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\n\tMaynard James Keenan<\/a> is far from the only artist to ban phones at his live shows, and now he\u2019s expanded on the reasoning behind that decision.<\/p>\n \n\tKeenan \u2013 who is best known for fronting acts such as Tool and Puscifer \u2013 has been noted for years as one of the more prominent artists to discourage the usage of phones during live performances. In fact, one of Keenan\u2019s other projects \u2013 A Perfect Circle \u2013 had previously made headlines for reportedly ejecting concert attendees<\/a> who violated the request.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou ever go to a play or a movie?\u201d guitarist Billy Howerdel asked<\/a> in 2018. \u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been to a play or a movie, it\u2019s kind of similar: you don\u2019t take out your phone and start filming, and let the people behind you stare into your screen.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn a new interview<\/a> with the Serious Clownversation<\/em> podcast, Keenan spoke to host Clownvis Presley about the apparently-divisive topic, outlining his disdain at how prominent phone usage has become at shows.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cA lot of times if you go to shows nowadays it ends up becoming the kneejerk thing, that\u2019s just what you do, it\u2019s just acceptable behavior to block somebody else\u2019s view with your phone,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s annoying and it\u2019s distracting and the thing you\u2019re getting on your phone sucks. It\u2019s not a good representation,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna go home and watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tNotably, the likes of Tool and Puscifer (the latter of which are preparing for a pair of album preview shows in Los Angeles on Aug. 11) have employed a practice in their live sets in which audiences are<\/em> allowed to use their phones to capture the final song.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe just kind of force the issue of just kind of engaging with each other \u2013 watching the show \u2013 and just being present,\u201d he explains. \u201cTake a break from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s only three hours and at the end we\u2019ll let you pull out it out and you can film the last song,\u201d he adds. \u201cThat way you have your souvenir that sucks that you\u2019re never gonna watch.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe topic of banning phones at gigs has been a contentious one over the years, with artists wishing for fans to live in the moment, and fans desiring a chance to memorialize their concert experiences.<\/p>\n \n\tIn 2015, Jack White<\/a> shared a verbal plea for no phones during his Lazaretto <\/em>tour, and by the time The Raconteurs toured in 2019, attendees were told<\/a> to put their devices in locked Yondr pouches.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe think you\u2019ll enjoy looking up from your gadgets for a little while and experience music and our shared love of it in person,\u201d a note from the band read at the time.<\/p>\n \n\tMore recently, Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood made a public plea<\/a> for fans to honor the request for limited phone use, later praising<\/a> those who adhered to his request and wishing those who ignored his pleas \u201cnothing but a very sore arm.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPop icon Sabrina Carpenter also sided<\/a> with the topic of phone bands, telling Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em> she was \u201cabsolutely\u201d open to asking fans to pocket their devices at her shows after being turned onto the idea following a Las Vegas show<\/a> from Silk Sonic<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019ve never had a better experience at a concert,\u201d Carpenter explained. \u201cI genuinely felt like I was back in the Seventies \u2014 wasn\u2019t alive. Genuinely felt like I was there. Everyone\u2019s singing, dancing, looking at each other, and laughing. It really, really just felt so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n