This Concert Rule Is Sending Gen Z Into Meltdown Mode
Article excerpt
Phoebe Bridgers announced concert dates with an unusual rule that has sparked debate among fans: no phones allowed during performances. The Grammy winner joins a growing number of artists implementing phone-free venues to enhance the live experience and reduce distractions. Supporters argue the policy creates a more immersive atmosphere and encourages genuine connection with the music, while critics contend it infringes on attendees' autonomy and their ability to capture memories. The clash reflects broader generational tensions over technology use and what constitutes an acceptable concert experience.
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Grammy-winner Phoebe Bridgers just announced her concert dates for the end of the year. But unlike most arena circuits, it will feature one unique detail.
“I’m going on tour no phones,” Bridgers posted on Instagram. Cue expressionless Gen Z chaos.
All manner of tech, including smartwatches, smartphones, digital cameras, and other portable recorders, will be corralled into neoprene Yondr pouches designed to block functionality, providing the artist with a distraction-free space while fans maintain possession of their personal effects. The pouch locks and unlocks outside the designated perimeter, or in an assigned Phone Use Area within the venue.
Even if you don’t recognize Phoebe Bridgers from her other bands, Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center, I’m guessing you already formed an opinion on locking your phone in koozie prison.
“If any of you figured out how to stick an Apple Watch up your a** or whatever to record, just please don’t put it on the internet,” Bridgers announced on stage.
Bridgers tested the Yondr pouch strategy at a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden this month, where not even a pencil and paper were allowed, lest fans transcribe unreleased lyrics and post them online, spoiling future album releases and shows. Sad-girl indie lovers who paid as little as $1 for lottery-style entry seemed to be largely on board with acting as a human popemobile to protect Bridgers’ divine intellectual property.
“All of you are gonna be happy,” two fans gushed on Instagram after the show. “It was beautiful and perturbing … the songwriting was there.”
Another awestruck girl recalled, “My jaw was open the entire time, it was absolutely incredible.” Her friend added, “It was insane not seeing any phones there. People brought out lighters halfway through … I didn’t even know that was a thing people did, still.”
Reviews were intentionally murky and slightly confusing. Many sounded like someone trying to get you to taste a food for the first time. Maybe that’s the point. You have to be there. You have to experience it for yourself. No janky livestream could ever do it justice.
Meanwhile, one rogue audience member reportedly found a way to hack the Yondr sitch to document the no-phones show. “Girl on the bus recorded the entire Phoebe Bridgers MSG concert through her Yondr pouch and is currently listening to the audio file,” an X user reported. Signs point to audio sounding like it was recorded underwater.
Back in the day, not filming concerts was a normal thing. Thirsty for every last note from iconic artists, fans produced the first bootleg in 1969 featuring Bob Dylan sessions that had never officially been released. It’s still technically illegal to publish someone else’s live performance without their consent, but fair use rules around commentary and education blur the lines. Still, rebels remain, even when the no-phones vibe appears to be largely consensual.
“Hill I’ll die on: phone free concerts are utter bullsh*t in this economy,” one X user wrote. “For what you’re charging me … i’ll record whenever and whatever i want … i have to right to take pics, videos, MEMORIES.”
“It’s an artists job and the fans PAY THEM TO PLAY,” a Bridgers fan posted. “Concerts are not about what an artist wants or being as good as possible for the artist. It’s about the fans experience, that’s the whole reason the show is being put on.”
Plenty of other commenters noted that no one’s forcing anyone to buy concert tickets.
Bridgers follows other major acts that have enacted the same policy. Bruno Mars famously banned phones from his Las Vegas residency. One fan recalled that he said on stage, “Yes, I made you lock your phones up … I just want us to be able to forget about all that is going [on] in the world right now and have a good time.” Or something like that.
Jack White was doing this almost a decade ago, advising audiences, “Enjoy a phone-free, 100% human experience,” and telling them to repost official Jack White social media content as desired. As if that would ever satisfy the like economy.
Still, maybe Bridgers could have softened the statement into something sounding more like an organic suggestion. Bridgers’ friend, Billie Eilish, made a similar request at Glastonbury in 2019. “All I ask is that we all try to live in the moment,” Eilish told the crowd. “Look at me in my eyes … We’re never gonna be right here, this second, on this day, and this age ever again.”
Other musicians have enacted alternative vibe checks. Morgan Wallen ripped a phone out of a venue security worker’s hands and threw it across the stage during one recent performance. And Misfits singer Glenn Danzig unapologetically kicked a phone out of a fan’s grasp, mid-set.
Rowdy concertgoers throwing phones on stage and injuring Riley Green and Drake only further escalate the tension between artists and audiences. Metal band Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes endured a concussion from a projectile phone in May, and continued the show.
After sharing intimate details about her life during lockdown, Bridgers was forced to learn how to protect herself from in-person verbal attacks and invasions of her personal space by followers who assumed a too-familiar relationship. “There’s a higher chance that you’ll meet a fan that you hate than a fan that you love,” she said. Maybe this plays into the phone thing, too.
The drive to control outrageous fan behavior makes sense. And who really wants to pay $200 to look through a sea of screens hovering over general admission? Instead of filming and posting footage during the show, maybe you sing along with Phoebs on older songs and listen as she rolls out new ethereal tracks. Sip a $25 beer, vape if it’s your thing, and sway to the tune of a musical conversation in the present tense.
Bridgers plans to donate $1 from every ticket sold on her North American leg to anti-abuse organization RAINN. But with fans reporting $500 price tags for the better seats, some of Bridgers’ followers may be left out in the cold. One person claimed Bridgers’ younger contingent may be too broke to afford her solo shows, while another posted, “Guys. Can’t call her indie anymore.”
Still, with fans posting about everything but actual shows, and selling the heck out of the vibe, like kids who went nuts on the Dole Whips at Disney World, maybe “no phones” offers the best way to drum up enough FOMO to sell out a two-month tour. At least Phoebe Bridgers seems to think so.
“It’s so sick,” said a fan, still reeling from a phone-free Phoebe Bridgers set. “It’s really cool.”
In an age where most of us feel lost without our devices, ditching our phones for a couple of hours might be the greatest gift we could give ourselves. Even better if you get to do it while listening to your favorite song.