It’s practically impossible these days to attend a concert without a flood of bright smartphone screens obscuring your view.
In a desperate bid to shore up street cred with their followers on social media, audience members simply cannot help themselves from documenting every little thing, going as far as to record videos of entire songs — a practice that comes directly at the cost of their fellow concertgoers’ sanity.
This screen-filled nightmare has now caught the attention of Grammy-winning singer songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. For her latest tour, she implemented a strict phone ban — including smartwatches and Meta’s “pervert glasses” — to put the music front and center. The result, so far, has been a far more memorable couple of hours that are inspiring a smartphone-obsessed generation to get creative in ways that have already been unexpectedly beautiful.
Some fan have pulled out pencils and pens to physically sketch Bridgers’ stage and lighting, a wholesome example of what we stand to gain by setting aside our ever-present depression rectangles.
“Went by myself so figured I’d draw while I was there!” one fan wrote in a Reddit post, alongside other amateur artists doing their best. “Such a great concert, the lighting effects were so cool and also the way they used the dome thing on the main stage throughout.”
“Having no phones made all the lighting effects pop way more and people got their lighters out to wave them back and forth for the sad songs like in the olden days!” the user added.
It’s not just Bridgers. A growing contingent of artists are forcing audience members to lock up their valuables in Yondr pouches, which are secure, lockable fabric bags intended for smartphone-free spaces that have cropped up in event halls, schools, and even court rooms.
While getting some distance from your devices can clearly prove wonders at live music events, going phone-free in the classroom has been particularly helpful. Educators have found that reading ability spikes after removing tech and that students are far more prone to talk to each other, connect, and make new friends. Some schools have seen students indulge in other analog past times, like games of dominoes during lunch breaks.
In the same way, not having your smartphone-obsessed brain reach for the phone during a concert could prove to be a boon for live music lovers everywhere.
Now, if only the industry wasn’t being oppressed by a dystopian, monopolistic, and rent-seeking corporation that’s making the average ticket price completely unaffordable…
More on smartphone addiction: Horrifying Research Finds What Happens to 12-Year-Olds Who Get Smart Phones
The post Phoebe Bridgers Banned Phones at Her Concerts and It’s Creating a Beautiful and Mysterious Experience Where People Are Drawing Her Amazing Light Show by Hand appeared first on Futurism.
