Jack White has long been a sworn enemy of people using their phones at his gigs, and has often pontificated from the stage on the value of putting your device away and just living in the moment, maaaaaaaan. But now he’s taking it a step further: on his forthcoming US tour, White has banned phoned entirely – attendees have to pop them in a special locking pouch before you’re allowed in.
You may or may not have seen Yondr pouches infesting event spaces of late. They’re small, padded pouches which you slip your smartphone into, and can only be unlocked using a special dock, which is usually manned by event or venue staff. They’ve become quite popular at big comedy gigs, which have long had an issue with recording. We should probably get ready to see them entering the world of live sports, too.
But they’re not super common at gigs right now. Other artists like Alicia Keys, The Lumineers, and Guns N’ Roses have taken advantage of the Yondr system to stop people watching their gigs through the lens of a phone camera, but you certainly risk pissing off a lot of punters by rolling it out.
Here’s a vid of White with Conan O’Brien back in 2014 expressing his seething hatred of seeing a sea of phones before him at a concert:
“We think you’ll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN PERSON,” a statement from White’s team reads.
Upon arrival at the venue, all phones and other photo or video-capturing gizmos will be secured in a Yondr pouch that will be unlocked at the end of the show. You keep your pouch-secured phone on you during the show and, if needed, can unlock your phone at any time in a designated Yondr Phone Zone located in the lobby or concourse.”
For those looking to do some social media postings, let us help you with that. Our official tour photographer will be posting photos and videos after the show at jackwhiteiii.com and the new Jack White Live Instagram account @officialjackwhitelive. Repost our photos & videos as much as you want and enjoy a phone-free, 100% human experience.
Let’s see if this catches on.
