He’s addressing a schism in the fan experience.
The frontman of a legendary ‘90s rock band has called out certain behavior at concerts stating that if someone does said behavior they’re “just selfish.”
Parade reports that Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan recently sat down for an interview on the “Wild Ride! with Steve-O” podcast. And it was here that he addressed the Los Angeles, California-based band’s “no phone” policy at shows.
“It’s not about us, it’s about the person behind you, because they’re having to look at the show,” Keenan said, as transcribed by Parade. “This person paid, like, 70 bucks for a ticket, and now [they’re] back here trying to see the show through your phone.
“That’s just rude to people. That’s why we pick a couple of songs and go, ‘You can film these,’ but don’t ruin somebody else’s experience for the rest of the show. It’s just selfish, and you’re unaware of your behavior.”
Tool is certainly not alone in enacting such a policy: Masked Swedish rockers Ghost did the same thing during their international tour last year. Even Bob Dylan is riding the “no phone” wave.
Interestingly, people appear to be split on this policy: Some were complaining about Ghost implementing this rule on platforms such as X, going so far as accusing the band of “[playing] dictator.”
Then there are those all for it: A post under the “Concerts” Reddit page proclaimed that “cellphones should be completely banned from all concerts,” as a matter of fact.
“Completely agree 100%,” a commenter wrote.
“Honestly, the older you get and the more shows you got to, it does get harder to remember,” read a more measured take. “I like to take a few pictures and video clips. I don’t have a problem with others who do the same.
“The issue I have is when people record the entire show more or less. Or hold their phones so high above their heads that I can’t see. I’m 5’3; it’s already hard enough to see past heads, let alone phones lol.”
Whether cellphone bans become more commonplace at concerts remains to be seen.