Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
A global boy band has sparked a debate online around concert etiquette after telling fans to stop filming during one of their concerts.
Kicking off their global tour in the South Korean city of Incheon in July, the five members of K-pop boy band Cortis were greeted by a sea of illuminated screens and screaming fans.
“Put your phone down,” one of the members bellowed.
He was met with piercing screams, but scantly any phone were dropped.
“I told you, put your phone down,” he repeats, louder this time.
Some fans did just that, but thousands of phones remained in the air within the packed stadium.
‘Put your phone down’ is also the name of the band’s ongoing concert tour, with the hopes of encouraging fans to stop watching concerts through six-inch screens and engage with their performances in real life — a message the band has long advocated for.
It’s drawn mixed reactions from their fandom and across the wider music industry, with clips from the gig posted online sparking a general debate over whether filming at concerts should be discouraged, or even banned all together.
“Seeing fans not engaging with the members, not listening, and not even enjoying the show is crazy. If you’re not going to enjoy it and are just there to film, please don’t go. That’s not being a real concertgoer anyway,” one Tik Tok user argued.
Another added: “Do people have to record the entire thing? Record a bit and then enjoy the rest.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to live in the moment? Realistically, how many times do you re-watch those videos?” one person asked.
But not everyone agrees, with people online arguing that fans have the right to record as much as they want to have physical memories of the gig to look back on.
“I’m sorry, but that is not realistic. Of course people are gonna wanna film the experience to remember the moment” one wrote, with another adding “I’m not putting my phone down sorry not sorry”.
One fan admit that she would definitely be recording the band when they come to the US after splurging several hundred US dollars on a ticket, writing: “I paid $460 for my ticket you know damn well I will be recording”.
One user waded in to say: “This no filming thing is so stupid — like I want to look back on the video. ‘Live in the moment’ — guess what — I won’t remember a thing after the concert, so yeah I want to record”.
Others argued recorded clips later shared online make live performances more accessible for those who would otherwise never get the chance to see their favourite bans performing in front of a crowd.
“Honestly I don’t really like the put your phone down thing, but it’s only because I’m not able to attend concerts so having people record and post it is super nice,” one person wrote.
Let us know in the comments whether you think people should be discouraged from filming concerts.
