Let me start with something Corey Taylor said;
"It's one thing to film it, it's another thing to just be staring at your screen while you're filming it, It's right there. Are you so terrified of real life that you can't do anything unless it's on that little four-by-four screen? Ugggh. It's very weird.”
Manchester AO Arena, Thursday the 18th June, and it’s time to step back to the 70s and 80s with Starship and then Foreigner, and what a show it was. It really was like being back in the 80s, except for all the damn mobile phones.
When we went to see Ghost live in 2025 at the AO, they locked our phones away, and it was perfect; everyone was doing what they should be doing, you know, watching the band.
I’ve added three photos below that I took with my phone, the only time I took it out of Elizabeth’s bag. I just needed to take the photos of these two gentlemen who spent the whole damn show on their phones. One of them used the time to sort his photos out. Now, why the hell would you pay upwards of £70 a ticket just to sit on your phone and not watch the bands? I honestly couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t normally take photos at a concert or use my phone, but because I’d started this project, I just had to.
I wish arenas like the AO Arena would make all events phone-free. This way everyone can fully engage with the show they’ve paid to watch.
It’s truly sad and pathetic that society can’t cope with even a two-hour break from their digital devices.
Sebastian Bach back in 2015 said it best; “You’re distracted and it's distracting to the performer as well. Like, put your fuckin' cell phone away, dammit! You're never even going to watch that footage."
And I’ll leave you with this, back in 2012, the legend that is Bruce Dickinson chastised a fan for texting during an Iron Maiden concert, calling him a "wanker."
