This tainted what was meant to be a pleasant evening

[HelpMePleaseeee]

Okay, it didn’t ruin my night, but I went to a candlelight concert last night. It was in a cathedral and it was tiny and intimate, a string quartet played a mixture of modern songs with candles around them. It was so cute and it was a cheap but different activity with DP.

The guy next to me was scrolling through his emails the whole time, with his phone glaring into my eyes.
Everyone in front of me kept filming every song. It’s a tiny venue and we were right at the back so it did affect my view. Phone screens left right and centre. Also, on the other side of the room, constant red flashes from someone’s camera.

When did this start happening? There can’t have been more than 200 guests and it was a string quartet in a tiny venue. Why couldn’t people just listen to it?

Am I wrong here??

You’re not wrong OP. There are times when I want to shove every mobile phone ever invented up the collective arsehole of humanity.

What is the point of going to a concert etc and spending time sorting your emails? it's like taking a book reading it and ignoring what is going on in front of you. what a total waste of money spending it on tickets and an insult to artists

Whilst I think the people around you are ridiculous, it is a free country.

It doesn’t. But if you’re glugging water non stop, yes that irritates the hell out of me.

I suspect I take the same meds actually but miraculously I don’t need to be surgically attached to a water bottle.

I went to my daughter's nativity and couldn't see a darn thing because of all the phones being held up in the air. I wish they'd ban them. Those poor kids who just want to perform to their parents and instead get a sea of devices watching them.

I think it's really rude and invasive to get out a phone and film someone in an intimate setting, even if they are a performer. I went to a museum recently and there was a man doing a talk and a reenactment of a song and everyone just sat there filming him, there were only about 10 of us. Really rude.

On the flip side I've never found a phone screen or a phone being held up to distract me. Unless there's noise or a flash I wouldn't have any problem tuning it out

There are many meds for hypertension, you have no idea if you take the same ones and even if you did not everyone experiences the same side effects

Medical advise for someone suffering with dry mouth would be to take regular sips of water to replace the natural saliva. If you cant cope with seeing people drink water that's a you problem and you need to work on your attention span

Phones should be banned for live shows

Ahhh, you’re all here! Happy glugging.

@Jook I drink water, why do you "glug"?

My dh and I went to see All of Us Strangers a couple of weeks ago, a quiet, emotional, nuanced, beautiful film. The couple beside me talked to each other in whispers through the ENTIRE film and when they weren’t talking the woman would take out her phone and scrolled and scrolled and scrolled.
JUST WHY?! It’s like people have no concept of enjoying something now and absolutely no concentration.

Maybe if you drank more water you'd be able to cope better in public spaces?

Kate Bush did a small gig a couple of years ago and banned phones. Apparently it was amazing!
Our local theatre pounce on people if they're using phones during a performance.

It's just part of a wider trend of deteriorating public behaviour in performance venues. At least folk weren't chewing pop corn a and hotdogs!

Venue should have vented phones

Just over a year ago I went to a concert and as we entered we had to put our phones in a pouch that blocked phone signals so they couldnt be used. In an emergency, you went outside the auditorium where someone would unlock it for you. It was brilliant. Before the band came on, people chatted to each other, instead of scrolling, no ones phones to distract. You could sit and listen to the band as they intended. I wish more bands and venues would do the same.

Can’t stand it. I went to see an orchestra not so long ago and same thing happened, really affects the experience and are they really going to watch the video over and over at home?

I would have said something. A polite 'excuse me your screen is glaring in my eyes and making it hard for me to focus please can you turn it off?'

I voted yanbu, but this is now widely acceptable behaviour. I think it's a shame.

I went to see a tribute act with a friend at her local theatre. It was the 1st time I'd been to a concert post Covid. I was absolutely appalled to see people constantly walking in and out to the bar to get drinks (why was the bar even open during the performance?), standing up and filming every song, or talking whilst the singers were performing. I came away thinking, Wow! is this the new level of 'acceptable ' behaviour in theatres. Fast forward a few months and I went with DH to another music show at our (slightly) bigger local theatre. I have to say my expectations were low with regards to behaviour. There were signs saying 'no phones/photography' and I was delighted to see a steward jump in straight away when there was an offender in the circle where we were sitting. No one moved from their seats to leave the auditorium either until the interval. It was refreshing to see that people who had paid for tickets were able to actually watch what they'd paid to see. I know which venue I'll be visiting again.

I agree. Tell the venue.

It's sad but so many people seem incapable of behaving with any degree of politeness and self-awareness in public, and I worry about the lack of positive examples / comment sense that children are presented with day to day. Therefore, venues do need to make rules to ensure that everyone can enjoy.

I went to a candle light concert a few months ago and felt exactly the same. We were told no phones untill the last performance. However the majority of people had phones held up. When we were told we could take photos, literally 80% of the room ran to the centre of the hall (it was a cathedral) and we're taking pictures. It was very annoying and completely ruined the whole show.

I am something of a phone addict, but i agree entirely! No point recording concerts your phone recording will be crap, just enjoy the moment! I also put my phone away and on silent for the cinema. I don't really go to the theatre but I wouldn't be on my phone then either.

It's ridiculous and they should ban people from doing this.

Generally they ask for no filming or photography for performing rights reasons