For several years, Bob Dylan has banned cell phones from many of his concerts. Damon Albarn of Blur doesn’t agree with this practice.
“If you start banning things where does it end? I think you’ve just got to turn up and do your thing,” he said in a recent interview with BBC. “People won’t want to be on their phone if you’re engaging with them correctly.”
Last week, Dylan announced an upcoming run of U.K. and European tour dates, all of which will require fans to turn off their phones upon arrival and place them in a Yondr pouch, which is locked by staff members. It can only be opened by staff members in designated areas of each venue, or when the concert is over.
Other Artists Who Have Used Yondr Pouches
Dylan is not the only artist to utilize the pouches. Jack White, Guns N’ Roses, Alicia Keys, Childish Gambino and more have used them at their shows.
“I don’t have a setlist. I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would. If I finish a song and it’s ‘tah-dah!’ and it’s crickets. I don’t know what to do now,” White explained in a 2018 interview with Apple Music. “What I don’t like, is that how they really feel or are they just not even paying attention because they are doing this, they are texting? When you go to a movie theatre, a symphony, church, there are all these moments in life when people put them away and engage.”
READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Bob Dylan Album
Dylan’s first European show will take place Oct. 4 in Prague, Czech Republic. The tour will conclude in mid November with three concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Bob Dylan ‘Bootleg Series’ Albums Ranked
His many studio and live albums tell only part of his story.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci