Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound.
Technology is great. Today, we each hold in our hand more computer power than it took to get to the moon and back, and yet it can be a pain.
I will give a recent example. We have a nice place about 30 minutes from where I live in Sullivan, Ind., called Boot City. They are one of the largest stores for western clothes, boots and other accessories in the state, and to complement their store, they built an adjacent building that houses a very nice auditorium where they bring in musical acts. It only holds about 300 people, but it has a very nice raised stage with a very good sound and lighting system.
The musical acts are not the big acts due to the building’s size, but they do bring in a lot of good acts. Maybe you have heard of the Diamonds or the Van-Dells? There is a good variety: country, oldies, and a number of impersonators, like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patty Cline, etc. One night they had an Elvis impersonator. He was very good and walked, talked, sang, looked and danced like a young Elvis.
Prior to the show starting, a gentleman five rows ahead of us was holding his phone up in the air, like he was trying to get a cell phone connection. The show began and he started doing the same thing, holding it up, moving it to one side of his head, then to the other side. What was going on? Then it finally dawned on me that he was actually doing a video chat with someone. Whoever was on the other line was watching the show with him. If I was the guy sitting behind him, I would have tapped him on his back and told him to knock it off, or I would be forced to hang up for him.
It is bad enough when people take photos during the show, but that generally means only a few seconds of interruption, not several minutes.
Well, I take that back. There are exceptions, like the couple who sat in front of us. The wife decided she was going to film a complete song. So there she sat, holding up the camera at eye level for several minutes, which was eye level for those sitting behind her. Very distracting, but not as much as her husband. He was taking and editing pictures. Not sure how that worked, but he would hold the camera up, and to the right of the screen it appeared to be different editing options, and he would scroll down and then back up until he found the setting he liked and then he would take the picture.
Personally, I think they should ban all phones during the show. How can you really enjoy a show if you are always fiddling with the camera? Plus, they are a distraction to everyone else around who is trying to watch the show.
Yes, I will admit I have taken pictures during shows as well, but I try to limit the number I take, and I definitely make sure I get my shot and put the phone right back down.
Maybe, shows should guarantee a photo-session at the end. That way you could get close to the stage, and performers would pose for photos. Just an idea, but that would certainly make watching a show much more enjoyable.
Got to run. As always, be good, do good, play safe, and remember, the show is not about you.
–JR
