I’ve always wanted to see R.E.M. live, so I was jealous when a friend of mine had tickets to the band’s recent concert at Madison Square Garden and wouldn’t shut up about it. Since I couldn’t attend, I had one request: ”Call me and hold the phone up when they play ‘Losing My Religion.”’
Which got me wondering: Do people still do the ”hold up the phone” thing? When you’re on the receiving end, the quality is terrible and you can barely hear anything over the screaming, but I think there’s still some novelty in hearing a band live. Even if you’re hearing it on your cell phone from your bedroom. What do you think? And if you’ve engaged in this practice at any time in recent history, which artist and song were involved?
Comments (1-30) of 37
Ummm, my best friend and I do this at every concert we ever attend separately. I think the last one was probably her calling me during Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.” But, like I said, this happens for every concert – the Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, etc. etc.
A few months ago, I stopped to watch Chantal Kreviazuk play in a tent outside of my subway station at 8 am on my way to work. I had to call a friend and let her hear it through my cell–because she loves CK and didn’t believe me when I texted her the news.
I’ve done that at a few concerts (most recently in April when Hanson covered the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling”), but after a few friends telling me that they can never make out the song, I’ve officially given up on it. If it’s a small place (i.e., the aforementioned Chantal Kreviazuk performance), I’m sure it would work much better.
I’ve done that at a few concerts (most recently in April when Hanson covered the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling”), but after a few friends telling me that they can never make out the song, I’ve officially given up on it. If it’s a small place (i.e., the aforementioned Chantal Kreviazuk performance), I’m sure it would work much better.
I always do this too with my best friend. Last time I saw Madonna I called him during Live to Tell, and Isaac (his favorite song). I also called him during the last Tori Amos concert when she played Cornflake Girl. The sound was so good at Radio City that he was able to here it crystal clear. Then again, out of respect Tori fans don’t usually scream while she’s singing!
I had my friend call me during a Dave Matthews concert-One Sweet World-the only DMB song I like.
I called my mom during a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert during Free Bird and held the phone up. It didn’t work since I wasn’t actually at the concert but on top of an RV in a neighboring field, but I sang to her anyway. Yes, it was just as redneck as it sounds. Plus, I was wearing a cowboy hat.
I just did this recently at a Pearl Jam concert – my mom loves the song “BetterMan,” so I called when they played it. I also called a friend when The Cure sang “Just Like Heaven.”
I’m notorious for doing this. most recent was “last dance with mary jane” at tom petty with all my girlfriends. one of the girls in our group was unable to go, so we called her during mary jane bc she’s the only one of us who grew up in an indiana town. I’ve also called during countless other shows, but I think my favorite time was when I called up a guy I hadn’t spoken to in six months during taking back sunday in 2003. that prompted us to start talking again. ha
I phoned my girlfriend from Atlanta when Jet performed Look what you’ve done. Later that night, I phone 4 of my best mates in a tele-chat when oasis took the stage and played wonderwall.
I was at a Snow Patrol concert and held the phone up for my 14 year old to hear her favorite song of theirs, she said all she could hear was the screaming. But last week I was in Disneyland without my children and my son called just as I was about to go on Star Tours, I held up my phone for the entire ride. He was so thrilled that we got to go on the ride “together”.
A friend of mine told me he once went to a Goo Goo Dolls concert where John Rzeznik had a song stopped because some girl was cellphoning (is that a word?) the gig to a friend. In the end the friend got a personal Rzeznik reminder to see them live and the girl got embarrassed in public when Rzeznik decided to have some fun with her phone and contact list, including calls to someone filed as ‘Butch’. I don’t know if this really happened, but the story deterred me from ever calling people during concerts.
The last time I did this was in 2002 at Cher’s Farewell Tour. We held up the cell phone and called my wife when she performed “Believe.” All she heard was static.
I’ve done this at a lot of concerts. The quality of what the person on the other end of the phone hears depends a lot on the phone and the carrier. I’ve had great luck with a Nokia phone that’s a few years old and Cingular/ATT, while some friends at the same concerts got nothing but static with a newer phone. Being too close to any speaker or amp is also highly likely to increase the static quotient for your listener.
that Rzeznik guy is a jerk, he should be happy someone pay attention to him and his band.
I have only done it once at a club concert, not an arena concert. It was a couple of years ago and .38 Special started playing “Caught Up in You”. It’s my best friends favorite song. She lives in California and I am in Texas. It just made me think of her and when she got her voice mail the next day, she had a live performance of her favorite song.
How about a “non-concert”? I had just moved to Denver and was out seeing the sites during the day, including Red Rocks ampatheater. I had not talked to an old girlfriend/friend (the BIGGEST U2 fan) in like a year, she didn’t even know I had moved, so I tried calling her from the theater itself, have her guess where I was. But the signal didn’t work =( Even worse, when I finally got a connection, had to call her parents house and her mom said she was getting married that day…didn’t I know? Oh well.
I always call my sister at least once while I am at a concert to share with her a favorite song. We have similar taste in music but I go to way more concerts than she does so it’s my way of sharing, since she lives out of town. Usually she ends up calling me the next day wanting to know why I left a four minute long static/noise filled message on her voice mail.
I was supposed to attend a Matchbox Twenty concert with my sisters, but the baseball tournament I was working went an extra day and I didn’t get to go. So the next morning there were 4 different messages of “Hey Libby – here” followed by what I guess were my favorite songs. Nice to know they love me enough to do that for me
I went to see Eddie Izzard live last week, and there were a ton of people holding up their cells. It looked weird and I could barely hear him. (That said. He rocked. Everyone should go).
I do it all the time even though the voicemail/phone call my friend/sister gets is a big burst of static with maybe a couple of comprehendable words.
My Grandmother and I both love Alicia Keys. I was fortunate enough to see Keys right after “Fallin’” was a big hit on the radio. Since my Grandmother couldn’t go I told her I’d call her when “Fallin’” was on. Surprisingly she heard the song clearly, which was good.
Everyone does it! When NSYNC performed at their charity event in Miami, my friend had an entire list of people to call so they could hear what would be their last (and best) performance.
When my friend went to Christina Aguilera’s last tour, I begged her to call me during certain songs. Yes, it sounded like a hot mess on the other end, but it softened the disappointment of not being able to attend just a little bit.
The last time I saw that done was when I saw The Cure on 6/20. Sometimes it works and sometimes it dosen’t. I tried to do it when I saw The Police last November, but it did not work.
When I go to a concert I am there to enjoy the show, not spend all my time calling people on my cell phone so they can hear certain songs. I would also never ask that someone do that for me either. It’s just rude.
Never done this for a concert but have for races. My best friend and I always call each other (if we aren’t both at the race) when they drop the green flag to start the race so we can hear the cars roar by.
Last weekend I saw The New Pornographers and called my dad during “Sing Me Spanish Techno.” I don’t think it was very intelligible but he appreciated the thought.
Personally, I think if you want to hear a song performed live, SEE IT LIVE. If you want to hear that one special song by that one special artist/group, why don’t you save the money to buy that one special ticket for the one special time you see a concert instead of asking your friend ‘call me when he’s signing ‘Mandy’! (or some crap)’ only to screw with their viewing experience so you can get a barely audible voicemail of what sounds something like your favorite song? Its bad enough we have cameraphones in the air from people who are taking pictures and blocking our view the entire show, not to mention lit up cellphones replacing lighters for encores?? What a travesty.
BTW, I thought the John Rzeznik thing was pretty cool. I’d take a ‘the guy from the Goo Goo Dolls called all my friends with my phone’ story over holding a phone up all night.
Does karaoke count? At a birthday party, my friend and I called another friend (she lives in Chicago; we were in NYC) to help sing along to “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton. Surprisingly, she knew all the words without having the screen in front of her!
i did it for the entirety of the madonna’s promo show in new york a couple of months ago…
Los, you’re what we call a downer do-right.
Last month I called my friend, who is a HUGE Pink Floyd fan but was in the hospital and couldn’t see the amazing Roger Waters perform Dark Side of the Moon from beginning to end. Of course, he got to see&hear Wish You Were Here via my LG Envy.
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