Don't you hate when you're at a show, towards the middle of the crowd and your favorite band is about to go on. The lights dim, the intro music plays and suddenly… you can't see the stage anymore because everybody in front of you whipped out their camera to tape a shitty bootleg of the band coming on stage.
Scott Ian seems to agree with me. The Anthrax guitarist recently spoke with NY Hard Rock Music Examiner about live footage surfacing online:
I think it’s idiotic. I think the fact that someone would come to a show, spend the money to come to the show, and stand there holding their freakin phone over their head for 90 minutes is pathetic. It completely defeats the purpose of coming to a live show. I think it’s a joke. I’ve seen Bruce Dickinson go off on audience members for doing that. Granted he’s in Iron Maiden and they’re big enough to say that to their audience, but I think it’s idiotic and I don’t understand that mindset at all. You’re standing at a live show and you’re watching it through a screen on your phone.
Scott also noted that he's actively been taking down video of his Spoken Word tour before responding "call me crazy, but I’m one of those crazy artists that thinks you shouldn’t give your content away for free."
Ultimately, I agree with both points. First off, a spoken word tour is much like a standup comedy act, and it's a total faux pas to tape a comic, especially when they are playing a smaller theater, and trying out material.
Also, I just don't get why people need to tape or take a shitty photo of every band they see when they are standing a hundred feet away from the stage. Just enjoy the show!
