Did it ever really happen? This question is often thrown around in jest in our modern society, as nothing more than a light-hearted demonstration of our hyper-dependence on technology in every aspect of our lives. The sentiment does indeed ring true: if we don’t document an
experience with the camera of our mobile phones, how will anyone ever know that we truly experienced it? Well, by trusting our word, I suppose, yet that just doesn’t feel quite good enough. We need cold, hard evidence. Which is why for most of us, taking part in any semi-interesting experience, from a casual walk in the Peak District to going to a fancy restaurant, instantly triggers us to whip out those phones, and snap a couple pictures. And nowhere is this phenomenon epitomised better than at the event that really ought to be renamed the ‘Whip Your Phone Out’ Convention (trademark pending): the concert.
Concert tickets aren’t cheap. Going to a concert is something special, something that you’ve probably been looking forward to for some time. Something that you don’t want to forget. So, in the grand scheme of all the events that you could possibly record, it definitely leans towards the more rational side. If you’ve paid £70, got yourself all dressed up and waited in a queue for two hours, you might like at least a couple of videos to take home with you. And whilst that makes perfect sense, concerts have become particularly notorious for having phones literally everywhere, so much so that the audience often looks like an eerie sea of blue light from some Black Mirror episode. Not only can this be a little off-putting for the artist, who may struggle to connect with an audience who seems more interested in getting a good angle than actually, you know, connecting, it also reflects our modern-day difficulty to just live in the moment. Today, we are so concerned about missing the moment, about not making the very most of the moment, that we spend more time documenting the moment than actually living in it. Of course, it is possible to do both at once, and I don’t doubt that those who film an entire concert are also having a good time, but it does mean that you’re not fully present. You’re not watching your favourite song right in front of your eyes, but right through your screen.
Do I think filming should disappear from concerts altogether? No – we’re all entitled to get a couple videos if we’d like them, and when people FaceTime their friends and family for their favourite songs I think it’s adorable. But should we be mindful of prioritising the documentation of experiences over actually experiencing them? Yes, I think so. After all, no-one’s going to doubt your honesty if you say you went to a concert last weekend and, let’s be honest, we both know you’re never going to watch those videos back anyway.
