progea
2008-05-14 13:58:27 UTC
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-cellphones_0511gl.ART.State.Edition1.460d038.html
Are cellphones ruining the concert experience?
08:07 AM CDT on Monday, May 12, 2008
By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
***@dallasnews.com
What if you gave a concert and the crowd refused to watch?
Also Online
Blog: Tell us" Do cellphones ruin concerts?
It's not as far-fetched as it seems. As more and more concertgoers
fiddle with cellphone cameras and fidget with BlackBerries, some
people say mobile technology is ruining the concert experience.
"It's extraordinarily irritating," says Roger Waters of Pink Floyd
fame. "All these people holding up these horrid little squares of
bright light."
BEN FREDMAN/DMN
C.J. Ludwig talks to a friend on his BlackBerry during the March show
by the Spill Canvas at the Granada Theater. "It's like they're not
even there," says jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. "It's like, 'Why don't
you put that away and listen to the music?' "
"It drives me crazy," says singer Steve Earle. "They have their use,
but there's definitely a price to pay."
It's not just a case of cranky baby boomers griping about the young
and the restless. Plenty of younger artists and fans are also getting
fed up with the tech intrusion.
"If everyone's taking pictures, it's annoying. It takes away from the
show," says 18-year-old Natalya Geremesz at Kanye West's recent Dallas
concert.
"As a performer, it's frustrating to look out and see a sea of
cellphones instead of faces," says Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie
Brownstein.
"There's definitely a problem where people are so busy documenting the
moment that they forget to just live in the moment."
Of course, pop concerts were awash in distractions long before the
cellphone. In the early '60s, shrieking girls made it impossible to
hear the Beatles perform. In the '90s, mosh pits made going to
concerts a contact sport.
"You never expect 100 percent of people's attention," says rapper Ice
Cube. "You learn to take 80 percent."
But the levels seem to be rapidly shrinking thanks to "microboredom,"
a term invented by – who else – a cellphone company to convince people
they need to escape reality with their mobile gadgets.
At concerts, microboredom usually means fans snapping dozens of
photos of the band, the crowd and the stage lights. The ultimate
disconnect comes when they take pictures of the pictures on the video
screen.
"Everyone has this strange archiving addiction now. It's like they're
trying to pin a butterfly to a corkboard," says Canadian singer
Feist.
"To me, a gig isn't supposed to be for posterity," she says. "It's
supposed to be a bunch of people tossed together in a room, making a
mood, and then it's over. You can't see the world through a
viewfinder."
Ray Davies of the Kinks sang about the problem 40 years ago in "People
Take Pictures of Each Other," a song about obsessive photo-takers
trying "to prove they really existed."
But the existential crisis isn't confined to photography. To some
fans, a concert isn't a concert until they've text-messaged their
buddies about it.
"It's a really interesting trend – instead of clapping, they're
blogging," said Michael Stipe, poking fun at the tech-addicted crowd
at R.E.M.'s recent show at March's South by Southwest.
But not all musicians regard mobile technology as a buzz-kill. When
cellphone use exploded in the late '90s, bands had fans wave them in
the air to create a million-points-of-light effect. Suddenly, flicking
your Bic was passé.
Later, as text-messaging flourished, groups asked concertgoers to post
messages on video screens. Today, some artists embrace the tech boom
as a potential career boost.
"My bottom line is communication," says English rocker Billy Bragg.
"If they want to capture a photo of me and send it to a friend who
can't be at the gig, I don't have a problem with that."
Concert videos are the latest rage as fans flood YouTube with clips
they shot using their cellphones and digital cameras. The videos are
often so fuzzy and muffled they're unwatchable. Still, some bands
embrace them as free instant promotion.
Bowling for Soup recently made up a song onstage and "that thing was
on YouTube before I even got back home from the show," says singer
Jaret Reddick. "That's just the way it is now."
In an age of multitasking, some wonder if electronic gadgets are
really that much of a distraction – or if the anti-cellphone brigade
is just being crotchety.
"It doesn't affect you that much, because the music's all around you.
You're still hearing it," says Chelsea Byrne, a 17-year-old at Kanye
West's concert.
"Do you want people to be strapped to their seats, with their eyes
pinned open and a jolt of electricity if their mind should stray?"
says Police drummer Stewart Copeland.
"Cellphones don't bother me," he says. "An audience that's so excited
it's shooting the band with its cellphones is an audience that's
throbbing with the pulse of the band."
But is it really about a communal pulse? Or is it more about stroking
your own ego?
"I see people calling their friends and saying, 'Hey! Guess where I
am? I'm at the Roger Waters show,' just so somebody somewhere can be
impressed by them," says Mr. Waters. "It's about them showing off."
One solution would be to forbid fans from using phones during the show
– a protocol already used at classical concerts, plays and movies.
Then again, rock prides itself on personal freedom. Banning cellphones
might seem totally un-rock 'n' roll.
"It's a personal choice. We shouldn't say 'you can't have a
cellphone,' " says Ms. Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney.
"But it's frustrating," she says. "There's a generational gap where
people no longer know how to experience life without technology."
Music lovers can only hope they'll learn. It may take decades, but
some future generation is bound to hit the "off" button and rediscover
the joy of focusing on the concert.
"All these new toys, people have to play with them for a while," says
musician-producer T Bone Burnett. "But ultimately, they'll figure out
how dehumanizing they are."
Are cellphones ruining the concert experience?
08:07 AM CDT on Monday, May 12, 2008
By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
***@dallasnews.com
What if you gave a concert and the crowd refused to watch?
Also Online
Blog: Tell us" Do cellphones ruin concerts?
It's not as far-fetched as it seems. As more and more concertgoers
fiddle with cellphone cameras and fidget with BlackBerries, some
people say mobile technology is ruining the concert experience.
"It's extraordinarily irritating," says Roger Waters of Pink Floyd
fame. "All these people holding up these horrid little squares of
bright light."
BEN FREDMAN/DMN
C.J. Ludwig talks to a friend on his BlackBerry during the March show
by the Spill Canvas at the Granada Theater. "It's like they're not
even there," says jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. "It's like, 'Why don't
you put that away and listen to the music?' "
"It drives me crazy," says singer Steve Earle. "They have their use,
but there's definitely a price to pay."
It's not just a case of cranky baby boomers griping about the young
and the restless. Plenty of younger artists and fans are also getting
fed up with the tech intrusion.
"If everyone's taking pictures, it's annoying. It takes away from the
show," says 18-year-old Natalya Geremesz at Kanye West's recent Dallas
concert.
"As a performer, it's frustrating to look out and see a sea of
cellphones instead of faces," says Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie
Brownstein.
"There's definitely a problem where people are so busy documenting the
moment that they forget to just live in the moment."
Of course, pop concerts were awash in distractions long before the
cellphone. In the early '60s, shrieking girls made it impossible to
hear the Beatles perform. In the '90s, mosh pits made going to
concerts a contact sport.
"You never expect 100 percent of people's attention," says rapper Ice
Cube. "You learn to take 80 percent."
But the levels seem to be rapidly shrinking thanks to "microboredom,"
a term invented by – who else – a cellphone company to convince people
they need to escape reality with their mobile gadgets.
At concerts, microboredom usually means fans snapping dozens of
photos of the band, the crowd and the stage lights. The ultimate
disconnect comes when they take pictures of the pictures on the video
screen.
"Everyone has this strange archiving addiction now. It's like they're
trying to pin a butterfly to a corkboard," says Canadian singer
Feist.
"To me, a gig isn't supposed to be for posterity," she says. "It's
supposed to be a bunch of people tossed together in a room, making a
mood, and then it's over. You can't see the world through a
viewfinder."
Ray Davies of the Kinks sang about the problem 40 years ago in "People
Take Pictures of Each Other," a song about obsessive photo-takers
trying "to prove they really existed."
But the existential crisis isn't confined to photography. To some
fans, a concert isn't a concert until they've text-messaged their
buddies about it.
"It's a really interesting trend – instead of clapping, they're
blogging," said Michael Stipe, poking fun at the tech-addicted crowd
at R.E.M.'s recent show at March's South by Southwest.
But not all musicians regard mobile technology as a buzz-kill. When
cellphone use exploded in the late '90s, bands had fans wave them in
the air to create a million-points-of-light effect. Suddenly, flicking
your Bic was passé.
Later, as text-messaging flourished, groups asked concertgoers to post
messages on video screens. Today, some artists embrace the tech boom
as a potential career boost.
"My bottom line is communication," says English rocker Billy Bragg.
"If they want to capture a photo of me and send it to a friend who
can't be at the gig, I don't have a problem with that."
Concert videos are the latest rage as fans flood YouTube with clips
they shot using their cellphones and digital cameras. The videos are
often so fuzzy and muffled they're unwatchable. Still, some bands
embrace them as free instant promotion.
Bowling for Soup recently made up a song onstage and "that thing was
on YouTube before I even got back home from the show," says singer
Jaret Reddick. "That's just the way it is now."
In an age of multitasking, some wonder if electronic gadgets are
really that much of a distraction – or if the anti-cellphone brigade
is just being crotchety.
"It doesn't affect you that much, because the music's all around you.
You're still hearing it," says Chelsea Byrne, a 17-year-old at Kanye
West's concert.
"Do you want people to be strapped to their seats, with their eyes
pinned open and a jolt of electricity if their mind should stray?"
says Police drummer Stewart Copeland.
"Cellphones don't bother me," he says. "An audience that's so excited
it's shooting the band with its cellphones is an audience that's
throbbing with the pulse of the band."
But is it really about a communal pulse? Or is it more about stroking
your own ego?
"I see people calling their friends and saying, 'Hey! Guess where I
am? I'm at the Roger Waters show,' just so somebody somewhere can be
impressed by them," says Mr. Waters. "It's about them showing off."
One solution would be to forbid fans from using phones during the show
– a protocol already used at classical concerts, plays and movies.
Then again, rock prides itself on personal freedom. Banning cellphones
might seem totally un-rock 'n' roll.
"It's a personal choice. We shouldn't say 'you can't have a
cellphone,' " says Ms. Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney.
"But it's frustrating," she says. "There's a generational gap where
people no longer know how to experience life without technology."
Music lovers can only hope they'll learn. It may take decades, but
some future generation is bound to hit the "off" button and rediscover
the joy of focusing on the concert.
"All these new toys, people have to play with them for a while," says
musician-producer T Bone Burnett. "But ultimately, they'll figure out
how dehumanizing they are."