Due to the pandemic, all concerts, plays, and other events have moved online. But Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona streamed quite an unusual concert last week. On 22 June, UceLi Quartet played a concert for a hall full of plants. Yes, you read that well. 2,292 of plants filled the seats and quietly listened to the performance, and we bring you some fantastic photos that captured this extraordinary event.
Shooting concerts with your phone: did you REALLY have a good time?
Risking to sound cheesy and cliché, I must say: I couldn’t live without music. It adds flavor to my everyday life and a soundtrack to most of my memories. When I go to a concert, it’s the best night out I can imagine. But, concerts in the 21st century come with a phenomenon I rant about whenever I can: smartphones.
Every time I go to a concert, I feel like I’m the last of the Mohicans: someone who has come to a concert to enjoy the music, sing along, dance, cry, laugh, and clap my hands until my palms are numb. Other than listening, I’m there to watch the performance, too. But it seems that most people prefer watching the entire show through the tiny displays of their phones. And this time, I won’t even bitch about how those people are blocking everyone else’s view. I wanna discuss whether or not they can even enjoy the show if they watch it entirely through a smartphone screen.
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler wants his fans to stop shooting and “f*cking watch the show”
I know I’ve said it many times, but I really hate it when people spend an entire concert filming the stage with their phones. However, it seems that I’m not the only one who feels this way; as a matter of fact, musicians themselves don’t like it either. Lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, has recently publicly called out a fan for watching the concert through a phone display, telling him to “f*cking watch the show.”
This is the story of Henry Diltz, the official Woodstock photographer
Fifty years ago, half a million people gathered at Woodstock to celebrate peace and love. Photographer Henry Diltz was the official photographer of the historic event. He took thousands of photos at the festival, and to this day people ask him to use his images. In this marvelous short film, you can hear Diltz’s story and watch the iconic festival through his lens.
Frontman slaps fan’s phone from her hand when she jumps onstage for a selfie
It’s happened before that musicians get fed up with people who watch a concert through their smartphones. This time, the frontman of punk-rock band Fidlar, Zac Carper, fought against it. Quite literally. As a fan jumped onstage and tried taking a selfie, Carper slapped the phone right out of her hand, sending it into the crowd.
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford goes full metal, kicks phone out of fan’s hand during concert
You’d think with the number of artists and groups calling out or banning the use of cellphones at concerts that people would get the message by now. Apparently not. During a recent Judas Priest concert, the band were performing their song Judas Rising at the Rosemont Theatre in Illinois last Saturday when frontman Rob Halford noticed somebody in the front row with their phone out filming the concert.
Sure, he could’ve stopped the show and made everybody wait while people put their phones away, but why punish others for the stupidity of a few? So, rather than make everybody else suffer for one person’s ignorance, he simply walked up to the person mid-performance and kicked the phone out of his hand, sending it flying.
Concert photography tips: from getting a pass to editing photos in under four minutes
If you’re an avid concert goer and a photographer, you may want to bring your two passions together. And if this is the case, Rachel and Daniel of Mango Street have a perfect video for you. In about four minutes, they give you plenty of tips to get you started with concert photography. And it’s not just about gear and shooting – but also about getting the pass and editing the photos after you bring them home.
Bob Dylan stops his concert to call out fans for taking photos
Bob Dylan is a phenomenal songwriter, but when it comes to speaking to fans from the stage, we can say that he is a man of few words. However, this changed on Tuesday evening in Vienna. The crowd tried to take photos of the concert despite the strict “no photo” policy, which made Dylan stop the show and speak to the photo-snapping fans to call them out.
Taylor Swift used facial recognition tech to identify stalkers at her concert
On 18 May this year, Taylor Swift’s fans could watch rehearsal clips at her concert at Los Angeles venue Rose Bowl. The clips were played at a special kiosk, but mesmerized fans had no idea that their photos were being taken by a facial recognition camera. The photos were cross-referenced with a database in Nashville, all in order to spot stalkers in case they appear at the concert.
Kendrick Lamar bans pro photographers from his concerts, only fans can take photos
More and more performers are trying to ban smartphones during their concerts and only allow professional photographers to take the shots. However, Kendrick Lamar is taking a different route. He will not ban his fans from using smartphones at his shows – but there will be no professional photographers allowed.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!