Sabrina Carpenter might become the next artist to institute a phone ban at her upcoming concerts, following in the wake of the likes of Ghost, Jack White and a growing list of others.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Taste singer says she had the idea after attending a Silk Sonic show where phones were banned, and thought the experience was improved as a result.
“I went to see Silk Sonic in Vegas, and they locked my phone. I’ve never had a better experience at a concert,” she says [via NME]. “I genuinely felt like I was back in the ’70s. Genuinely felt like I was there. Everyone’s singing, dancing, looking at each other, and laughing. It really, really just felt so beautiful.”
She continues: “I’ve grown up in the age of people having iPhones at shows. It unfortunately feels super normal to me. I can’t blame people for wanting to have memories. But depending on how long I want to be touring, and what age I am, girl, take those phones away. You cannot zoom in on my face. Right now, my skin is soft and supple. It’s fine. Do not zoom in on me when I’m 80 years old up there.”
Asked whether she’s considering banning phones at her own shows, she replies: “Absolutely.”
But is it really feasible? It’s no secret that Carpenter’s audience consists, in large part, of teenage fans. And while we’re all glued to our phones more than ever before, this is probably even truer of this demographic. But Carpenter knows this: “This will honestly piss off my fans,” she admits.
Many people almost see their smartphone as an extension of themselves, so banning their use will always come with some degree of pushback, regardless of audience demographic.
When Swedish hard rock outfit Ghost instituted a phone ban at shows on their ongoing Skeletour, it stirred up debate among fans. Some, like Sabrina Carpenter, noted how phone-free shows lead to a more connected experience for attendees, while others viewed the ban as an encroachment.
“Many people want to share their experience and why shouldn’t they?” one fan wrote, adding: “People rely on their phones. You may be on call for your job, have childcare concerns or many reasons why you need to be contactable. Plus, don’t forget lots of people in the audience may not be fans. They are just there with their friends or kids etc.”
Speaking on his own decision to instate a phone ban, Ghost leader and frontman Tobias Forge said: “The face value of not seeing phones was literally like time travel.”
He continued: “I’m not talking about like back to the ’80s, I’m talking about maybe 10 years back in time when people were generally not filming as much, whereas now in modern times it’s just ridiculous. If you’re playing in front of 10,000 people, 8,000 people are holding a phone. I wish it was like this all the time.”
As it stands, Sabrina Carpenter has not confirmed she’ll be banning phones at any future shows.
View a full list of Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming live dates at her official website. Elsewhere, she recently released Manchild, the lead single of her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend. Check it out below:
The post Is it really feasible to ask Sabrina Carpenter’s army of teenage fans not to use phones at her shows? appeared first on MusicTech.
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