Maynard Allows Fans to Film ONE Song at A Perfect Circle Show
Truce? Compromise?
After a whoooole lot was made of A Perfect Circle’s anti-cell phone policy over the past year-plus — including dozens of fans being forcibly removed from shows — the band has finally offered an olive branch to their technologically inclined fans.
At the kick-off show of A Perfect Circle’s fall 2018 tour on October 20th in West Valley, UT, frontman Maynard James Keenan gave fans a “present from Grandpa” by allowing concertgoers to film the set’s final song, “Delicious,” from their recent release Eat the Elephant.
Several fans in attendance posted their experiences on Instagram, with one offering:
“We weren’t allowed cell phones in the venue until the very last song. It was such a magical experience to not see one single cell phone screen until Maynard’s announcement. A Perfect Circle was flawless. An incredible show. Holy moly. I am beyond elated from the experience. So so so so good.”
I’ve gone on record plenty of times with how I feel about this particular issue, but the very short version is this. Yes, hundreds of fans hoisting their phones into the air constantly at shows is very annoying, and yes, it detracts from the experience. But railing against that behavior from the stage is not only ineffective but antagonistic. Perhaps the final song compromise is a good balance, but I still feel it’ll be extremely difficult to fight against the tides of evolving technology.
Check out some fan posts from the show below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpLwn77BlL5/?utm_source=ig_embed
[via Ultimate Guitar]