Riaan C wrote:
The weirdest thing for me is I saw this first at shows attended by younger folk (who are the demographic of those who live through their smartphones), but also saw it at The Eagles, U2, etc where the culprits were people my own age and older. So I think it has less to do with the fact that smart phones permeate the lives of certain groups of people but its use in this context by people who come from a generation who should know better (in terms of etiquette and respect) indicate that there's probably much to be said for his theory of proving "I was there". I think his three points are well made. In an entirely different context (as it only relates to others enjoyment of the moment) - how irritating are the kids with their cellphones in a darkened cinema!!! >☹
There were no smart phones back then hence there was no etiquette around their use. If we'd had them then probably everybody would have been filming everything that moved, and even things that don't, just like now.
People go to concerts for reasons other than to enjoy the work of the particular artist. I know a guy who paid top dollar for very good seats, in some private box, for the Whitney Houston show and left as soon as she sung "I Will Always Love You" because that was all he wanted to hear (I didn't ask if she sang it early on or kept it for the encores). I imagine he found other ways to amuse himself until she obliged him by delivering that song.
Sometimes it's just a fashion thing or the liking for a big occasion or trying to impress the girlfriend/boyfriend or somebody you want to be your girlfriend/boyfriend.
There's also a liking for proving that YOU WERE THERE and for sharing. So let's take some pictures and put them up on Facebook and RIGHT NOW!
Factor in the well known phenomenon known as "monkey see, monkey do"....
For a while I liked to take photos when I went to concerts. I tried to keep this as unobtrusive as possible - my camera can switch between an illuminated LCD panel and an actual viewfinder (which I prefer anyway). There was a period of time when I finally had a digital camera and I wanted to preserve memories and share things with friends later. But I fell into a trap - you get so caught up in trying to get a photo (and you don't get good ones in darkened concert halls unless you have a decent camera, so you end up discarding the inevitable duds and trying again and again) that you end up not really being there because you miss the music. So I end up with the "memory" but of what? Now I've decided that given the choice of a good photo or hearing Norma Waterson singing "Coal, Not Dole" (as opposed to just being in the venue when she sang it) I'd rather go for the latter. That's a memory worth having - though I can't put it on photobucket or in a scrap book.
(Yes, I did hear Norma Waterson sing that song. Really heard her. It was fab, so convincing it was almost scary. That strike had been over nearly 30 years by the time I heard that song and I just wanted to run outside and join the picket line. So, sorry, I don't have a photo to share, but the memory...)
