Jack White's Medieval Mobile Phone Concept
Jack White’s Medieval Mobile Phone Concept
Recently, Jack White has become the most recent star following,
Annie Mac and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in banning mobile phones at his upcoming shows. Whether
it’s the noise, lack of concentration from the holder or the just plain annoying
light that flickers in the corner of your eyes, the trigger of the ban is not
100% apparent however, it certainly has riled some fans.
In his tour of the US leading up to the release of his upcoming
album, Boarding House Reach White has
posted a Twitter statement announcing that all shows will be “phone-free” and
confirming,
“No photos, video or audio recording devices
allowed”.
“We think you’ll enjoy looking up from your
gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN
PERSON,”
“Upon arrival at
the venue, all phones and other photo or video-capturing gizmos will be secured
in a Yondr pouch that will be unlocked at the end of the show. You keep your pouch-secured
phone on you during the show and, if needed, can unlock your phone at any time
in a designated Yondr Phone Zone located in the lobby or concourse.”
After announcing
his first UK show in four years and this bombshell,
it has become more obvious that some musicians seem to remain stuck in the past
with their medieval way of thinking. Yes, phones at shows can be annoying when
you’re not the one using them however, it is the direction in which live shows
are heading. When thought about, lots
of aspects of the music industry are annoying however, the best possible solution
is to adapt with them as opposed to try and cut them out completely as that is
just simply not possible.
For example, paid
meet and greets are annoying. However, when not an extortionate price and looked
at in a different light, they are a perfectly reasonable way for fans to meet
their idols whilst the musicians make back some money they have lost through
other aspects (i.e. through lack of physical album sales due to their music all
being free on the internet.) The same approach should be looked at for mobile
phones at gigs. It’s how a certain generation enjoy their adventures. As
previously stated, I get how fucking annoying phones can be however, they are
also a wonderful device in which one can capture a moment they may want to
relive forever. Who is Jack White to decide how people must enjoy their night?
The modern-day aftermath of a concert has evolved
into the act of showing your friends a video of something amazing you witnessed.
Not too dissimilar from before the era of mobile phones, however one would’ve
just have to recount the night. However, because of the wonderful and scary
development of the technology, we can now relive those precious memories and physically
show someone what we saw. What an incredible concept. (I’m obviously disregarding
the people who just stand there and film every. fucking. second as those people
are in a whole different category to your normal gig go-er.) But, those wanting
to take a quick snap or a short video to remember the night are now unrightfully
banned from doing so.
More importantly, we are forgetting that a musician
banning mobile phones seems a ridiculous concept anyway. Without mobile phones,
musicians wouldn’t reach half as many people as they have done through the likes
of Spotify, YouTube and Bandcamp. In addition, I haven’t even taken into
consideration the number of unlikely fans musicians capture by the usage of the
mobile app, Shazam. The app that makes finding any musician’s name the easiest it has
ever been and quite possibly will ever be.
Gigs are exciting.
No matter your age, ethnicity, wealth or background
this remains the same. How people chose to express their excitement should NOT
be dictated by one person. Yes, some may get carried away with the use of
devices to have a good time however, that is a society issue- that’s not a gig
problem and specifically targeting gigs makes it seem that way. Jack White
should let his fans appreciate his music in whatever way they please and get
back to doing what he does best.
Comments
Post a Comment