6 ms·

I've been to numerous shows recently with no-phone policies (TOOL, Louis CK, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle). I _love_ the policy, it frees people to enjoy the s

by nikcub 4y ago

I've been to numerous shows recently with no-phone policies (TOOL, Louis CK, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle). I _love_ the policy, it frees people to enjoy the show, doesn't block views with people holding phones up and doesn't ruin the lighting. I now intentionally seek out no-phone shows and events (it's common in standup comedy). The first two enforce the rule with security - if you get caught, you get kicked out and banned from future shows. The later two shows used the pouch system from Yondr. At Chris Rock the show started 90 minutes late since people came to the show with their tickets on their phones and had to walk back out to unlock them. There were also nowhere near enough staff to lock the phones and provide pouches, nor to unlock phones. It was chaos. Chappelle doesn't do digital tickets, but on the way out there was almost a crush in the crowd as people lined up to get their pouches unlocked. We ended up forcing open a fire escape and went home with our phones still in pouches, I ended up unlocking the pouches at home (you just gotta beat it open, or use a magnet) The implementation of these systems aren't perfect - but there is definitely room here for a good implementation. My thought was that the best solution would be phone lockers in venues that are after ticketing. Simple slots that you slide your phone into and get an RFID tag with a locker number back in return. I'm sure somebody will figure it out.

Algemarin 4y ago
[flagged]
- hamburglar 4y ago
  I’ve also never had my view literally blocked by someone holding up a phone, but I do consider it spoiling my view to have a little glowing screen held up right in front of me so i have to look past it to see the performance. It’s obnoxious. I suspect that’s what GP is referring to, as opposed to literally blocking the view. No comment on the anger about comedians being offensive.
  - Algemarin 4y ago
    The argument that phones are banned from venues because they are disruptive is disingenuous, because far more disruptive things are not banned; or rather, the bans are not enforced. For example, I find it infinitely more disruptive to have people vaping at shows, and yet I have never seen people have to give up their vapes when attending a stand-up show, or ever be made to leave for vaping, for that matter. As for anger about comedians being offensive, not at all. On the contrary, I think stand-up comedians have a duty to be offensive and push boundaries. I just think it's pathetic and cowardly to try to prevent people from recording those incidents.
    - hamburglar 4y ago
      I don’t think the phone ban has anything to do with comedians being afraid their edgy material will be heard. I think it has a lot more to do with the fact that live shows and streaming deals are the only way they make money and they don’t want leaked recordings affecting demand.
    - libraryatnight 4y ago
      Cell phones are distracting, I go to shows whether they're banned or not, but I dislike them personally - I do not think it's disingenuous. Maybe I'm just old, but I expect smoke (or vape) at a show, it doesn't detract for me. Some venues do in fact enforce no smoking or vaping (security will give you the flashlight warning at one, show you the door at two). And that's nice too, but the smokers and vapers are at least usually watching and enjoying the show - phone people don't strike me as particularly engaged. As a performer, that'd bug me. I think it's more a mixture of a belief that people are absent when their phones are out, that it's rude to the other audience members, and makes new sets less awesome for audiences down the line.
    - pstanger 4y ago
      FWIW I went to a Hannah Gadsby show a few years back and that event also had the phone pouch thing. Was she also being pathetic and cowardly?
- throwaway675309 4y ago
  I haven't heard of Dave Chapelle sketch in a long time, but hateful is likely the wrong adjective and a bit hyperbolic. If he does indeed make transphobic comments as part of his recent stand-up routine, than at worst he's being highly insensitive - but I doubt it stems from an ideological position rooted in hatred.
  - Algemarin 4y ago
    > but I doubt it stems from an ideological position rooted in hatred. Chapelle has openly and explicitly expressed transphobic views both as part of his stand-up routine and in interviews.
    - ipaddr 4y ago
      And that's okay. Having different prospectives promotes diversity.
    - LightHugger 4y ago
      I doubt you really know what transphobia even is
operatingthetan 4y ago
>Chappelle doesn't do digital tickets, but on the way out there was almost a crush in the crowd as people lined up to get their pouches unlocked. We ended up forcing open a fire escape and went home with our phones still in pouches, I ended up unlocking the pouches at home (you just gotta beat it open, or use a magnet) Since you stole the pouches the system can't work that well given the company lost money from your theft.
- hackernewds 4y ago
  hence the solution > Simple slots that you slide your phone into and get an RFID tag with a locker number back in return how you would align them for hundreds of thousands of attendees to not forget their numbers, lose their tags, crush against the wall.. no idea
bee_rider 4y ago
Wow, you’d think automatic unlocking, to save staff time and get people out of the venue when the show was over, would be the first functionality that you’d be looking for in this sort of thing.
- hackernewds 4y ago
  Then people would take the pouches home. And they would be expensive needing a microcontroller.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
  I mean you could just embed those things that they attach to clothes and alcohol bottles at the store to sound a brief alarm when someone tries to cross a threshold with it, then have staff only stop people when the alarm goes off, otherwise foot traffic can flow freely while people dump their sacks in bins like they do with glasses after 3D movies.
drawkbox 4y ago
Went to Chappelle + Rock and the no phone policy was a problem. It was a ticketmaster event so everyone had to check in with the tickets (digital) and the checkin then immediately power down phone and put in the pouch took 1-2 hours. The lines were insane at the beginning to lock and end to unlock, it was a horribly slow process and the pouches are just funky. Phones are very personal and putting your phone in a pouch that had another phone, that is a bit rough it just, no thanks. I get they want people to enjoy the show and really not record it, there are problems though. A major problem with no phone events is that you can't easily find friends in the event, we had to meet up with people and only knew their seats. People were in various areas and coordinating all that like the 90s was a task. The biggest problem though is people with kids or elderly or assistance needs, being without the ability to receive or send messages in those situations is bad. Someone in our group had a family member in hospice and another with a babysitter, that time was a bit less enjoyable. Just having a phone on vibrate is nice to be able to check out and enjoy the show without worry. A lower issue but one that stings a bit is you can only take pictures/videos outside the event. Once inside you never can even take a picture/video of anything. So the event history is just outside and since friends were inside those moments are only in memory not pictures/video. I love to get some experience shots at events/festivals/fairs/concerts etc, it can take you back. Around that time I went to two other non no phone events that were much smoother and I have photo/videos from. At Adam Sandler they did allow phones and just told people to stop recording, that was much easier. Concerts that are no phone also lose the option to do the lights on final songs or moments, that is fun. Sandler had everyone do it on the Chris Farley song. Smashing Pumpkins / Jane's Addition around that time also allowed phones and recording and it was great. All the events were cashless and many people just like to bring their phone to pay. Well you had to get out the credit card or use the wristband. That is another annoyance. So my review of no phone events is they are bad and unnecessary, they delay the concert fun with lines, make contacting friends harder and take away from the experience, make paying harder, add a massive pouch you have to carry around with your phone in it. If an event is no phone I'll have to really really like the act otherwise I'll pass. If they want to stop people recording just have a no record policy if you want but don't hinder friends/family/memories. Funniest part is there are tons of recordings of the Chappelle/Rock event and most from the boxes where the policy is lax. Another reason not to like the policy, only the proles in VIP and GA have to adhere. The event was great though, Chappelle, Rock, Donnell Rawlings were all hilarious, Blackstar (Mos Def) was good as always and opener Rick Ingram was hilarious as well. I just wish I could have maybe snapped a shot at least of the final part where they all got on stage. It was amazing to see Chappelle and Rock like 20 yards from where we were sitting. No phone policies at events -- delete.
mcintyre1994 4y ago
I find it weird that you’d need to have these systems, theatre has had a don’t use your phone during the show policy forever and doesn’t seem to really have any challenge enforcing it.
- crazygringo 4y ago
  People don't generally try to record plays. And your clips wouldn't go viral even if it did, a clip from a scene out of context doesn't mean much. Whereas a joke is very shareable, and stuff that pushes the edge can go super viral, especially when taken out of context -- risking Twitter/media backlash. So both the rewards and risks are WAYYY higher for standup.
crazygringo 4y ago
> There were also nowhere near enough staff to lock the phones and provide pouches, nor to unlock phones. It was chaos. That's crazy. I went to two Yondr standup shows and it was no real added delay at all. I assumed it would be on the way out, but unlocking took about 5 seconds per person and there were more than enough attendants to handle it. They were both large theaters (~3,000 seats), not stadiums though or anything (~30,000). I do wonder how many attendants you need based on audience size. Or if they've moved on to "self-service" stations on the way out or something.

by nikcub 4y ago

Algemarin 4y ago

[flagged]

hamburglar 4y ago
I’ve also never had my view literally blocked by someone holding up a phone, but I do consider it spoiling my view to have a little glowing screen held up right in front of me so i have to look past it to see the performance. It’s obnoxious. I suspect that’s what GP is referring to, as opposed to literally blocking the view. No comment on the anger about comedians being offensive.
- Algemarin 4y ago
  The argument that phones are banned from venues because they are disruptive is disingenuous, because far more disruptive things are not banned; or rather, the bans are not enforced. For example, I find it infinitely more disruptive to have people vaping at shows, and yet I have never seen people have to give up their vapes when attending a stand-up show, or ever be made to leave for vaping, for that matter. As for anger about comedians being offensive, not at all. On the contrary, I think stand-up comedians have a duty to be offensive and push boundaries. I just think it's pathetic and cowardly to try to prevent people from recording those incidents.
  - hamburglar 4y ago
    I don’t think the phone ban has anything to do with comedians being afraid their edgy material will be heard. I think it has a lot more to do with the fact that live shows and streaming deals are the only way they make money and they don’t want leaked recordings affecting demand.
  - libraryatnight 4y ago
    Cell phones are distracting, I go to shows whether they're banned or not, but I dislike them personally - I do not think it's disingenuous. Maybe I'm just old, but I expect smoke (or vape) at a show, it doesn't detract for me. Some venues do in fact enforce no smoking or vaping (security will give you the flashlight warning at one, show you the door at two). And that's nice too, but the smokers and vapers are at least usually watching and enjoying the show - phone people don't strike me as particularly engaged. As a performer, that'd bug me. I think it's more a mixture of a belief that people are absent when their phones are out, that it's rude to the other audience members, and makes new sets less awesome for audiences down the line.
  - pstanger 4y ago
    FWIW I went to a Hannah Gadsby show a few years back and that event also had the phone pouch thing. Was she also being pathetic and cowardly?
throwaway675309 4y ago
I haven't heard of Dave Chapelle sketch in a long time, but hateful is likely the wrong adjective and a bit hyperbolic. If he does indeed make transphobic comments as part of his recent stand-up routine, than at worst he's being highly insensitive - but I doubt it stems from an ideological position rooted in hatred.
- Algemarin 4y ago
  > but I doubt it stems from an ideological position rooted in hatred. Chapelle has openly and explicitly expressed transphobic views both as part of his stand-up routine and in interviews.
  - ipaddr 4y ago
    And that's okay. Having different prospectives promotes diversity.
  - LightHugger 4y ago
    I doubt you really know what transphobia even is

operatingthetan 4y ago

>Chappelle doesn't do digital tickets, but on the way out there was almost a crush in the crowd as people lined up to get their pouches unlocked. We ended up forcing open a fire escape and went home with our phones still in pouches, I ended up unlocking the pouches at home (you just gotta beat it open, or use a magnet) Since you stole the pouches the system can't work that well given the company lost money from your theft.

hackernewds 4y ago
hence the solution > Simple slots that you slide your phone into and get an RFID tag with a locker number back in return how you would align them for hundreds of thousands of attendees to not forget their numbers, lose their tags, crush against the wall.. no idea

bee_rider 4y ago

Wow, you’d think automatic unlocking, to save staff time and get people out of the venue when the show was over, would be the first functionality that you’d be looking for in this sort of thing.

hackernewds 4y ago
Then people would take the pouches home. And they would be expensive needing a microcontroller.
rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
I mean you could just embed those things that they attach to clothes and alcohol bottles at the store to sound a brief alarm when someone tries to cross a threshold with it, then have staff only stop people when the alarm goes off, otherwise foot traffic can flow freely while people dump their sacks in bins like they do with glasses after 3D movies.

drawkbox 4y ago

Went to Chappelle + Rock and the no phone policy was a problem. It was a ticketmaster event so everyone had to check in with the tickets (digital) and the checkin then immediately power down phone and put in the pouch took 1-2 hours. The lines were insane at the beginning to lock and end to unlock, it was a horribly slow process and the pouches are just funky. Phones are very personal and putting your phone in a pouch that had another phone, that is a bit rough it just, no thanks. I get they want people to enjoy the show and really not record it, there are problems though. A major problem with no phone events is that you can't easily find friends in the event, we had to meet up with people and only knew their seats. People were in various areas and coordinating all that like the 90s was a task. The biggest problem though is people with kids or elderly or assistance needs, being without the ability to receive or send messages in those situations is bad. Someone in our group had a family member in hospice and another with a babysitter, that time was a bit less enjoyable. Just having a phone on vibrate is nice to be able to check out and enjoy the show without worry. A lower issue but one that stings a bit is you can only take pictures/videos outside the event. Once inside you never can even take a picture/video of anything. So the event history is just outside and since friends were inside those moments are only in memory not pictures/video. I love to get some experience shots at events/festivals/fairs/concerts etc, it can take you back. Around that time I went to two other non no phone events that were much smoother and I have photo/videos from. At Adam Sandler they did allow phones and just told people to stop recording, that was much easier. Concerts that are no phone also lose the option to do the lights on final songs or moments, that is fun. Sandler had everyone do it on the Chris Farley song. Smashing Pumpkins / Jane's Addition around that time also allowed phones and recording and it was great. All the events were cashless and many people just like to bring their phone to pay. Well you had to get out the credit card or use the wristband. That is another annoyance. So my review of no phone events is they are bad and unnecessary, they delay the concert fun with lines, make contacting friends harder and take away from the experience, make paying harder, add a massive pouch you have to carry around with your phone in it. If an event is no phone I'll have to really really like the act otherwise I'll pass. If they want to stop people recording just have a no record policy if you want but don't hinder friends/family/memories. Funniest part is there are tons of recordings of the Chappelle/Rock event and most from the boxes where the policy is lax. Another reason not to like the policy, only the proles in VIP and GA have to adhere. The event was great though, Chappelle, Rock, Donnell Rawlings were all hilarious, Blackstar (Mos Def) was good as always and opener Rick Ingram was hilarious as well. I just wish I could have maybe snapped a shot at least of the final part where they all got on stage. It was amazing to see Chappelle and Rock like 20 yards from where we were sitting. No phone policies at events -- delete.

mcintyre1994 4y ago

I find it weird that you’d need to have these systems, theatre has had a don’t use your phone during the show policy forever and doesn’t seem to really have any challenge enforcing it.

crazygringo 4y ago
People don't generally try to record plays. And your clips wouldn't go viral even if it did, a clip from a scene out of context doesn't mean much. Whereas a joke is very shareable, and stuff that pushes the edge can go super viral, especially when taken out of context -- risking Twitter/media backlash. So both the rewards and risks are WAYYY higher for standup.

crazygringo 4y ago

> There were also nowhere near enough staff to lock the phones and provide pouches, nor to unlock phones. It was chaos. That's crazy. I went to two Yondr standup shows and it was no real added delay at all. I assumed it would be on the way out, but unlocking took about 5 seconds per person and there were more than enough attendants to handle it. They were both large theaters (~3,000 seats), not stadiums though or anything (~30,000). I do wonder how many attendants you need based on audience size. Or if they've moved on to "self-service" stations on the way out or something.