FLTWS
Headphoneus Supremus
Years back at a concert at the Kimmel center somebody's (on floor level) cell phone went off a half dozen or more bars into the start of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". The young conductor, whose name escapes me, stopped the orchestra and waited patiently while the moron with the cell phone took at least a minute to figure out how to turn it off and meanwhile the audience was murmuring among each other during that time. The conductor then began from the beginning and was able to complete the work without interruption.I never go to the cinema. I much prefer listening to music to watching movies, even at home.
'Smart' phones at concerts are a menace, especially when people insist on holding their phones up near your face to record a performance.
Why can't people just live in the moment and enjoy the spontaneity of a live performance?
At a local venue near my old house, the organisers banned the use of any phone.
A few years ago when I saw Robin Trower at this excellent all- seater venue, someone held his mobile phone up right in front of my face.
After several minutes, I asked him politely to turn his phone off ,otherwise I'd call security.
He started to get aggressive, so me and my two friends stood up from our seats and he backed down; probably thought the better of challenging three 6ft plus grumpy old men! It should not have been necessary though.
It spoiled the evening.
At a Neil Young concert in London about 10 years ago, phones were also banned.
A few 'fans' decided to ignore this polite request at Hammersmith Odeon, so Neil Young told the audience that if people didn't put their phones away he'd take the band off stage.
Brilliant!
He is one of my music heroes.
I am no fan of cell phones, and the one I have is for travel and emergencies only and never give the number out to anyone or any business. I've used it to make 4 phone calls in the five years I've owned it. I don't use it to surf the net, play games, or watch TV or movie programing. And, like "Machete", I don't text! My friends use e-mail or landlines to communicate. Cells are an annoyance in public when the individuals think that they are so important that they must talk loudly annoying the people around them.
My friends grandchildren, and some younger generation adults I know, have nervous breakdowns when they can't find their phones, the battery runs out, or service is interrupted. Their cell phones are controlling them, not the other way around. Spending my life face down in a 3" x 6" glass window is not the life for me. But that's just me.