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Alicia Keys Latest Artist To Enforce No Cell Phone Policy at Concerts (slashgear.com)
Shane McGlaun, reporting for SlashGear:It appears that artists of all sorts are getting very serious about keeping fans from using smartphones while they are at their concerts or events. The latest musician to ban cell phones at her events is Alicia Keys. Fans aren't forced to give up their smartphones at the door to be locked up in some locker or box until the show is over. Rather, fans are handed a special pouch that is locked up with their smartphone inside the fan keeps that pouch with them during the event, but they can't get to the device to call, take photos, or shoot video. If they need to use their device during the show the users can go back to the door and a worker passes a disc about the size of a bagel over the bag to unlock it and the fan can step outside to use their smartphone.
I saw Weird Al Yankovic this past weekend. Entering the venue, we were specifically told that we could use cell phones if we liked. Part of his show involved everybody getting their cell phone out and waving them over their head - we all have cell phones, so c'mon, let's get real!
Ok let's clear some things up here in dot points:
1. Nothing good has ever come from random people calling 911 for emergency services to a very large public venue. All you achieve is to confuse the dispatchers and result in a bunch of ambulances arriving to the wrong place, announcing to the wrong place and ultimately delaying care for those that need.
2. Part of event organisation includes co-ordination. There's never an assumption or a requirement to have the public involved in managing an event. The organisers have teams with radios for communication, and can easily and quickly manage any scenario.
3. Following on from the above dot point one of the key parts of managing an emergency at a public event is getting people to NOT help and getting them to stay out of the way. Despite what you think is happening in nearly every case the situation is being far better managed than you think and no unless you're a doctor you're not at all helping.
4. I don't want someone to call 911. I want someone to call the local first aid team which is part of the emergency response plan which will likely be there in seconds, not 10s of minutes.
5. ALL such events have insurance. ALL such events are required to provide an emergency response plan to the insurance company.
6. In an active shooter event all bets are off. More people will get injured in the resulting stampede than get shot by the shooter. Still the best person to 911 is security, the guys who likely can see the shooter and follow where he is moving, not some person hiding under the chair providing wonderful information to dispatch such as "bwaaa I don't know where he is, bwaaaa someone is shooting, bwaaaa get me out of here"
And completely unrelated to an emergency the use of mobile phones at a concert is just pure and utter garbage that results in pure and utter garbage videos, pure and utter garbage sound, and makes you a pure and utter garbage person for holding up a lit display in the person behind you's face.
Somehow, before the age of cellphones, we did ok. I don't know how, but we survived.
Recently theaters have started to catch on to this. Even here in "blue laws" PA, theaters are selling beer. They are increasingly installing electric reclining seats with assigned seating. One theater even serves you decent pub-style food directly to your seat during the movie. It's not for everyone, and it sure does jack up the price - but I've started going to the theater again after a long time of avoiding it.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Here is what actually happens when you call 911 from an event (personal experience):
911: 911, what is the nature of your emergency
Me: I think my companion is having a heart attack
911: What is your location
Me: XYZ Arena
911: Is an event in progress?
Me: Yes
911: EMS is on-site for all events. Find the nearest person with a 'Staff' or 'Security' vest and tell them. They will have EMS there immediately
And I did, and EMS was there within 30 seconds. And before EMS even arrived, the security staff had cleared a path for them and made room around the patient.