Bill Burr doesn't want your phone at his Abu Dhabi show, but is that really fair in 2023?

Emmy-nominated comedian Bill Burr will be performing on stage at Etihad Arena this year. Photo: Katch This

Bill Burr’s performance at the end of the summer will have a strict no-phones policy.

According to guidance issued when the popular American stand-up comedian’s September 1 date was announced, the “use of phones, smart watches and accessories, will not be permitted” and that “anyone seen using a device during the performance will be escorted out of the venue”.

Attendees will be required to use locking neoprene Yondr pouches, issued at the arena, in which to store their smartphones for the duration of the event.

“Guests maintain possession of their devices at all times and can access them throughout the event only in designated ‘phone use areas’ within the venue,” the note said. “All devices will be re-secured” in the pouches when concertgoers return to the auditorium. At the end of the evening, ticket holders will be able to undo their pouch at one of the unlocking stations as they leave the venue.

Burr is not the first artist, nor he will be last, to seek a phone-free audience. There may be several reasons why.

Some artists may want to “woodshed” new material away from the scrutiny of thousands of cameras recording and posting clips, or it may be that a no-phones policy is used because an act’s material is too profanity-laden for mass consumption on social media.

However, the risk of bootlegging or audience members making illegal recordings – once a key consideration in policing what fans could reasonably take into music concert venues – seems to be less of a driving factor in such mandates nowadays than, say, using such policies to ensure audiences stay fully focused on the entertainment.

Whatever the case, other comedians, such as Dave Chappelle, have used no-phones policies in the past on their tours. Earlier this year, audience members at Beyonce’s private concert in Dubai were asked not to film or take photos at the venue.

More dramatically, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders walked off stage during a 2017 concert after becoming frustrated with concertgoers using their phones during her performance.

Public signs at the group’s concerts used to ask ticket holders to “leave your phone in your pocket and enjoy the show in real time” but stopped short of explicitly banning phones.

Some people say no-phones events have helped them “be present for every distraction-free moment”, while others argue that they want to be able to record short clips on their phone to replay and share afterwards.

A generation ago, when mobile phones weren’t that smart and we all still used them to make calls rather than sit on messaging platforms or social media all day, it was typical for sporting venues to ask for spectators to switch off their phones when they were in their seats during the hours of play.

Over time, that often moderated to asking for patrons to put their phones on silent and to be respectful when and where they made or received calls.

Finally, when our phones became so app-loaded that we rarely made calls on them, it became accepted for phones to be a largely unfettered accompaniment to our lives, restrained only by the limits of battery life and technology.

Even aeroplanes and cinemas, two of the last vestiges of the phones-off world, have been thoroughly encroached upon and overrun in recent years.

Many of us may admit that we spend too much time using our devices – which is a powerful argument in favour of those no-phones polices – but there are also plenty of times when locking up your phone in a pouch seems draconian and unrealistic.

Ask any parent of young children or primary carer of older relatives whether it's practical to live without lines of communication always being open and you’re likely to get a resounding no as an answer. Concert promoters will, of course, point to the fact that even at no-phones events there are spaces where you can make that urgent call or send that important message if you need to.

But, the way we experience events in our lives is also different now: first there is the moment itself, then there is the back and forth of digital and real conversations with friends who may have been at the same event or are following it from afar and, finally, there is the social media wave of photos, clips and commentary that most of us will be familiar with. Those small parcels of pleasure that remind you of why this concert or that performance made you so happy in the first place. They are too good not to share.

I doubt the popular Bill Burr needs any help in selling tickets in Abu Dhabi, but maybe the faint fear of missing out or being unable to graze through multiple social media clips afterwards, will be enough to persuade a potentially wavering fan to buy a ticket for his show on Yas Island, which start from Dh295 ($80) a head. Maybe some people will also be put off their prospective purchase by the thought of moving around the venue with a locked pouch in tow.

Regardless, it will be a novel experience for all those at the arena in September.

To repurpose a phrase from the countercultural revolution that swept through the United States in the 1960s, concertgoers may be about to turn up, tune in and drop calls. What an interesting occasion that might be.