It’s an image that’s uncomfortably familiar to any serious concert-goer: a sea of glowing smartphones, all aimlessly pointed in the direction of a musical performance, gripped by punters whose obsessive compulsion to document a gig is beginning to replace their actual experience of it, while diminishing the enjoyment of the show for those around them.
Even with a number of good reasons to keep the mobile sheathed at music shows (such as it doing permanent damage to your camera lens or its poor quality), it seems that the primary reason for being at a gig in the first place – live performance – is getting forgotten.
From the likes of Deezer and FourSquare offering free music subscriptions to mobile concert users to the new Instagram video, social media and technology innovations make it easier to capture our lives into bite-sized chunks for sharing to an adulation of ‘likes’ and ReTweets.
But just because the presence of iPhones, Galaxys, and (worst of all) tablets has become an inescapable part of the concert experience in today’s live music landscape, that doesn’t mean it has to be tolerated without reproach. Punters whose obsessive compulsion to document a gig is beginning to replace their actual experience of it…
Some artists have started to take a stand against the small-screen revolution, with the likes of Jack White, Prince, Atoms For Peace, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs confiscating the use of smartphones at concerts, which shows that the habits of mobile users snapping photos and filming amateur footage is impeding on more than just their fellow punters.
The fine folks over at the LA Times Pop & Hiss column wholeheartedly agree, which is why they’ve put together a witty but very manageable set of “rules of engagement” to ensure that the Facebook taggers, the Instagrammers, and the Foursquare-ians alike are all up to speed on the etiquette of a live show.
Ranging from the practical (turn down your brightness!) to appeals to common sense (if everyone else is filming the gig with their phones, do you really need too as well?), the ‘Ten Commandments of Smartphone Use At Concerts’ is an insightful little list that’s aimed for enhancing the communal aspect of the live music experience.
There’s even provisions for music journos taking notes (phew!) and perhaps the most golden rule of them all within Commandment #6, looking upon thine fuzzy, poor-quality recording and ask “will I ever look at this again?”
We’re with music blogger Alan Cross on the idea that these commandments “should be posted at every venue and printed on the back of every ticket.”
Or better yet, have them literally carved into actual tablets – not stone mind, but iPads – and have an appropriate Moses musical equivalent come storming down at every music festival to smite sloppy smartphone users with the ‘thou shalts’. Our vote’s on Nick Cave for the full fire-and-brimstone effect.
The Ten Commandments of Smartphone Use At Concerts.
According to the LA Times
1. Prior to a performance, thou shall reduce the brightness on thy phone screen to the lowest setting before tweeting, texting, recording or playing Temple Run.
2. Honor thy performer and venue. If they request thou bear witness without recording, thou shall not only abide but also enforce this dictate on those who would disobey.
3. Thou shall not invade the airspace of surrounding people. As is the law, airspace is vertical, not diagonal. Bumping the head of the person in front with thy forearm, for example, is forbidden and punishable by a pointed glare or, in extreme cases, an “accidental” beer spill.
4. Before deciding to shoot video or a photo, thou shall survey the scene to note others already doing the same. Inevitably, those videos will land on the celestial bodies known as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, available to thou and everyone else on Earth.
5. Those who too frequently experience the transcendence that is live music by gazing through a little screen while reality stands immediately before them may be banished to purgatory, where they shall be forced to record for all eternity the live performances of Justin Bieber and/or the Wiggles.
6. Honor thy inner voice that asks, “Will this abhorrent, low-resolution clip contribute to the betterment of the world? Will it honor the spirit of creation?” Most important: “Will I ever look at this video again?” Let thy answer be thy guide.
7. Those who employ their smartphone more than five times during a performance waste not only space but also energy, and shall be banished from all post-performance discussions or assessments of the experience.*
8. Thou shall not talk on the phone during a performance, unless at the bar or in the bathroom. Take thy foul habit elsewhere.
9. Those who insist on recording entire performances shall inform the person behind him in advance, and allow this person the opportunity to switch seats. This process shall be repeated until an amenable (and taller) soul — or the back of the venue — is found.
10. Before an event, recite this truism: “Life is beautiful, and music performance is a pure embodiment of this.” Honor its spirit through mindful, uninterrupted attention.
(*Unless thou is a music critic taking notes.)
