Fans of a Swedish heavy metal band have celebrated the decision to ban all smartphone usage during their run of recent UK gigs.
Ghost – who formed in 2006 – have released five studio albums (two UK top 10s) and are just about to release their sixth, titled Skeletá, aiming to land their first UK number one.
Specialising in metal and hard rock, they’ve scored four consecutive chart-topping albums in their home country and are in the UK as part of a six-month global arena tour.
But they’ve come to the UK on one condition: that the thousands of fans flocking to see them in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, and London put their phones away.
Upon arriving at Ghost’s shows, concert goers are required to seal their phone in a small, phone-sized bag, which is then kept shut by a magnetic lock.
Fans get to keep their phones on them, but are prevented from using them until after the show, at which point the bags are unlocked and handed back to members of staff.
For years now, music fans have had a mixed relationship with smartphones at concerts, with many arguing that constant filming is becoming a nuisance.
Vicki Walls, a Manchester-based tattoo artist and rock enthusiast, managed to attend Ghost’s show at the city’s AO Arena and got phone-less gig experience for the first time in more than a decade.
She can’t wait to do it again.
‘It seems counterintuitive to me to pay a lot of money to go and see an act live, and then spend the time watching them through a small screen. So, for me, the lack of phones in the arena space was very noticeable from the get-go,’ she told Metro.
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‘It was less distracting, too – without a sea of lights from screens in the way of the main view, I felt as if I could take in and appreciate more of the set design, the lighting, and honestly, even the sound!’
Vicki says that having no distractions kept everyone in the moment, resulting in Ghost forming a deeper connection with the crowd than they otherwise would have.
‘More people were dancing and getting involved. Everyone was focused on what they were actually there for – the music! I’d say it’s one of the best gigs I’ve been to in a long time, and I think at least some of that is a direct result of the phone ban.’
On social media, other fans attending the Ghost gigs in the UK have been celebrating the decision to keep phones completely out of the way.
Ghost fan Emma said after the Manchester show: ‘I cannot explain how much tonight meant to me – it was a phone free show so we just got these photos to remember the night.
‘The band were absolutely on fire, what a way to kick off their tour! I laughed and I cried and I danced – what a MAGICAL night.’
Ghost – made up of members Tobias Forge, Per Eriksson, Randy Moore, Cosmo Sylvan, and several others – have been banning phones from shows for some time, joining the likes of Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, and Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde.
Nick Cave was on stage in Poland when he called out a fan that had filming for most of the night, saying: ‘Listen. It’s fine, you can film a little, but are you going to do that all night?’
He then made an on-the-spot deal with the rest of the crowd: ‘How about we all film me now. Are you ready? And then put your phones away.’
Other musicians including Jack White and Alicia Keys have also taken steps to reduce smartphone usage at their concerts, with the sight of phone screens becoming a problem for some acts.
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