Noticing that a spectator is looking at his phone while singing or addressing the crowd, Patrice Michaud gives him two minutes to turn off the phone.
After this grace period, which he allows by telling himself that the person may have an emergency to deal with, he intervenes. Polite but firm.
“It happened two or three times on the last tour. “People forget that when they look at their phone in the dark, all I see is a blue or white face that stands out in the anonymous dim light,” says the Gaspé artist.
Photo archive/Le Journal de Quebec
Patrice Michaud on the Plains of Abraham, 2018.
The problem of the disturbing presence of smartphones in concert halls took center stage again on Sunday, when Quebec conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin twice interrupted a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra he conducted when a cell phone rang.
“Is it possible to go a damn hour without a phone?” he asked the public in exasperation.
devastating
Last fall, French artist Christine and the Queens, who is expected to perform at the Festival d’été de Québec in July, took to Twitter.
“Lower your listener when we sing, seriously, we have nothing more to share than sincere concerts, stop insulting us, we’ll take care of the recording for you,” he enthused.
Even more snappy was Rage Against The Machine’s virtuoso guitarist Tom Morello. “If you want to film me instead of blowing off steam, it’s your choice, but I’ll make it clear: if you stick a phone in my face I’ll throw it,” he warned on social media.
For the light
On the other hand, when artists do not hide their desperation, others live very well with this tool that sometimes allows magical moments.
During one of her songs at her recent concerts in Quebec and Montreal, pop star Angèle filmed herself on her cellphone and the image was projected onto the giant screen, creating a pleasing staging effect.
There are also those who urge the crowd to turn on the flashlight function while out walking, thus replacing the lighters held at arm’s length in another time.
This often offers the artist a magical perspective, such as when Duran Duran sang “Save a Prayer” before the enlightened plains of Abraham in 2016.
Photo from the AFP archives
A stadium lit by phones during a concert in support of Ukraine in March 2022 in Vienna.
At the OSQ it is
At the Orchester symphonique de Québec, spectators are even allowed to take photos during the concerts, provided they do so discreetly.
A recorded message will be broadcast before the performances to inform the audience.
For what? Responding to advertising is Andréa Doyle Simard, spokeswoman for the OSQ.
“We’re promoting this so people will talk about it on social media. In theory, if it’s done with respect and it’s not a one-click camera, artists don’t mind.”
They said no to phones at their concerts
Jack White
“To my surprise and everyone’s surprise, everyone liked it.” – quoted by Channel 4 News
Madonna
The Madonna banned cell phones during her Madame X tour in 2019.
Silksonic
“With the cameras you say to yourself: I don’t know if I want to try this dance step or if I’m afraid this joke will end up on the internet.” – Bruno Mars, quoted by the Los Angeles Times