These days, it is almost impossible to go to a show without seeing a sea of ​​cell phone screens looming over the crowd, with numerous people filming the set to have something they surely Watch later. For some, it’s an annoyance, while for others, it’s an insult to the idea of ​​going to concerts at all. Some artists, like Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, have been vocal about the use of cell phones during concerts in the past, while others have been completely insufferable jerks about it. *cough*Gdansk*cough*.

Following a recent interview with Kyle Meredith, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe joined the chorus of those who wish their fans would relax with their phones.

“Put your damn phones down and be present. I haven’t done that yet, but I will. Since phones are becoming more prevalent, one day at a particularly phone-driven show I’m going to go out and bring a stool and put it in the middle of the stage after a song or two. Then I’m going to turn my phone on and point it at the audience. I’m going to sit there and sing a whole song.

“I’m not going to move. I’m going to do what they do. And then at the end I’m going to say, ‘Did you like that? No? Me neither. So why aren’t we here together? Put your damn phone down.’ The memories you’re going to have because you’re experiencing this show through this digital filter or whatever, a crappy cell phone video… You’re not Steven Spielberg.

“Sit here and enjoy the show with me. Be here with me, because that’s how it was when I first started going to shows. Except – thank God – for those people in the ’80s who were photography nerds. Those weird people, there was always one or two with a camera taking pictures, and thank God for them, because they were documenting things. But everyone else was there. And people miss that these days because they’re watching a show on a tiny iPhone screen. Be here with me.”

That sounds like a pretty strong stance against cell phones at concerts, doesn’t it? Blythe later clarified that he probably won’t follow Tool’s example and ban cell phones completely. He just wants to make sure that people are careful with their phones during a concert.

“I’ve thought about it (banning cell phones). My band probably wouldn’t agree with that. I think it would be great if there were no cell phones. Because these things distort our reality in a terrible way across the board.

“I’m not a Luddite, I’m not against technology – we’re obviously using it right now – but I think it would be good for us to step back and examine our relationship with technology and see what’s being taken away from us, the human aspect. And I’m just going to talk about music here – it has certainly removed that human aspect from shows at times in many ways.

“I’m certainly not one to say, ‘Oh, nobody can take a picture.’ I’m not that kind of guy or anything, but it really bothers me how much people miss. You actually miss the show. You’re not here. You’re looking at your phone, buddy. When I went to shows, I was looking around and not at the band. I was looking at the cute girls that were there. You know what? You can’t do that on your phone. There’s no swiping left or anything in the middle of the show. Put your phone down. Be here with us. Meet people, talk, have a human experience.”

Lamb of God is currently on the “Ashes of Leviathan” tour with Mastodon. You can catch Blythe and the rest of the guys live on one of the dates listed below.

Tour “Ashes Of Leviathan”

August 13 – Moorhead, MN – Bluestem Center For The Arts Amphitheater
August 15 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
August 16 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
August 17 – Kent, WA – Access to ShoWare Center
August 18 – Portland, Oregon – Theater of the Clouds
August 21 – Los Angeles, California – The Kia Forum
August 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theater
August 24 – Rio Rancho, NM – Rio Rancho Events Center
August 25 – El Paso, TX – El Paso County Coliseum
August 27 – Magna, UT – The Great Saltair
August 29 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
August 31 – Omaha, NE – The Astro Amphitheater