A music festival in Scotland has become the first in the UK to issue a blanket ban on mobile phones, urging its patrons to “live in the moment”.

For as long as mobile phones have had camera and video-taking capabilities, artists and fellow concertgoers have viewed the devices with a bit of scorn.

While audience members are often left to witness their favourite artists through a screen in front of them (whether it’s their own device or not), artists have found that their crowd becomes less engaged with the performance.

Last month, Jack White’s Saboteurs made their Australian debut, performing a pair of headline shows in which phones were banned.

With patrons force to put their devices into Yondr pouches, our review of the show noted that the ban not only caused people to pay more attention to the performance, but it also resulted in new friendships being formed while out in the lobby.

Jack White opened up about his hatred for phones and the decision for the ban last year in a discussion with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.

“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would,” White explained. “If I finish a song and go, ‘Ta-da!’, and it’s crickets, I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do now.’ Am I supposed to play a heavier song, a faster song? Do you want me to play acoustic? Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave!’”

“But what I don’t like is, ‘Is that how they really feel, or are they just not even paying attention because they’re not engaged… because they’re texting?’”

“When you go to a movie theatre, a symphony, church, whatever – there are all these moments in life where people put those away and engage,” Jack White continued.

“And I love the idea of rock concerts being punk as hell and there are no rules. I love that. But I don’t like the idea that I have no idea what to play next. And I need that. Because I’ve walked offstage before like, ‘Man, I don’t know what to do anymore. If this is how it’s going to be from now on, it’s going to be very difficult’.”

Over the weekend though, Scotland’s FLY Open Air music festival took place, with its Boiler Room stage being a phone-free zone, with devices again locked into Yondr pouches.

“Why?” the festival asked upon its announcement of the ban, “Live in the moment. Not through a screen.”

In an interview with The Times, festival director Tom Ketley explained that the decision was made so that these performances become a much more immersive experience.

“You would not go to the cinema and watch the film through your phone, so I don’t see how this is any different,” he explained.

“Dance music is becoming more popular within youth culture, and more and more young people are getting addicted to their phones. It means people are watching the whole show through their screens.”

“When you’re out dancing, the last thing you want is a flashlight shined in your face,” he added. “I want people to live in the moment and enjoy the music.”

While Tom Ketley noted that this ban was being tested out at this year’s event, he admits he would eventually like to see the entire festival subjected to the ban.

“One day I would like to do that, but at the moment we thought we would test it on a small scale.”

In related news, Bob Dylan recently made a rare onstage speech to his audience, chastising them for their usage of phones at a recent performance in Vienna, Austria.

“Take pictures or don’t take pictures,” the veteran said with frustration. “We can either play or we can pose. Okay?”

Check out ‘Kiss Me Thru The Phone’ by Soulja Boy:

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