30 years or so ago I went to a concert with a friend and saw Joan Jett. It was a Friday afternoon work concert for 5 bucks and she performed and some large amphitheater that served lots of alcohol. Not a particular fan of Joan Jett but one thing that I remember from the concert more than anything else is in the middle of her set she stopped playing stopped the band from playing and started yelling at somebody who was in the crowd probably 30 people back this was a general admission show so there were no assigned seats… So she starts yelling at this person who’s holding up a flip phone recording her. She was pissed that this person came to the show with the phone and now was recording her and would not start the show again until the person put the phone down. After about 30 seconds this person did put the phone down and Joan Jett started playing again. Two minutes later same thing Joan Jett starts the show same person with the phone in the air and Joan Jett asked security to have them removed that she doesn’t want her stuff recorded and then if you paid to get in here you should be watching the show. Sure five bucks is five bucks but okay I get it.
Everything that I’ve been seeing on YouTube for the past 2 weeks at the Coachella concerts is blowing my mind. Here you have these Gen z and I guess younger millennial all out in the desert somewhere seeing the performances of these pop bands and others yet every crowd shot that I see every single person has their hand in the air with the phone filming. No one is moving. No one is cheering. No one is in the moment. I’m not the only one who saw this I hope. But pictures that I saw of somebody named Sabrina Carpenter where Madonna came out and started singing with her pictures of the crowd it was like they were playing in front of 3,000 mannequins.
Why spend so much money just to go out there to get a shot of a musician where you can watch the show later on YouTube in 4K? What’s the point? Is this all just for social? Is this all for the upvotes and the likes?
Since it’s inception back in the early 2000s or maybe late ’90s I always thought the Coachella was a me too to Lola palooza. Don’t get me started on that dumpster fire of a festival.
Anyway file this under old man yelling at clouds but the cost of concert tickets nowadays keeps me away The lack ofb new music that I would actually go out and see keeps me away. Two kids two a dog and a cat keeps me away… Not being able to get into bed at 9:00 p.m. keeps me away.
Feel free to blow your money to get the likes on tic tac or instafame. A year from now no one’s going to give a shit about you or your 15 second video of Sabrina Carpenter singing with Madonna. Social media cred does not translate over into skills and employer would hire on.
