"I went to see Oasis this fall after buying pricey, last-minute tickets in the nosebleed seats. It was great, but my husband and I paid $275 each for the privilege of mostly watching the band through the iPhone screens of the fans in front of us. They must have taken photos or videos during at least a third of the show."
"I'm a Gen Xer who has attended a fair number of concerts in my lifetime. My spouse, a boomer born in 1961, boasts that he has attended over 100 concerts in his lifetime; he's even seen one of his favorite 1970s bands a total of 34 times. As for me, I was most impressed by a U2 concert at London's Wembley Stadium in the late 1980s with a group of friends from college. Of course, none of us had cellphones then."
"It's not just at concerts, of course. Last year, while watching a Broadway show, a phone rang. It belonged to the woman next to me, and she frantically searched her purse to find it. She answered - only to speak loudly enough for me to hear her plans for after the performance. I gave her a cold, hard stare, but nobody else reacted."
Many concertgoers frequently record shows with smartphones, creating obstructive screens that block the view of those seated behind them. Paid attendees in high-priced seats can end up watching bands through phone displays rather than directly. Earlier eras of concerts allowed immersive, unplugged experiences without cellphones, fostering lasting memories. Smartphone use also intrudes on other live performances: ringing phones and loud conversations can disrupt Broadway shows, and overzealous parents often block aisles or record school recitals frame by frame. Gratitude for technological benefits coexists with frustration about its ubiquity and the resulting decline in shared, present-moment enjoyment at events.
Read at Business Insider
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