The news going around the online music world this morning seems to be the fact that Jack White will be banning cell phones from 
his upcoming tour. As NME notes, a statement released by White’s camp states that “no photos, videos or audio recording devices” will be allowed at the venues. 

Surprised? Angered? In total support of the decision? Well the latter two are your prerogative, but the first one means you haven’t been paying attention. White – for better or worse – has long been a beacon of railing against modern technology in certain ways. His Third Man vinyl pressing plant in Detroit is one of the latest outcomes of his love of all things vinyl, and he’s long been a proponent of straight-to-tape recording. 

Furthermore, White has voiced his discomfort with cell phone recording, specifically, in the past. During his appearance on Conan O’Brien’s
Conan, White and the host discuss the distractions that can come with the ubiquity of phones at concerts. White explains how during a previous tour, he would ask his fans at the shows to refrain from recording. Despite reservations from people around him, White says it was a success: “We tried it, and a lot of people applauded. Everyone as a mob agreed, ‘We don’t like this as a practice.'” He also mentions how seeing a “sea of blue screens” between you and the artist isn’t the best way to experience live music. 

Now, White has doubled down, releasing the new statement about his upcoming tour. “We think you’ll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it IN PERSON,” the note reads, explaining that all “video-capturing gizmos” will be put in a 
Yondr pouch until the end of the show – though it will be available if absolutely necessary.

The statement also notes that a photographer will be releasing photos and videos online for free after the concerts, which may satiate those that argue for an option to capture the experience, which is always a (mostly valid, in my opinion), response to banning phones at shows. But let’s be honest, we are no longer talking about the avid, dedicated taper with his or her mic setup, grabbing live audio to spread to the masses. This is thousands of people taking crappy videos that, likely, no one – including themselves – will ever watch. 

White’s tour in support of his new
album, Boarding House Reach, which is set for release March 23, will kick off April 19 in his hometown of Detroit, MI.