Something that continues to be an issue in the concert world is whether or not people should be able to take videos during a show. There has been pushback from artists about this, including rapper Childish Gambino, pop singer Adele, and folk rock band The Lumineers. Some artists say it is distracting and they don’t like seeing a sea of phones in the audience when they’re performing. It can also be annoying to fans in the audience if their view is being blocked by someone else’s phone or camera. There are several artists who have taken measures to ban recording from their concerts. Some have employed the technology Yondr, which provides a case that attendees lock their phone in before entering the venue and can only remove it with an unlocking base located outside. 

While I understand the perspective of artists and fans who are against filming at concerts, I wouldn’t say I agree with them. I support taking videos and pictures during a concert and I do it myself. If I were to speak out against this, I would be a hypocrite. No matter how much I understand the reasoning behind it, I am not going to stop. 

Yes, it can be annoying when your view of the stage is disrupted because somebody has their phone sticking up in the air to record. And yes, it can be frustrating when it seems like somebody is focused more on posting videos on Snapchat or Instagram instead of paying attention to the artist on the stage. But taking videos and capturing those memories has been an important part of concerts for me. I like to be able to watch my videos after the fact; it allows me relive the concert in a way. However, I only support filming a concert if someone is using a cellphone. Please do not bring your iPad, or tablet, or tripod camera, or any other professional video camera. I personally feel like that is unnecessary and even more distracting than a cell phone would be. 

Something that bugs me is when people defend the idea of no filming by saying that you should live in the moment. People claim that filming a concert takes away from the unique experience of watching the performer live. This may seem like a reasonable explanation, but it’s never been true for me. Get this, I can take a video on my phone and live in the moment. At the same time. Crazy, right? Personally, when I film at a concert, I always make sure not to watch through the screen. Yes, I may be holding my phone and recording, but I’m always looking at the stage and not through the lens.

In 2018, I attended two shows of pop singer Niall Horan’s Flicker World Tour. During this tour, he asked fans to put their phones away during his performance of the title track of his album, Flicker. I will admit, it was nice to experience a phone-free crowd, even if it was just for one song. However, taking videos and documenting a concert can be important for some people. Maybe they want to send a video to a friend who couldn’t make it to the concert, or maybe they just want a video for themselves as a reminder. I lost all of my videos and pictures from a concert I went to after my computer hard drive failed, and I hate that I don’t have those mementos anymore. Taking and posting videos also provides a way for other fans to feel included if they couldn’t afford to go to the concert, or if there wasn’t a tour stop near them. For some, watching videos of the concert online is the next best thing.

If I were to go to a concert where the artist was enforcing a no phones rule, of course I would obey, but I am in favor of filming at concerts as long as people aren’t obnoxious about it. If people pay for a ticket, and there is no explicit rule against it nor is there any request from the performer, they should be able to take videos at the concert. Recording the concert and enjoying the show by living in the moment are not mutually exclusive.