Put down your phone and enjoy the show

Sea of cell phones in audience distracts from event itself

One of my favorite activities is going to concerts. I generally don’t care what type of music it is — there is just something about live music that soothes my soul.

But there is a trend happening at concerts that I really don’t understand: people who crowd the front of the stage simply to stand very still and shoot video the whole time.

I’ve seen this at concerts, theater productions here in town, and even at local school performances. I know people want to record their child, but it’s almost to the point that the school needs to do an up-close video, and email it to all the parents. Then, parents can put away their phones and enjoy the kids on stage.

This whole “cell phones out at events” business is problematic on a variety of levels.

Imagine being the musician at a concert. Once upon a time, people went to concerts and enjoyed the event. There was an almost physical give-and-take between the artist and the audience, with both parties feeding off of the other’s energy.

Now, that artist is staring into a sea of zombie bodies and cell phones … so many cell phones!

There can be lots of reasons why someone would do this. Some people want the video for memories, or to share with someone who couldn’t attend. Others want to post them online on their social media channels or websites.

But whatever happened to enjoying the event itself? If I go to a live show, I want to enjoy the performance. I love watching the interplay between the musicians on the stage, how they interact with one another, and the artistry and athleticism that go into playing instruments.

One can see that in a video, but it’s way more magical and moving in person.

Perhaps Ernie and Hoots the Owl on Sesame Street said it best: “You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone.”

Translated to this topic — or really, any situation in life: You’ve got to put down the cell phone if you want to enjoy the world around you.

Put down your cell phones, just for a minute, and live in the moment. Don’t live life staring at a little screen — it’s way better in person.