There’s nothing worse than standing in the pit ready for a gig to start thinking you have a pretty good view, only for it to be immediately obstructed by phone screens the second the artists steps on stage. As a photographer, I understand wanting to take photos and videos to remember the show, but in doing so are we taking away from the experience of seeing an artist live?

Since my first concert 8 years ago (Troye Sivan’s Bloom Tour in case anyone was curious), I have been to a countless number of concerts and festivals, in various venues and with various crowds. Since the pandemic, I have noticed a change in crowd etiquette, and alongside that, an increase in phone use during gigs. I won’t name specifics, but last year I was at a concert and the woman in front of me held up a selfie stick and just recorded for half an hour. It didn’t seem like she was particularly enjoying the music, she was simply watching the show through her screen. Not only is that disruptive to the people stood behind her (I am lucky I’m tall), but it feels disrespectful to the artist to just be holding up a phone and not appreciating the performance. Another similar notable experience was a small concert I attended at the end of last year. The artist in question is also an actor, and the crowd didn’t seem to realise they were there for his music. The entire show, people were holding up edits of his characters on their phones and filming themselves trying to be ‘noticed’ by shouting anytime there was a second of quiet.

In May of last year I attended a phone free concert run with the charity CALM. We all had to put our devices in magnetic locked pouches for the duration of the show, and they were only unlocked when we were outside the venue. It was honestly one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve ever been to. There felt like a genuine connection between the artists and the crowd, and every single person in the room was just having fun and appreciating the live music in the moment. I think artists are starting to see the benefits of getting people off their phones, as Audrey Hobert has started playing her most popular song Sue Me twice during shows – once with phones and once where she tells everyone to put them away. Also, Phoebe Bridgers announced this year that her 2026 tour will be completely phone-free. She is the first major artist to do this for an entire world tour, and though it was met with some backlash, I hope it changes the way people view live music and encourages people to put their phone away at future gigs, even for just a portion of the show.

While I think being able to record your favourite song or take some photos should definitely be encouraged, I wish there was some way to reduce the amount of phone use during shows. I would definitely attend another phone free show in the future, and hope more artists follow in the footsteps of Phoebe Bridgers.