Damon Albarn does not agree with Bob Dylan’s policy of banning the use of mobile phones at concerts.
Dylan confirmed this on the back of announcing a run of UK shows as part of his ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ Tour later this year.
The shows begin on November 1 this year, and will also include a trio of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, as well as concerts in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Wolverhampton.
“where does it end?” – wonders Albarn
In a recent interview, Blur frontman Damon Albarn has said that he is not a fan of Dylan’s approach.
“If you start banning things where does it end? I think you’ve just got to turn up and do your thing”, Albarn stated. “People won’t want to be on their phone if you’re engaging with them correctly”.
These gigs will also see staff from the Yondr tech company help concert-goers put their phones in locked, secure magnetic pouches. These phones will then be unlocked when fans leave the venue. More on this here.
Other household names from the entertainment world have adopted this approach, including comedian Dave Chappelle, who employed the use of them at a tour in 2015 in order to protect his material.
Chris Rock, another comedian also adopted the use of these pouches for a UK Arena tour in 2018.
These pouches were originally used by US schools in 2014 to counteract the problem of phones disturbing classroom lessons.
Speaking of shows, Blur performed at this year’s Coachella Festival, with Damon Albarn telling the audience that it will probably be the band’s last gig.
His bandmate Alex James had even admitted that he thought Blur would “never happen again” ahead of their reunion last year. More on this here.
