Soon You Won't Be Able To Take Your Phone To Concerts

It has been an ugly few weeks for performers.

Throwing things at performers is nothing new. I've been to any number of events where lightweights who couldn't finish a beer ended up throwing it at or towards the stage. I think the psychology of it falls somewhere between having a connection (even if it's a bad one) with a performer and narcissistic behavior (they can't stand someone else getting all the attention). There are also those who think they're going to get some social media cred out of it somehow.

I guess the "why" doesn't matter. What it's going to result in is an inevitable slide towards nothing, even your smartphone being allowed in concerts. Artists already don't like phones at concerts, mostly because they take people "out of the moment" and instead focus on getting the perfect video or pictures. Some artists (mostly comedians) already require you to "check" your phone on arrival, so this is destined to expand.

There's a commercial side to this as well. If you can't take pictures you might be more apt to pick up some merch at the show, so that's even more incentive for a ban.

I'm sure some of you will say, "That's fine, I just won't go". That's okay, any number of artists have already banned smoking and it doesn't seem to have hurt the shows. The fact of the matter is seeing an artist is a privilege, even if you're paying for it, and they have to have certain rules for their own safety. My guess is, a total ban on phones, clunky jewelry and more is on the horizon.