News agencies reported Adele said “Can you stop filming me with the video camera because I’m really here in real life and you can enjoy it in real life, rather than through your camera. Can you take your tripod down, this isn’t a DVD, it’s a real show and I’d really like you to enjoy my show because there’s lots of people outside who couldn’t come in.” The encounter was met with applause from the audience. The incident was filmed by other concert goers and circulated on social media making most online newspapers, magazines and online music blogs.
Over the past couple of years or so I have seen a number of artists and musicians becoming increasingly annoyed at fans filming during their concerts for a range of reasons. Artists and musicians state this in many ways for example, in the interviews they give, through their interactions on social media, officially stated on policies on their webpages, on the tickets issued, and are now being backed up by public announcements at concerts.
Fans are increasingly being asked directly from the artists and musicians themselves to stop using technology and to live in the moment with their music. When the requests are made at concerts some fans often do not comply as we know using a range of excuses. Some fans despite the artist or musicians dislike of being filmed find it really difficult not to use technology at concerts for photographs and filming and resist the temptation to circulate the results on social media receiving their five minutes of fame.
During the time I have been writing this blog I have heard every excuse under the sun by fans for using technology, making videos and distributing them on social media regardless of what the artist or musician want and to increasing frustration to other fans and concert goers.
After all this time there isn’t much we do other than not to respond to the results of those who do or be selective about what we do watch online. In the end those filming are as Adele says missing out by not giving their attention to what is happening in the present, but most of all they are disrespecting the wishes of those artists and musicians who ask fans in all the ways possible to do what they request.
This photograph is from the official Twitter account of Alanthomasdoyle of a selfie taken on a trip earlier this year to LA and Nashville for writing songs his new album. The comments were made tongue in cheek of course. Alan and Adele now share something else other than a passion for music and song writing.
Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Songwriting with @Adele in LA. She’s really good. 13 January, 2016.
