I honestly hope every single concert goes this way. I go to a lot of concerts (~15 concerts and a big festival in a normal year). I have noticed that there is so little real connection between the musician and the audience anymore. Everyone is just talking to their friends (over the music) and waiting for the one big hit to come on so they can fill their Snapchat story.
A concert is a really special thing. Music is the only popular art form where we can really be there and connect to the artist. When you're at a show where the band and the crowd connect you can tell it's something special. Read any interview with a popular musician and they'll tell you the same.
So let's put our phones down and listen.
A side note: this is made much better when artists offer video/audio recordings of their shows after the fact. I honestly don't get why every single artist doesn't offer to sell soundboard recordings. Jam bands (notably Phish) have been making tons of money this way. You can give everyone who came to the show a free download and let those who couldn't be there oay for it. That removes one major need people have for their phones.
People enjoy concerts for different reasons and in different ways. I don’t see why we should deny them the freedom just because you appreciate events different.
The thing is, when you create a sea of people looking at the concert through their phones, you have already ruined the concert for the people who want to live in the moment and just experience the concert as is. The phone ban is created exactly for that reason: so that people can enjoy the concert without having other people decide for you that the concert is much better enjoyed when 20 phones are blocking your view.
A concert is a really special thing. Music is the only popular art form where we can really be there and connect to the artist. When you're at a show where the band and the crowd connect you can tell it's something special. Read any interview with a popular musician and they'll tell you the same.
So let's put our phones down and listen.
A side note: this is made much better when artists offer video/audio recordings of their shows after the fact. I honestly don't get why every single artist doesn't offer to sell soundboard recordings. Jam bands (notably Phish) have been making tons of money this way. You can give everyone who came to the show a free download and let those who couldn't be there oay for it. That removes one major need people have for their phones.