Really? A Phone Free Concert?

My wife and I attended a Jack White concert a few weeks ago in Asheville, NC. If you get the chance, check him out. You will both see and hear that rock and roll is not dead. But I'm not here to push Jack White for your listening preference. Listen to what you want. For his North American tour, Jack White made the announcement that his shows will be cell phone free. How does that work, you may be asking? Once you enter the venue, you walk through the metal detector and a Yondr pouch is given to you. You must place your phone inside this pouch, and the pouches remain sealed until the end of the concert. At the end of the concert, they are unlocked. If you need to make an emergency call, you are allowed to walk to a designated cell phone area and talk. This area is away from the stage so that you cannot record. All of this is done so that you enjoy a "100% human experience".

"Wow!", you may be thinking. Is that an invasion of my rights? I can't answer that. I majored in Wildlife Biology and not law. Here's the thing. I highly recommend the phone free concert experience! Sure, your mind can race with all sorts of concerns. "What if my dog gets out of the house and my neighbors need me? What's the latest score of the baseball game? What is Karen saying about me on Facebook?" Chances are your neighbors will put your dog on their back porch until you get home, the score of the baseball game will not be affected by your incessant check-ups, and Karen will one day learn that karma sucks. In short, it will all be ok! The reality is that we watched the concert and were immersed in the experience. I've always liked the word, "immersed." To me, immersed means that you are in the moment and keeping life simple. Think about it-do you really go back and watch those videos months later through a phone that limits the sound output? Doubt it.

In sum, for your next concert, go phone free. You will thank me. By the way, check out the song, "What's the Trick?" by Jack White.