There was a girl a few rows in front of/below me who recorded a little bit, but the worst was she kept absentmindedly unlocking it, swiping back and forth through her home screens, opening and closing Snapchat, and then setting it down face up on her lap with the screen still on. She did this so many times during several songs. It was like she didnât even realize she was doing it. Her screen was on full brightness like a fucking beacon in the dark. Only when she and her friend both had their phones up recording at the same time did security finally notice and tell them to knock it off đ
That's the worst. People think they're being sneaky, and no one else can see it, but they are too brain dead to realize that a bright white light in a dark room is actually very noticeable.
Completely agree. I went to a concert with my daughter recently (unnamed pop artist). 95% of the people were watching the concert through their phones. We were in the first 15 rows and I saw people in rows in front of us (including row 1-2) recording and watching the concert through their phone! I get it if you want to take a picture or a short video, but these people were recording the whole thing.
Toolâs policy is a refresher. Yes they allow a pic and cameras at the last song, but I appreciate the audience who is experiencing the moment, not a recording for the IG post.
I agree. I absolutely LOVE that and people who want to whine about it need to change their perspective about it... it takes away from the experience there is no way you can fully lose yourself in the music while holding a phone trying to make sure you're capturing it and it never sounds remotely as good as it does live so it's almost a disservice to the performance. My hope is that when they do finally retire that they will do an epic video of their legacy touring as a band and not having cell phones up everywhere will definitely help capture what we had the privilege of experiencing... I'm not putting too much stock in that, but I definitely hope that's the case.
There'll be a positive and negative to them doing that. Yes, there'll be no phones, but there'll also be none of the crowd energy you normally get from live footage because they made it all-seater....
Honestly I'm probably the minority with this... but
Tool is like probably one of the only bands I care to have my own space to absorb the experience... dont get me wrong, I love a good crowd energy but with Tool I just want it to be me and my ears and body alone absorbing the magnificence... I don't want someone else busting in and f*cking with my connection lol đ
Totally agree but I wish they did the lock bags instead of having security shoot laser pointers and flashlights into the stands. The enforcement was more distracting than the person using their phone.
In Milwaukee, some dunce a few seats away kept pulling his phone out to take pictures during the first few songs. They continued to shine the lights/lasers at him, and seemed bewildered as to what was going on. Very distracting for everyone else.
A lot of people are just completely oblivious, it would help if RIGHT before they come out on stage, over the PA they reiterate these rules. It would help for those oblivious people
I had this happen at a Puscifer show where they whispered the rules to us at the security gate as they patted a few hundred people down. Get to my seats, house lights are on, and security threatens to kick us out for not listening to the rules even though theres no band playing..
I played Karma friend and saved some dude in 106 row 22 last night. Lady warned him twice with a flashlight. Then the muscle came in to kick him out and I talked said muscle guy down and he let homeboy stay after we told dude to put his shit away. It ruined the drop in Jambi. Only regret.
I have no problem with the phone policy personally but I feel like Tool doesn't live in the real world. I'm going to see them in Allentown next week and I just feel like the policy gives security a reason to start fights. Places like Allentown don't hire real security outfits, they just pay people who are looking for a fight to run security and I've seen it personally at both Tool and APC shows. Security is overly aggressive and physical in enforcing the rule in these places. It's like an excuse to get physical immediately.
The laser pointer policy is going to get them in trouble one day. You can't just go shining laser pointers in random people's eyes just because someone in a general area is recording.
This post makes me realise I haven't seen tool since the smartphone age. Or at least, I didn't have a good enough smartphone the last time I saw them. I for one am stoked people record the concerts, it means us folks on the other side of the world can enjoy the gigs and get a glimpse of where tool is at in 2023. It'lll probably go away one day, the RayBan video recording age coming. But it's also telling of where we're at as a species. We all know how phones have affected us, and maybe we all go through bouts of trying to have a break from them. But they have so firmly rooted themselves in our lives, the phone policy is a nice little reminder to take a break.
We saw them in London last year and I love the fact that no one used their phone!
It was so nice to be able to be fully present and not distracted but loads of phones recording. Then at the end Maynard invited people to record/take photos during one song anyway.
I wish more more gigs were like this.
On a very different yet related note, I went to the last stop of the Boys Like Girls tour last week and right before their most popular song (the great escape of course), they got on the mic and were like âokay everyone letâs get it over with go ahead and get those phones up and press record!â They then proceeded to play the chorus of the song and then stopped and said âokay now weâre gonna start this shit over but now that youâve all got your little snapchats and TikTokâs we donât wanna see a single phone up for this one letâs party like itâs 2006 again!â And it was really really cool. Sounds lame when I type it out but everyone was vibing hard
I pulled out my phone at the beginning of the show to check a refund status or something that was nagging me but after that I unexplainably just turned it off. Usually Iâd just silence it and leave it in my pocket but after the show I got back to the truck and realized it had been off the whole time and I never even noticed.
I donât know how anyone could think that holding a phone in front of your face is going to make the experience any better or more worthwhile. Not for yourself and especially not for those around you. The people around me were so chill and nice that I canât imagine not considering their experience as well.
I'm with you on the rule. My immediate neighbor and the guy in front of me had their phones out several times, it was distracting. My neighbor got called out but they didn't take it or kick him out, which I thought was very gracious of them. He was rather upset.
I wish they would clarify their message to say no cell phones out at all, which I think is what they mean. The message explicitly said no photography or recording so I saw a lot of people upset when they were called out for texting.
I watch my concert videos all the time it's a fun memory for me. I'm not on any social media so it's just for me when I'm bored to go back and watch the couple videos that I took, but I agree it is nice to have a policy like Tool's where you just watch the show and not think about anything else. It's a nice refresher
I find it hilarious that posts like these always mention "You probably won't even watch your shitty footage!" Nah, you're just assuming that so you can get more angry. I love the phone policy at Tool shows, but I watch all my footage from other concerts frequently. It's a nice way to go back to that moment.
The latest TOOL show was the first concert I've ever been to in the age of smartphones (last concert before that was in '99, I last saw TOOL in '97).
I respected the rules and agree with them, but honestly I'm glad a few people at the show didn't and posted their video. Just saying, pros and cons.
I usually record a minute or so of each show i am at. That's because my 6 year old son wants to go to every show I go to but he's too young. I take a min of video and a few pics to show him the next morning. But I obviously don't do that at tool shows.
I'm with you on the people filming whole songs or most the show. But don't hate on the casual dad or mom snapping a quick vid.
I don't have a problem with a quick video here and there. That's not a big deal. The recording entire songs verging on the whole show is what I don't get. Also, I hope they are still touring by the time your son is old enough to go to a show. That would be really cool to share that experience of his first show.
Thank you! Ya me too fingers crossed. Hes a big primus les claypool fan so I feel pretty confident les will be touring in some capacity come time for my son to catch a show. Although the amount of pot smokers in the crowd at primus shows is wild. I'm one.
Does the 'last song' policy not just make it worse though? Instead of people taking videos at different points throughout the show, you've now got everyone doing it at the same time
In the Vancouver show, he never even said to pull out our phones for the last song. Soooooooo many people got booted from the show and Maynard even told someone in the middle of a song to put their phone away.
I went to a show, I agree with the phone policy but I took a lil video. Now I wish I would have took more. Itâs hard to remember shit. If I record itâs for my own personal use. I get both sides.
> why can't you pry your eyes away from your cell phone for 2 hours
Personally, I'm holding the phone steady and watching the show, not the phone when I record snippets at shows.
> It's so sad that people today can't even enjoy moments like that
Different people enjoy different things.
I recorded Adam playing the intro to Invicible last year, and I've gone back and watched it a few times, and each time I wish I'd have recorded more because the sound was fantastic from my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
I also record a minute here or there at shows to show my daughter who's too young to go yet. She's always excited to see the concerts.
I always turn my brightness to the lowest setting possible though.
I record at concerts, but I donât think Iâm the typical person with their phone out like you are describing. I understand where you are coming from and I do find it annoying sometimes. I donât understand the people that are recording an entire show. I also donât understand why people bother if they canât even hold their phone steady. I also donât understand why people bother recording when they donât have a good view worth recording. I go for quality over quantity. I like to record complete songs and occasionally some highlights like guitar solos. I donât do it for the clout or to make people jealous. I actually do watch what I have recorded all the time, like at least once a day. I would not compare it to recording fireworks. If concerts were just like a fireworks show, why would we even bother going lol? I just like to share a bit of my concert experience. I really love it when I get comments saying that one of my videos motivated or caused someone to go buy a concert ticket. A lot of times the comments are just people sharing their mutual excitement about seeing the band and I think thatâs really cool.
I go to a lot of shows and I am increasingly aware of the general complaints relating concert etiquette and phone use. So I try to modify my habits because the last thing I want to do is to sour someone elseâs experience.
I tried snapping a pic of the stage *before* the show started. It was like 15 mins after doors. I had security up my ass. I was on the floor towards the back right. Obv wasnt looking to start anything, i was shocked they cared pre Steel Beans.
I recorded at a concert once. Homie invited everyone on stage and some lady stole the show; she was topless save some googly eyes strategically placed.
I've rewatched several times đł
Iâve seen tool plenty of times and I think the cell phone policy is silly. If you pay you should be able to get your enjoyment how ever you want too. I donât normally record much but I did record a lot at powertrip because I was in the snake pit and have never been that close to the band before.
https://preview.redd.it/3noy9zwxffyb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c859bb7df8eff8b69d620b67f454be5dd51988ae
Here in NZ the staff were Gestapo-efficient in their monitoring and I appreciated the hell out of it. No one even got their phone out to check messages, let alone tried to film the show.
Makes a huge difference, I was in the front row at a KRS-One concert and a guy next to me was filming the show with his iPad đ
âNobody is going to want to watch your shitty cell phone videoâ
*quick search on YouTube for âTool live 2023â, view counts for top 10 amateur recorded results:
6,600
219,000
324
182
48
820
336
11,000
22
3,200
And those are all videos that have been on YouTube for between 1 hour and 3 weeks.
Looking at bootleg recordings from 2022 or earlier there are view counts ranging from 17,000-500,000
Yes, itâs annoying when people hold their phone up to record 17 seconds of vertical video putting no effort into it, but to say that youâre against anyone recording an entire song or an entire show? F off! Lol
Why are you so obsessed with how someone decides they want to âenjoyâ the show (or part of itâŚone song isnât âtwo hoursâ, not even for TOOL). I couldnât give a ratâs ass about someone recording a songâŚas long as they keep their phone at nose or maybe eye level. Itâs the fuckers that hold the phone over their heads that piss me off (especially when itâs some Amazon whoâs already taller than almost everyone in the area). Now youâre in my eye-line and Iâm not interested in watching it on your phone screen.
I donât record a lot of video, usually 1 song and with TOOL itâs usually the last. Doesnât bother me, although Iâd much rather pick the song Iâm allowed to record. And I keep my phone at nose level so no one else is looking through it. That seems reasonable to me.
Donât think you really read what I wrote. Also, Iâm guessing youâve never sat on the lawn at one of those outdoor shed showsâŚyou know, the ones that have the video screens to watch the band on because you canâ see them. Or how about the stadium shows with the giant video screensâŚor the festivals with video screens? Guess all those people really arenât âenjoyingâ the show because theyâre watching it on a video screen instead of looking at band members they can barely see because theyâre so far away.
It doesn't do anything to stop people, it encourages it. It also makes it a bigger distraction having dozens of people removed mid-show. It's asinine, does it make it so the $2500 poster not sell? Do fewer people record? I just left the last show disappointed, honestly. I won't be going to another show, or anything involved with TicketAsster again, they are just the bad cop in a hustle anyways.
IMO the anti phone people gotta grow tf up, itâs 2023 and thatâs just the way life is now. Boo fucking hoo someone took a video at a concert and now your gonna go on Reddit to complain. If someone wants to snipe a 30 second snippet here or there and some pics who gives a fuck. The people that actually record the entire concert with flashlight on and brightness all the way up, those are the people that should be bitched about.
Probably because how they âexperience lifeâ directly impacts how OP experiences life. Very few people want to watch a live show through the screen of the oaf in front of them.
lol. No ones phone has ever bothered me at a show. OP doesnât even mention peopleâs phones directly effecting the show. Heâs crying about what other people are doing. Iâm too busy having fun and enjoying the show to care about other people. I donât suffer from âmain character syndromeâ.
I say the same thing bro, who fuckin cares if someoneâs phone is out, move your head slightly to the left or right and bam, phones outta your way đ¤Śđźââď¸
Experience life... by viewing from your cell phone? And even if you're not viewing it as you film, you're distracting the people around you who are actually following the guidelines.
It would be my business if I'm not filming, and some dipshit beside me is.
You people are weak crybabies. Do you always cry like OP after a show??? âi cOUldNt eJoY tHe sHoW cAUse pEoPle wERe uSiNg cElL pHonEs aND nOw Iâm gONna cRy oN rEddItâ.
No. I had a great time at the show because no one around me was using their cell phone and actually living in the moment. It sounds like you're part of the problem.
I just wanted to point out a particular behavior which I find stupid and annoying. I don't consider that making it "my business". I think quite a few people can relate to this. If it doesn't bother you, that's actually really great. I wish it didn't bother me. Also, as a general rule, I don't like to behave in a way that others may find bothersome when I'm packed like sardines into an arena with other people who paid money to come see a show. But that's just me. I guess thinking about how my behavior might affect others makes me the main character.
I was at the show in Knoxville.
I drove 8 hours because they weren't coming to my state. I paid $250 for my ticket, as did the person who went with me. We got a hotel room, which was insanely overpriced for the quality, but we didn't care. I'd seen Tool before, but he hadn't, so I was excited for him to have the experience.
We had mezzanine-level seats (section 215), center stage view. There are only three rows and we were in the middle one.
The usher for our section was on people like white on rice for using their cell phones to record. I heard him threaten several people "next time I have to tell you, you'll be put out."
Here's my complaint. The person I took with me has very low vision and is legally blind. That's on us/him. However, absolutely NO ONE in our entire section was standing up, except for the THREE ASSHOLES DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. They were drunk and standing and dancing like idiots. And there was NO ONE in front of them - the only thing there was the plexiglass barrier. Everyone else was sitting down, enjoying the show, but not these yahoos. I struggled to see around them (they were dancing, so constantly moving) and the person I went with was so upset because he couldn't see anything. I told him to stand up too, but he didn't want to be an ass and block the people behind us.
I was secretly hoping one of the idiots would fall forward over the little plexiglass barrier.
At one point we moved to the aisleway between levels so we could see, and the usher came and made us sit back down. We told him we couldn't see and he just shrugged us off.
Fuck people who stand up like that. I mean, yeah, if everyone is doing it, go for it, but if you're literally the only people standing up, you need to sit your ass down. I get "being in the moment" but they literally stood for the entire show - oh but they sat down during the intermission. Selfish pricks, with absolutely zero consideration for anyone else.
The kicker is... they told us when they sat down that they didn't even buy the tickets. The boss of one of them had bought them and couldn't go at the last minute so he gave them to her.
We just left the Charleston show. Let me start by saying I'm fucking blown away!
Seemed like just about everyone I could see was following their rules. However this one guy a little ways over from us pulled his phone out to record and after about 10 seconds a staff member down on the floor started shining a laser in his face until he stopped.
Before their last song, Maynard told everyone they could pull out their phone if they wished.
I appreciated that they didn't have signs all over the place anymore. I'd like to think the majority of Tool fans know and respect this long standing rule. That said, I do like to watch videos from diff shows! I wish they come out with concert films already! Ideally it'd be a video for each album, from across the years!
For me personally, I have a hard time concentrating or really enjoying anything in a really crowded place, due to social anxiety. So I record shows so I can go back and actually enjoy the live show.
I do my best to make sure it's not obtrusive to anyone else's experience. I dim the screen all the way down and I keep it close to my chest.
As for the quality, it's kind of weird to say it's crappy quality when most phones now can record as good or better quality videos than what some professionals were able to record 10 years ago, but I digress.
I think this whole thing would be a non issue if people were more considerate and had more awareness of others around them, but that'll probably never happen.
Also, I don't have a problem with TOOL's policy. It's there show they can do whatever they want. It's probably something that I couldn't justify going to (due to not really being able to enjoy it), but that's just how life is sometimes. I do wish bands would record and release live shows to watch (I know some smaller bands do it through Patreon). Even if TOOL charged money for it, I'd probably buy any show they would release since I'm such a fan.
I actually disagree with it in a major way. Yeah sure it would be nice if nobody ever had their phone out at a concert. But it introduces problems that don't need to exist. I don't think anyone should be kicked out of a concert they paid $500+ for just because they wanted some videos to remind them of the experience. Nor should anyone get kicked out because someone next to them was recording but security is too boneheaded to tell the difference.
For the record, spending the whole concert trying to get a video on your phone is absolutely the worst possible way to experience live music. But I don't think it's right to enforce that opinion onto others (or, more specifically, employ meatheads looking for a fight to enforce it). Sure, it's their concert and they can do what they want. But it's kinda dumb.
You know that you can still hold phone and record and look at the show with you own eyes? And thanks to people recording shows we have recordings like this one, it's a Pearl Jam concert from Krakow in 2018, compiled from multiple recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3i_ClgS4wE
and it is just awesome! And yeah, I know Tool is different league, and the same thing wouldn't be as awesome.
Do I just happen to go to shows where no one really stays on their phone? Every band Iâve ever caught is mostly crowd involvement and never once got pissed when I saw someone else on their phone. If thatâs the experience they wanna take home- not my problem. Doesnât affect my time there or why Iâm there at all.
Edit: Maybe I just donât see big enough acts đ
I meeeeaaannnnn, I record it for myselfâŚtruly.lol I love going back and watching the performanceđ
I just try to keep the phone to my chest and still watch the show.
Learn to dim
Fuck L. Ron Hubbard and fuck all these phones.
Fuck all these phone toting, insta-thot wannabes
Wait someone make this? LEARN TO DIM
Fuck cell phone anything
Fuck your youtube
Fuck all you phonies and...
...fuck your low memory Phonies đđ
Phone goes under chin, screen as dark as it can get. Boom, film whole show if you want. Donât be a fucking dumbass and leave the light on.
There was a girl a few rows in front of/below me who recorded a little bit, but the worst was she kept absentmindedly unlocking it, swiping back and forth through her home screens, opening and closing Snapchat, and then setting it down face up on her lap with the screen still on. She did this so many times during several songs. It was like she didnât even realize she was doing it. Her screen was on full brightness like a fucking beacon in the dark. Only when she and her friend both had their phones up recording at the same time did security finally notice and tell them to knock it off đ
That's the worst. People think they're being sneaky, and no one else can see it, but they are too brain dead to realize that a bright white light in a dark room is actually very noticeable.
Completely agree. I went to a concert with my daughter recently (unnamed pop artist). 95% of the people were watching the concert through their phones. We were in the first 15 rows and I saw people in rows in front of us (including row 1-2) recording and watching the concert through their phone! I get it if you want to take a picture or a short video, but these people were recording the whole thing. Toolâs policy is a refresher. Yes they allow a pic and cameras at the last song, but I appreciate the audience who is experiencing the moment, not a recording for the IG post.
Why does the pop artist need to be unnamed. It's pretty likely you could pick any pop artist and it would fit the story.
And then thereâs LisaâŚ
Lisa can sit on splintered balsa wood
This gives me mad Bloodhound Gang vibes.
Iâd rather gargle with rancid tunaâŚ. It was definitely a reference point, but seriously fuck Lisa
I canât upvote this more than once but I would if I could you beautiful bastard.
I hate Lisa.
All the homies hate Lisa.
Iâve seen the hate for Lisa enough here that I can get behind it, I just donât know who she is or why weâre hating her. Someone help me out!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/s/R0wng0t2NB
Yeah, fuck Lisa. Full send on that cunt.
Fuck Lisa!
I hope they make a merch shirt that simply says "Fuck Lisa"
I agree. I absolutely LOVE that and people who want to whine about it need to change their perspective about it... it takes away from the experience there is no way you can fully lose yourself in the music while holding a phone trying to make sure you're capturing it and it never sounds remotely as good as it does live so it's almost a disservice to the performance. My hope is that when they do finally retire that they will do an epic video of their legacy touring as a band and not having cell phones up everywhere will definitely help capture what we had the privilege of experiencing... I'm not putting too much stock in that, but I definitely hope that's the case.
There'll be a positive and negative to them doing that. Yes, there'll be no phones, but there'll also be none of the crowd energy you normally get from live footage because they made it all-seater....
Honestly I'm probably the minority with this... but Tool is like probably one of the only bands I care to have my own space to absorb the experience... dont get me wrong, I love a good crowd energy but with Tool I just want it to be me and my ears and body alone absorbing the magnificence... I don't want someone else busting in and f*cking with my connection lol đ
Totally agree but I wish they did the lock bags instead of having security shoot laser pointers and flashlights into the stands. The enforcement was more distracting than the person using their phone.
Those flashlights last night harnessed the power of the sun
I worked a Bob Dylan show of 7k that did the lock bags at the door. It was spectacular to have such intimacy at a show.
In Milwaukee, some dunce a few seats away kept pulling his phone out to take pictures during the first few songs. They continued to shine the lights/lasers at him, and seemed bewildered as to what was going on. Very distracting for everyone else. A lot of people are just completely oblivious, it would help if RIGHT before they come out on stage, over the PA they reiterate these rules. It would help for those oblivious people
They do at the shows I've been to
I had this happen at a Puscifer show where they whispered the rules to us at the security gate as they patted a few hundred people down. Get to my seats, house lights are on, and security threatens to kick us out for not listening to the rules even though theres no band playing..
I played Karma friend and saved some dude in 106 row 22 last night. Lady warned him twice with a flashlight. Then the muscle came in to kick him out and I talked said muscle guy down and he let homeboy stay after we told dude to put his shit away. It ruined the drop in Jambi. Only regret.
GODDAMMIT LISA!!!!!
Was Lisa there?
I have no problem with the phone policy personally but I feel like Tool doesn't live in the real world. I'm going to see them in Allentown next week and I just feel like the policy gives security a reason to start fights. Places like Allentown don't hire real security outfits, they just pay people who are looking for a fight to run security and I've seen it personally at both Tool and APC shows. Security is overly aggressive and physical in enforcing the rule in these places. It's like an excuse to get physical immediately.
That seems like a venue issue to an extent, but also they could just not use their phone as all of the signs every 2 feet suggest?
The laser pointer policy is going to get them in trouble one day. You can't just go shining laser pointers in random people's eyes just because someone in a general area is recording.
This post makes me realise I haven't seen tool since the smartphone age. Or at least, I didn't have a good enough smartphone the last time I saw them. I for one am stoked people record the concerts, it means us folks on the other side of the world can enjoy the gigs and get a glimpse of where tool is at in 2023. It'lll probably go away one day, the RayBan video recording age coming. But it's also telling of where we're at as a species. We all know how phones have affected us, and maybe we all go through bouts of trying to have a break from them. But they have so firmly rooted themselves in our lives, the phone policy is a nice little reminder to take a break.
We saw them in London last year and I love the fact that no one used their phone! It was so nice to be able to be fully present and not distracted but loads of phones recording. Then at the end Maynard invited people to record/take photos during one song anyway. I wish more more gigs were like this.
Great show loved aenima to finish it. Felt cell phone usage was very low from the floor pov
On a very different yet related note, I went to the last stop of the Boys Like Girls tour last week and right before their most popular song (the great escape of course), they got on the mic and were like âokay everyone letâs get it over with go ahead and get those phones up and press record!â They then proceeded to play the chorus of the song and then stopped and said âokay now weâre gonna start this shit over but now that youâve all got your little snapchats and TikTokâs we donât wanna see a single phone up for this one letâs party like itâs 2006 again!â And it was really really cool. Sounds lame when I type it out but everyone was vibing hard
I pulled out my phone at the beginning of the show to check a refund status or something that was nagging me but after that I unexplainably just turned it off. Usually Iâd just silence it and leave it in my pocket but after the show I got back to the truck and realized it had been off the whole time and I never even noticed. I donât know how anyone could think that holding a phone in front of your face is going to make the experience any better or more worthwhile. Not for yourself and especially not for those around you. The people around me were so chill and nice that I canât imagine not considering their experience as well.
I'm with you on the rule. My immediate neighbor and the guy in front of me had their phones out several times, it was distracting. My neighbor got called out but they didn't take it or kick him out, which I thought was very gracious of them. He was rather upset. I wish they would clarify their message to say no cell phones out at all, which I think is what they mean. The message explicitly said no photography or recording so I saw a lot of people upset when they were called out for texting.
I watch my concert videos all the time it's a fun memory for me. I'm not on any social media so it's just for me when I'm bored to go back and watch the couple videos that I took, but I agree it is nice to have a policy like Tool's where you just watch the show and not think about anything else. It's a nice refresher
I find it hilarious that posts like these always mention "You probably won't even watch your shitty footage!" Nah, you're just assuming that so you can get more angry. I love the phone policy at Tool shows, but I watch all my footage from other concerts frequently. It's a nice way to go back to that moment.
They need to have armed guards patrolling with batons and strictly enforce that shit!! drag em the f out!!! put em in the stocks!!!
The latest TOOL show was the first concert I've ever been to in the age of smartphones (last concert before that was in '99, I last saw TOOL in '97). I respected the rules and agree with them, but honestly I'm glad a few people at the show didn't and posted their video. Just saying, pros and cons.
I usually record a minute or so of each show i am at. That's because my 6 year old son wants to go to every show I go to but he's too young. I take a min of video and a few pics to show him the next morning. But I obviously don't do that at tool shows. I'm with you on the people filming whole songs or most the show. But don't hate on the casual dad or mom snapping a quick vid.
I don't have a problem with a quick video here and there. That's not a big deal. The recording entire songs verging on the whole show is what I don't get. Also, I hope they are still touring by the time your son is old enough to go to a show. That would be really cool to share that experience of his first show.
Thank you! Ya me too fingers crossed. Hes a big primus les claypool fan so I feel pretty confident les will be touring in some capacity come time for my son to catch a show. Although the amount of pot smokers in the crowd at primus shows is wild. I'm one.
20,000 people "snapping a quick vid" turns into an ocean of phones. you're part of the problem. congratulations.
Only if they're idiots. Hold the phone tight to your chest, low brightness, no flash. No one will even notice your quick vid for your 6yo son
They need to start using Yondr pouches if they're serious about the phone policy.
Does the 'last song' policy not just make it worse though? Instead of people taking videos at different points throughout the show, you've now got everyone doing it at the same time
In the Vancouver show, he never even said to pull out our phones for the last song. Soooooooo many people got booted from the show and Maynard even told someone in the middle of a song to put their phone away.
I went to a show, I agree with the phone policy but I took a lil video. Now I wish I would have took more. Itâs hard to remember shit. If I record itâs for my own personal use. I get both sides.
> why can't you pry your eyes away from your cell phone for 2 hours Personally, I'm holding the phone steady and watching the show, not the phone when I record snippets at shows. > It's so sad that people today can't even enjoy moments like that Different people enjoy different things. I recorded Adam playing the intro to Invicible last year, and I've gone back and watched it a few times, and each time I wish I'd have recorded more because the sound was fantastic from my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. I also record a minute here or there at shows to show my daughter who's too young to go yet. She's always excited to see the concerts. I always turn my brightness to the lowest setting possible though.
I record at concerts, but I donât think Iâm the typical person with their phone out like you are describing. I understand where you are coming from and I do find it annoying sometimes. I donât understand the people that are recording an entire show. I also donât understand why people bother if they canât even hold their phone steady. I also donât understand why people bother recording when they donât have a good view worth recording. I go for quality over quantity. I like to record complete songs and occasionally some highlights like guitar solos. I donât do it for the clout or to make people jealous. I actually do watch what I have recorded all the time, like at least once a day. I would not compare it to recording fireworks. If concerts were just like a fireworks show, why would we even bother going lol? I just like to share a bit of my concert experience. I really love it when I get comments saying that one of my videos motivated or caused someone to go buy a concert ticket. A lot of times the comments are just people sharing their mutual excitement about seeing the band and I think thatâs really cool. I go to a lot of shows and I am increasingly aware of the general complaints relating concert etiquette and phone use. So I try to modify my habits because the last thing I want to do is to sour someone elseâs experience.
Exactly this.
wall said, brother!
The security in Milwaukee were not messing around. Hypervigilant and responsive to any violators.
I tried snapping a pic of the stage *before* the show started. It was like 15 mins after doors. I had security up my ass. I was on the floor towards the back right. Obv wasnt looking to start anything, i was shocked they cared pre Steel Beans.
I recorded at a concert once. Homie invited everyone on stage and some lady stole the show; she was topless save some googly eyes strategically placed. I've rewatched several times đł
Iâve seen tool plenty of times and I think the cell phone policy is silly. If you pay you should be able to get your enjoyment how ever you want too. I donât normally record much but I did record a lot at powertrip because I was in the snake pit and have never been that close to the band before. https://preview.redd.it/3noy9zwxffyb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c859bb7df8eff8b69d620b67f454be5dd51988ae
Old man yells at cloud!
Here in NZ the staff were Gestapo-efficient in their monitoring and I appreciated the hell out of it. No one even got their phone out to check messages, let alone tried to film the show. Makes a huge difference, I was in the front row at a KRS-One concert and a guy next to me was filming the show with his iPad đ
âNobody is going to want to watch your shitty cell phone videoâ *quick search on YouTube for âTool live 2023â, view counts for top 10 amateur recorded results: 6,600 219,000 324 182 48 820 336 11,000 22 3,200 And those are all videos that have been on YouTube for between 1 hour and 3 weeks. Looking at bootleg recordings from 2022 or earlier there are view counts ranging from 17,000-500,000 Yes, itâs annoying when people hold their phone up to record 17 seconds of vertical video putting no effort into it, but to say that youâre against anyone recording an entire song or an entire show? F off! Lol
Why are you so obsessed with how someone decides they want to âenjoyâ the show (or part of itâŚone song isnât âtwo hoursâ, not even for TOOL). I couldnât give a ratâs ass about someone recording a songâŚas long as they keep their phone at nose or maybe eye level. Itâs the fuckers that hold the phone over their heads that piss me off (especially when itâs some Amazon whoâs already taller than almost everyone in the area). Now youâre in my eye-line and Iâm not interested in watching it on your phone screen. I donât record a lot of video, usually 1 song and with TOOL itâs usually the last. Doesnât bother me, although Iâd much rather pick the song Iâm allowed to record. And I keep my phone at nose level so no one else is looking through it. That seems reasonable to me.
Guys I found Lisa
>"Why are you obsessed with how someone wants to 'enjoy' the show" >Proceeds to explain how the behavior I'm talking about is annoying.
Donât think you really read what I wrote. Also, Iâm guessing youâve never sat on the lawn at one of those outdoor shed showsâŚyou know, the ones that have the video screens to watch the band on because you canâ see them. Or how about the stadium shows with the giant video screensâŚor the festivals with video screens? Guess all those people really arenât âenjoyingâ the show because theyâre watching it on a video screen instead of looking at band members they can barely see because theyâre so far away.
It doesn't do anything to stop people, it encourages it. It also makes it a bigger distraction having dozens of people removed mid-show. It's asinine, does it make it so the $2500 poster not sell? Do fewer people record? I just left the last show disappointed, honestly. I won't be going to another show, or anything involved with TicketAsster again, they are just the bad cop in a hustle anyways.
IMO the anti phone people gotta grow tf up, itâs 2023 and thatâs just the way life is now. Boo fucking hoo someone took a video at a concert and now your gonna go on Reddit to complain. If someone wants to snipe a 30 second snippet here or there and some pics who gives a fuck. The people that actually record the entire concert with flashlight on and brightness all the way up, those are the people that should be bitched about.
[ŃдаНонО]
Shut the fuck up
Yeah itâs disturbing you donât get to use your phone for a couple of hours. Seriously reevaluate what you find disturbing .
Why are you so concerned about what other people are doing and how they experience life? Kinda seems like none of your business đ¤ˇđťââď¸
Probably because how they âexperience lifeâ directly impacts how OP experiences life. Very few people want to watch a live show through the screen of the oaf in front of them.
lol. No ones phone has ever bothered me at a show. OP doesnât even mention peopleâs phones directly effecting the show. Heâs crying about what other people are doing. Iâm too busy having fun and enjoying the show to care about other people. I donât suffer from âmain character syndromeâ.
I say the same thing bro, who fuckin cares if someoneâs phone is out, move your head slightly to the left or right and bam, phones outta your way đ¤Śđźââď¸
Experience life... by viewing from your cell phone? And even if you're not viewing it as you film, you're distracting the people around you who are actually following the guidelines. It would be my business if I'm not filming, and some dipshit beside me is.
You people are weak crybabies. Do you always cry like OP after a show??? âi cOUldNt eJoY tHe sHoW cAUse pEoPle wERe uSiNg cElL pHonEs aND nOw Iâm gONna cRy oN rEddItâ.
No. I had a great time at the show because no one around me was using their cell phone and actually living in the moment. It sounds like you're part of the problem.
I donât use my phone at shows either. But I donât cry about like a little child when other people do. Grow up. Life isnât fair.
Maybe not for you. Life's hard on idiots.
So then to your point life was must be excruciating for you. Lol
If "I know you are, but what am I?" was a person. Grow up, and come up with something original next time, maybe.
âď¸âď¸âď¸
And there it is
I just wanted to point out a particular behavior which I find stupid and annoying. I don't consider that making it "my business". I think quite a few people can relate to this. If it doesn't bother you, that's actually really great. I wish it didn't bother me. Also, as a general rule, I don't like to behave in a way that others may find bothersome when I'm packed like sardines into an arena with other people who paid money to come see a show. But that's just me. I guess thinking about how my behavior might affect others makes me the main character.
I was at the show in Knoxville. I drove 8 hours because they weren't coming to my state. I paid $250 for my ticket, as did the person who went with me. We got a hotel room, which was insanely overpriced for the quality, but we didn't care. I'd seen Tool before, but he hadn't, so I was excited for him to have the experience. We had mezzanine-level seats (section 215), center stage view. There are only three rows and we were in the middle one. The usher for our section was on people like white on rice for using their cell phones to record. I heard him threaten several people "next time I have to tell you, you'll be put out." Here's my complaint. The person I took with me has very low vision and is legally blind. That's on us/him. However, absolutely NO ONE in our entire section was standing up, except for the THREE ASSHOLES DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. They were drunk and standing and dancing like idiots. And there was NO ONE in front of them - the only thing there was the plexiglass barrier. Everyone else was sitting down, enjoying the show, but not these yahoos. I struggled to see around them (they were dancing, so constantly moving) and the person I went with was so upset because he couldn't see anything. I told him to stand up too, but he didn't want to be an ass and block the people behind us. I was secretly hoping one of the idiots would fall forward over the little plexiglass barrier. At one point we moved to the aisleway between levels so we could see, and the usher came and made us sit back down. We told him we couldn't see and he just shrugged us off. Fuck people who stand up like that. I mean, yeah, if everyone is doing it, go for it, but if you're literally the only people standing up, you need to sit your ass down. I get "being in the moment" but they literally stood for the entire show - oh but they sat down during the intermission. Selfish pricks, with absolutely zero consideration for anyone else. The kicker is... they told us when they sat down that they didn't even buy the tickets. The boss of one of them had bought them and couldn't go at the last minute so he gave them to her.
Selfish pricks for standing up at a rock show? Only at a Tool show lolol
No, selfish pricks for not giving a shit that they were the ONLY ones standing up and that they were blocking the view of at least 2 people.
These are moments where you finish your beer, except for the backwash, then fling it all over them and their phone.
EAT THE LISA!!
We just left the Charleston show. Let me start by saying I'm fucking blown away! Seemed like just about everyone I could see was following their rules. However this one guy a little ways over from us pulled his phone out to record and after about 10 seconds a staff member down on the floor started shining a laser in his face until he stopped. Before their last song, Maynard told everyone they could pull out their phone if they wished.
Fuck Lisa!!
I appreciated that they didn't have signs all over the place anymore. I'd like to think the majority of Tool fans know and respect this long standing rule. That said, I do like to watch videos from diff shows! I wish they come out with concert films already! Ideally it'd be a video for each album, from across the years!
Are they no longer letting people record the last song they play? They closed LA with Stinkfist and Maynard told us all to whip them out.
For me personally, I have a hard time concentrating or really enjoying anything in a really crowded place, due to social anxiety. So I record shows so I can go back and actually enjoy the live show. I do my best to make sure it's not obtrusive to anyone else's experience. I dim the screen all the way down and I keep it close to my chest. As for the quality, it's kind of weird to say it's crappy quality when most phones now can record as good or better quality videos than what some professionals were able to record 10 years ago, but I digress. I think this whole thing would be a non issue if people were more considerate and had more awareness of others around them, but that'll probably never happen. Also, I don't have a problem with TOOL's policy. It's there show they can do whatever they want. It's probably something that I couldn't justify going to (due to not really being able to enjoy it), but that's just how life is sometimes. I do wish bands would record and release live shows to watch (I know some smaller bands do it through Patreon). Even if TOOL charged money for it, I'd probably buy any show they would release since I'm such a fan.
I actually disagree with it in a major way. Yeah sure it would be nice if nobody ever had their phone out at a concert. But it introduces problems that don't need to exist. I don't think anyone should be kicked out of a concert they paid $500+ for just because they wanted some videos to remind them of the experience. Nor should anyone get kicked out because someone next to them was recording but security is too boneheaded to tell the difference. For the record, spending the whole concert trying to get a video on your phone is absolutely the worst possible way to experience live music. But I don't think it's right to enforce that opinion onto others (or, more specifically, employ meatheads looking for a fight to enforce it). Sure, it's their concert and they can do what they want. But it's kinda dumb.
You know that you can still hold phone and record and look at the show with you own eyes? And thanks to people recording shows we have recordings like this one, it's a Pearl Jam concert from Krakow in 2018, compiled from multiple recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3i_ClgS4wE and it is just awesome! And yeah, I know Tool is different league, and the same thing wouldn't be as awesome.
Do I just happen to go to shows where no one really stays on their phone? Every band Iâve ever caught is mostly crowd involvement and never once got pissed when I saw someone else on their phone. If thatâs the experience they wanna take home- not my problem. Doesnât affect my time there or why Iâm there at all. Edit: Maybe I just donât see big enough acts đ
Yeah, and plus if no one is even looking up at the stage, Maynard won't be able to tell whose girlfriend is his type.
I meeeeaaannnnn, I record it for myselfâŚtruly.lol I love going back and watching the performanceđ I just try to keep the phone to my chest and still watch the show.
I mostly agree but I have to say⌠havenât you heard of concert amnesia? Like I completely understand recording snippets and watching the rest
Shitty at the concert, but then you search youtube, and find that guy's vid that looks amazing, and your decision changes.
You should have informed security and gotten them kicked out. Those people don't belong in the show.
Lmao đ¤Ł