The Cost Of Living In The Moment: What Harry Styles and Phoebe Bridgers Tell Us About Modern Concert Culture
BY: ABIGAYLE AGANDOUCH / STAFF WRITER
Your average concertgoer typically expects to leave a show with a few things: Their wristbands, a T-Shirt, maybe an overpriced water bottle, but most importantly: copious amounts of photographic evidence of their dazzling night. As for Phoebe Bridgers' concertgoers? They left with their cellphones sealed off in a pouch.
Bridgers is one of several artists experimenting with stricter phone policies at concerts, raising a question about modern-day concert culture: Is putting the phone away part of being present, or does recording a show help fans experience it in a different way?
With ticket prices soaring, fans believe that they have purchased the right to experience the show however they seem fit. Safety concerns are also a pivotal topic in the conversation. People with medical needs or emergency obligations argue that complete restriction is exclusionary.
On the other hand, a device free concert forces people to live in the moment. Instead of pulling out a phone to record their favorite song, fans can sing along with their neighbor and live in the moment. Concerts like Bridgers' force community engagement and exclusivity for all.
Community engagement isn't the only plus. These phone free concerts protect artists from digital scrutiny. For Bridgers, the phone ban was implemented so she could share highly personal moments about her recently deceased father without facing backlash for her vulnerability. Not only does this protect her, but it bridges a connection between her and her fans through emotionally vulnerable moments.
Just over the Manhattan Bridge, Harry Styles is midway through his Together, Together tour, performing 30 consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden. Devices being permitted means Styles’ concerts have been seen all over social media.
While the publicity helps with ticket sales and fan engagement online, moments seen like during his Sep. 12 concert are no longer sentimental.
On night nine of his 30-day residency, Styles sat at the piano and expressed his gratitude for the fans. During this emotional speech, Styles expressed his recent personal changes that shifted his perspective on life, noting that he’s been making music for the majority of his life.
"I'm not saying anything dramatic, I'm not trying to be dramatic, I'm just saying, don't worry, it's just... I love you and I wanted to speak to you like I would speak to my friends about this," He told fans.
Although introspective, this heartfelt speech was recorded by plenty of people in the arena. A moment meant for just the audience and him was turned into a social media post able to reach all parts of the world.
Similarly, during Bruno Mars’ The Romantic Tour, Mars himself experimented with no - phone policies. During his Las Vegas residency he implemented this policy but as his tour progressed and stadiums got bigger, the phone implementation was lifted. Since he began performing at larger scale stadiums, the logistics behind the phone policy and the amount of phone pouches needed was no longer feasible.
Beyond phone policies, concert culture has shifted from physical in the moment fan engagement to a hyper-digitized and expensive spectacle.
Before the rise of smartphones, concerts felt intimate and raw. Not only were fans collecting physical memorabilia like paper ticket stubs and hand printed set lists, but they also watched the artists instead of watching them through the device they were recording on.
Now, concerts have turned into pop culture milestones. Like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, these community events have turned into visual blockbusters, made specifically for massive stadiums and large media attention.
The biggest thing that has been lost at these events is the community engagement. It’s harder to connect with other fans and make new friends when everyone is so focused on what’s happening on their screens.
Fans should try and make concerts an immersive experience, no matter the policies from the artist or venue.
After all, every person who dressed up, bought a ticket, and has been counting down the days until the concert all have one thing in common: The love for the music they are hearing live.
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