Prior to their current tour, theatric rockers Ghost announced a “phone-free experience” for the entire run. Concertgoers will keep possession of their phone, but they will be secured in Yondr pouches, which only unlock once they leave a designated no-cell phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific stations inside each venue.
The policy apparently caused major headaches during the band’s recent show in Birmingham, UK, which reportedly saw lines of up to an hour-and-a-half to get into the venue. Needless to say, attendees weren’t happy and took to social media to vent their frustrations.
“Been queueing for Ghost for 1.5hrs and still not in,” one concertgoer wrote. “Ropes at 6:30 and band at 8? Who’s idea was that? It’s almost like Utilita Birmingham forgot there’s 16 thousand people to seat. Absolute sh*t show.”
Another wrote: “Holy sh*t. The queue to get in to @thebandGHOST at @UtilitaArenaBHM reaches up to the Library of Birmingham and as far as the eye can see every direction. I have never seen anything like this before in my whole life of coming to gigs in town.”
Ghost frontman Tobias Forge previously explained the no phones rule in an interview with Planet Rock. “I really wanna underline that the ban has nothing to do with, let’s say, copyright control,” Forge explained. “It’s not that we wanna sit on all the material and we don’t want anybody to monetize videos; it has nothing to do with that.”
Forge referenced the band’s feature film debut, “Rite Here Rite Now,” which was filmed over two nights in 2023 in Los Angeles. “The ‘Rite Here Rite Now’, the film, the essence of messaging in that film was exactly that, but also I, but us collectively, working, making that film… We filmed two shows in L.A. in front of audiences where they had to put their phones into pockets,” he said. “You don’t give it away. You have your phone; you don’t have to worry about that. If you need to call, you can go out. If you need to take a photo, you can take a photo of yourself out in the lobby; that’s fine. But what ended up happening was that we had such an engaged crowd that seemed joyous in a way that… I had to go back years and in time since I last saw a fully engaged crowd where everybody’s actually watching. They don’t have to watch me, but they’re watching the band.”
Video of the massive lines to get in can be viewed below.
