Tool hasn't made their feelings on people filing their shows with phones a secret over the years. Tool has historically banned the use of phone during their show, thrown people out of shows for doing so, and rewarded everyone with the chance to film one song toward the end of the show.
Now in an interview with Phoenix New Times, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan elaborated on his feels about phones and it's exactly as honest as you'd expect. Keenan said he's opposed to phones at shows because it robs everyone around them of enjoying the show, and that there's no way the quality is worth it.
"It's rude. Not to us, I mean, I just did a whole photoshoot," said Keenan. "I'm not afraid of cameras and I'm not afraid of phones. I've got mine right here. It's a very useful tool.
"There's no way you can actually capture what's happening in that live moment on a phone. You're missing the opportunity of actually absorbing in real time what's happening. The art of storytelling. Being able to actually recount what you saw without having to record it.
"Training your brain to live in the moment and see the thing, but more importantly, stop annoying the person behind you. It's annoying, it's distracting and it's distracting for us, too. So put it the fuck away, grow the fuck up. It's only two hours. And at the end of the show, we usually let you film a song, so you get your souvenir.
Keenan also talked about the fact that Tool has thrown people out of their shows for using phones, comparing the decision to any other place where performance art happens.
"Absolutely, if we have to throw out a dozen people because they're being arrogant assholes, selfish pricks. You're annoying the people around you. I know there's all kinds of arguments, like, 'Well, the removing all those people is annoying." Uh-huh. It's called consequences. This is what happens here.
"You do it in a theater, you do it at a play, you do it at an orchestral performance, you get removed. You don't get to do it. Do it at an opera, you're leaving. It's rude. You're here to experience a thing. You paid all that money to be here to witness what we do, not what you do."
