Will cell phone bans become the norm for concerts? Sabrina Carpenter is the latest artist to applaud the idea of device-free shows. Photo Credit: Magenta
Will phone bans become the norm for concerts? The question is once again taking center stage – this time because Sabrina Carpenter has revealed that she’s open to prohibiting mobile devices at her own shows.
The Pennsylvania native, who’s set to release a new album in August and has multiple performances teed up, disclosed as much in a recent interview. During that discussion, Carpenter described her positive experience at a Silk Sonic show that compelled attendees to stow their devices at the door.
Said experience evidently resonated with the Man’s Best Friend act, who’s now “absolutely” receptive to implementing the same policy. However, the 26-year-old didn’t firmly commit to prohibiting phones. And given her “soft and supple” skin, she also suggested that any such move might only arrive if she’s still touring into old age.
Joking aside, Carpenter certainly wouldn’t be the first entertainer to have fans leave their devices behind. A number of stand-ups have done so, as have Ghost, Bob Dylan, and The Lumineers, among several others.
Nevertheless, as demonstrated by the mountain of related videos on social media and YouTube, the policy hasn’t caught on at scale. It probably doesn’t need saying, but many are dedicated (addicted?) to their devices, and asking them to abstain from screentime might not go over well.
(Where there’s a market, there’s a service: A company called LEMONed was apparently renting high-end phones to resolution-minded superfans outside of BTS member J-Hope’s recent concerts in Thailand. That is, of course, about as far from a ban as you can get.)
Meanwhile, artists whose gigs pour onto the internet in fan-captured videos are presumably enjoying some sort of promotional upside – another factor weighing against a ban embrace. And policing audiences for phones will definitely leave security with more to do.
On the other hand, a crowd without phones is a crowd with fewer potential projectiles in its possession; unruly audience members previously chucked cellulars at Drake and Bebe Rexha, to name a couple.
More pertinently, it’s possible that doing away with phones will help attendees better connect with and experience shows. Though there’s sure to be a bit of grumbling beforehand here, Carpenter isn’t alone in describing phone-free concerts as comparatively pleasant.
“Just saw Bruno Mars in concert,” one fan exclaimed of the Silk Sonic member on X. “It was my first time watching a show where you’re not allowed to have your cell phone…and when I say it was BRILLIANT. It was BRILLIANT.”
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