they do -- parties, etc. So I suspect alot of this is about documenting their lives in cyberspace on social networking sites !
This isn't a debate. Using a cell phone at a show is obnoxious. Talking, texting, taking pictures, recording...I don't care...it's a pain.
... and lighters and cell phone images of lighters?? ... what a tired cliche. What a TIRED CLICHE!
At classical concerts there are signs posted pointing out that the performance is copyrighted / protected and that recording devices of any kind are forbidden. Not that they haven't been used surrepticiously for a long time -- towit the notorious recordings of Callas at various venues.
Just posted a listener Ray from Greenpoint's email on the definition of "poor quality" in images and sounds captured at concerts.
http://blogs.wnyc.org/soundcheck/2008/06/17/smackdown-cell-phones-at-concerts/
basically, i think that they are an annoyance. if people can figure out a way to be discreet, that would help. but overall, i really feel that they take you out of the moment, and can ruin it for other people( see my next post regarding an early Pink Floyd conccert and Rpger Waers ( pre- The Wall))
i understand the need to archive. i also make documenteries about rural village festivals in greece. while i am doing it, it makes me either 100% an outside observer, as opposed to an active participant. tough choice....
people should just have good taste
since you brought up roger waters and the wall:
before the wall came out ( maybe as a result of what i am about to say !) pink floyd did a concert- their combined tour of Animals and Wish You Were Here. the year was 1976 or 1977 ( kinda hazy, you know)
it was during the week of July 4. there were several nights of shows at madison square garden. i went to a few.
on 1 night close or on july 4, someone set off a firecracker in the balcony.
i was on the floor, close to the stage. i was also transifxed in the midst of an acid trip ( oops, can i say that? it was a LONG time ago...). roger waters was doing something acoustic- maybe it was the song wish you were here. he stopped the song and let out a profanity. i don't remember what. either " what the f**k", or "you as**ole" or something. he was ready to walk off. then he collected himself, and actually kind of apologized, saying ( i paraphrase) "ok, you are not ALL as**oles, for those of you who are NOT, i will continue", and then he/they resumed. looking back, and now in light of The Wall, i know where he was coming from.
i guess he felt threatened. i sure did, it was scary, given that we were vulnerable on the floor, & also considering the altered state we were in.
anyway, hope this gives some perspective, or at least a new slant in the history of roger water's paranoia and the lead up to The WALL !
also it- just goes to show- that before this technology, there were ALWAYS as**oles ruining concerts.
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