The week end, if you were at Prince at the Hop Farm, The Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes or Take That at Wembley, you'll have noticed there was nearly as much light being emitted from mobile phones in the audience than illuminations from the stage. I personally find this an odd thing, but please bear with me for I am old (mid 30's).You've paid your money, do whatever you like. But don't you for one moment wish you'd just relaxed, sat back and watched the event unravel in front of you. Image those moments you won't ever see first hand, yet they were right in front of you. Consider the fact that a good gig is over so damn fast yet you only really saw half of it as you were head down at one point sorting out your phone. Don't get me wrong, I used to do it. I have wonderful mobile phone shots of Jon Bon Jo....err I think it's Jon, oh no it's not it's err...actually I have no idea any more.
Did it ever occur to you that you should let the 3,000 people within spitting distance do all the hard work and you can log onto youtube tomorrow and see through their camera what you saw through your own eyes. Now don't consider me to be a miserable sod yet (post my prime, nearing my late 30's) but consider this. I go to gigs, and I let you lot do all the work and I get the benefit of enjoying the gig, so firstly thank you. I love you, you save me from filming it and I can come and enjoy your shaky hand video sequence in all it's glory. I love the blur of the stage lights, the distorted audio, the time it takes to work out if I actually know the song and the speck of a lead singer at the front of the stage being bleached out by the lights. It's awesome. It's just like being...err well ok, no it's not.
However, before you start to think I am against it, let me state, I am not. Infact it's a great way of capturing moments, and to celebrate those moments, without you crazy people doing what you do, I'd never have seen these events. So I salute you, the obsessive mobile phone recordist with all your technical limitations, it doesn't hold you back. Be proud of your commitment.
Sadly it won't last forever, Apple will eventually stop phones recording in loud places, the US Congress will soon ensure 80% of live music illegally filmed is removed from youtube due to copyright infringement and the tools that technology has given us with one hand will eventually take it away with another.
So while it lasts, enjoy some moments from this weekend you weren't at. As a parting thought, what a top weekend in the british music scene. Talent wants to play here, that's important.
oh and apologies for the quality...