Norah Jones Live No Cell Phones

Do what I do accidentally (but on purpose) crowd surge into the person holding the phone up so they

A, either drop the phone and it breaks or

B, realizes that common sense dictates it is not safe to use a phone, because they have to watch there back

But always be polite and apologise and check they are ok with "sorry but I got caught up in the moment of the concert, are you ok"

Works for me everytime

 

To Chris DeVoe: Your video of the kids doing "Impossible Germany" is a keeper. I admire those kids for a damn good performance and I appreciate being reminded of what a brilliant & beautiful song it is.

 

Thank you, on their behalf. That was an AllStars band. It's composed of the very best players in the School of Rock program. They have to be the best at their individual location before they are invited to audition via video, if they make the first cut, they audition regionally, then at the national level. This team was selected by the Music Director of the Chicago location, Andy Levenberg.
Believe it or not, most of these kids had not met three days before. They had learned the parts on their own, but they had three days to become a band. After the show, Andy told me they had it the second time they played it.It was especially cool that this was in Wicker Park, in Wilco's neighborhood.

 

I have seen Norah Jones a number of times
She always comes off as a genuine, generous and appreciative performer


Trying to sing and play piano is hard enovugh without the gadget brigade

 

Worst I experienced

Took my daughter to see Elton John 2 years ago
He played the deeper classic era tracks

The woman in front of me was filming her friend 3 rows back diagonally.
This went on during three songs
Of course it had to be rare nuggets she had not a clue what song he was singing
I finally gave her a glare and pointed at the stage
My daughter in her late 20s smiled at my gesture and her response

 

Would love to see that video of nora jones would sbdy please gimme the link?

 

Keep the damn thing in your pocket. Social media breeds narcissistic a-holes. Nicely done, Norah!
I sometimes do a Facebook "check in" at concert events just to spread the band's name, that's enough.

 

I think a large part of this situation arises because of a strong sense of the individual in some societies - certainly in Australia and the USA, in my observations. The individual is frequently permitted to act contrary to the greater good. That's why it can be really uncomfortable confronting people who are doing something hugely annoying that is only for their own gratification (using a phone at a concert or the movies, playing music ok their phone's speaker on the train, walking on the grass rather than taking the extra three seconds to use the footpath, sitting in the aisle seat and leaving the window seat free the refusing to move to the window seat if you want sit down, even on a busy train or bus, putting their feet on the seats, littering and throwing garbage out of the car window, etc).

In other words, at least in our cultures it is acceptable to be a nuisance because of the insividual's "right" to do what he/she wants. I really wish that individual freedom did not include a freedom to be a nuisance, a bit more like in Japan perhaps.

This sense of the individual must be part of people falling in love with social media, which appalls me. It's apparently healthy behaviour constantly and repeatedly to tell other people what you are doing. I wonder if these people are honest: "Just at the doctor to have my rash checked!" or "Just lost my job because they told me I was lazy and incompetent! Lolz!"

All that said, I can't understand why anyone wants to record a concert instead of watching it anyway. Their only keepsake is a video to prove that they videoed something. They can't have an independent memory of the concert if they weren't even watching it. It's like they can only stomach reality if it's after the event, through a screen.

That reminds me: on a trip to NYC a couple of years ago, we went to an exhibition at the library. I think it was on children's literature over time or something. There was a guy photographing every exhibit but not actually looking at any of them. Is that normal?

 

Bull.
I'm NYC where this is the norm along with not dancing at shows. I thought it was universal until I went to visit a another city (which shall remain nameless for its own protection). Saw 7 shows in 7 nights. Everyone danced, absolutely no cell phones and everyone just lived the moment.

Don't assume any behavior is universal. That's lazy. There are such things as local trends.

 

No I don't. And no-one should have to.

 

She is. Hung out with her a few times at her sister's gigs a while back. She is as advertised. One of the few.

 

"normal" is debatable. But it is an unfortunate growing trend. I like that some exhibits have a no photo stipulation. It's probably more for economic or legal reasons but it's at least one place where everyone has to observe via themselves rather than a lens.

 

Funny. Perhaps not true, but I always got the feeling that there's been a decrease in mid-sized acts doing live DVDs because they think everyone already taped on their cell-phones anyway.

 

I do that. But I actually mean it. (I'm from Jacksonville, FL). It actually worked once.

 

It's annoying to go to a concert and be distracted by someone's cell screen in front of me - sorry but it is eye-catching. Even if you're not using the flash it's a bright object in a dark room - hard not to notice. As for a keepsake, why not memories? Sometimes I see people literally watching the whole concert through their cell phone. Stupid!

 

wow!

 

Glad you dug it. The kid with the long hair playing the Strat is Nick Martin, of the School of Rock in Seekonk, MA. I assume he has a band - I'd be shocked if he didn't. Maybe more than one.

No BS, this performance raised goosebumps on both my arms as I was shooting this.

The director of that particular team loves Wilco. He came up with the set list three weeks before and sent it to the kids in the band to learn the parts on their own. The assistant director Algren Rogers had played it when the Chicago location had done a full Wilco show back in 2013:



The bass player is maybe 10 years old, and doing a great job even though she's almost the same height as her bass when stood on end.

 

Saw Chris Cornell on Thursday night- the cellphones were so fricken annoying! There are plenty of photos and footage online , so why bother? The idiots in front of us were on Facebook and texting the whole time

 

From the perspective of the performer, there probably isn't that much difference between camera flashes and mobile phones but, despite what I wrote above, from my perspective in the audience, people taking photos with cameras through a viewfinder isn't annoying. It's cameras with a screen or phones. I think I would punch someone if I saw them using an iPad at a concert.

It's behaviour that is definitely not limited to live music. I don't think it's possible to go to the movies without half the cinema talking or texting.

Thankfully I can watch movies and listen to live recordings of music at home.

 

If i have to choose between a person taking a couple of pictures with their smartphone in an unobtrusive way or the usual drunk lunatics screaming in my ear or talking incessantly or spilling their drinks all over me I choose the smartphones.....If i have to choose between the people who wander all over the venue out of their seats standing next to me in the aisles and banging into me repeatedly without a word of apology i choose the smartphone pictures....I go tons of concerts each year and have been for years since music is my passion and to be honest given all the behavior i have had to put up with over the years and the rude obnoxious people i have gotten used to dealing with each time i plunk down tons of money for a performance the smartphone pictures almost seem like a non issue to me....If only that was the worst and most difficult thing i have to deal with at a concert today i would be very happy

 

You're presenting these things as either/or. I've found that there is a huge amount of overlap. I've created this Venn diagram of concert nightmares to show how they overlap:

 

It really depends on the type of show.
McCartney in a big area---a sea of phones----it didn't matter one wit.
Jeff Tweedy solo acoustic----i don't recall seeing one phone-----had anyone tried it would have been a bit obnoxious.
Norah was sorta in-between---i was in the balcony----the phones didn't bother me.

 

I like taking a couple of pictures during the show but turn off my flash.

 

Can't see it Chris. Any other way you could post it, I'm sure it's funny.

 

I saw this quite a bit at athe Difford and Tilbrook show the other night and at John Hiatt. As I watch them,,I wondered the same thing. Some,were recording songs (no doubt to,post later on the Internet) and I wondered how can they enjoy the show?