80s and 90s thirst trap Richard Marx has let his fans know how he feels about mobile phone use at his gig.
He doesn’t give two hoots.
“Been hearing about more and more artists who are trying to ban cell phones at their gigs,” he tweeted.
“While I agree that cellphone recording is the opposite of being ‘present,’ if you pay $$ to come see me play live, you can pretty much do whatever the f*** you want. My two cents.”
Been hearing about more and more artists who are trying to ban cell phones at their gigs. While I agree that cellphone recording is the opposite of being “present,” if you pay $$ to come see me play live, you can pretty much do whatever the fuck you want. My two cents. ✌🏻
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) December 10, 2019
He also tweeted back to a fan who said she was told ‘no pictures or video’ at a concert he played with Pat Benatar.
Can’t speak for Pat but I have NEVER requested that in my entire life! I got into show business partly because I WANTED attention! Take pics. Take video. Post that shit on YouTube. I’m all for it. https://t.co/PH3yGkz6TQ
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) December 10, 2019
“Can’t speak for Pat but I have NEVER requested that in my entire life!” he responded.
“I got into show business partly because I WANTED attention! Take pics. Take video. Post that shit on YouTube. I’m all for it.”
The online response was pretty mixed.
For instance, Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes chimed in saying that, as a performer, looking out to glowing screens bummed him out
As a fan, I HATE having to look past a top layer of cell phones, screens glowing, obscuring the show. As a performer, it bums me out because I remember looking into people’s eyes. A few pictures is one thing, but the concentration needed to film, takes you out of the room.
— Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) December 10, 2019
Marx is right though, phone use during performances has been a hot topic.
Recently, hard rockers Tool told fans – by email – that anyone in the audience caught using a phone during a show would simply be turfed out.
