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a fter touring Lazaretto, white had thought long and hard about whether he could continue to play without a setlist. the problem was mobile phones. fans were so intent on recording the show that white was struggling to maintain a rapport. “i was shocked at how quiet the crowds were and how disengaged they were starting to become,” he says. “Because i don’t have a setlist, i really rely on their reaction to make my next decision, but if this was how it was going to be, i couldn’t do that.”

the solution came when Chris rock came to record a stand-up gig at third man in nashville and banned phones. white began to wonder if he could do the same. “i’m not being old-fashioned or anti-technology, i just wanted that engagement because i really perform like a stand-up comedian. if the audience doesn’t respond to my donald trump joke, i know i have to try something about the Kardashians.” white found a company called Yondr that lock phones in pouches during gigs. He worried fans would think it such an imposition they’d refused to come. instead, “it’s been taken extremely well,” he says. “People seem to love it and that’s astonishing for me. the vibe is completely different – it’s electric.”