Chrissie Hynde, frontwoman of The Pretenders, has warned that mobile phones at concerts are killing live music, saying she may never tour again because of the disruption they cause. The legendary musician, who broke through when rock was still a boys' club, said: 'I can't handle it. Something about the energy in the place is disrupted.'
Hynde's comments come as phone-free concerts become more common, with artists like Harry Styles using Yondr pouches to lock away devices during shows. At Styles' recent gig at Manchester's Co-op Live, which was being filmed by Netflix, attendees were given pouches and disposable cameras instead. The pouches can be unlocked at magnetic posts upon leaving, but questions remain about their compatibility with medical devices like blood glucose monitors.
The author, a disabled concertgoer who attends 30-40 shows a year, encountered Yondr pouches at a Jack White show in London. While queues were long, larger venues with multiple entrances could ease that issue. The author notes that allowing type-1 diabetics to bypass the pouch, as long as they don't record, would be a 'reasonable adjustment' under the Equality Act.
Some artists embrace phones as part of the show, with Taylor Swift using phone lights for ballads, while others like Sparks urge fans to post recordings to YouTube for extra revenue. However, the author finds loud conversations during performances more irritating than recording.
