Put that phone away! Locking cellphone pouch puts focus back on the live show

Youarrive at a live show and discover your cellphone must be locked in a pouch so you can't use it during the performance.Would you be relieved thatnobody will be blocking your view with a cellphone held highor irritated you can't share footage of the event yourself?

Enter GrahamDugoni:a young music lover who got tired of disruptive cellphone use at concerts.He's developed Yondr, a locking pouch that makesphone-free live events possible.

Patrons place their phones (on vibrate mode) in thelockablepouches in the lobby of the venueand take them into the performance.If they get a call, they can return to the lobbyto have their phone unlocked.

How Yondr works: a quick demo

8 years ago

Duration 0:53

CBC's Eli Glasner demonstrates how cellphone-locking pouch Yondr works.

When everyone at a concert is preoccupied with their phone, "you've takenlittle nicks and cut out oftheexperiencein a way that doesn't allow the event to build into something, which is why people go to live experiences in the first place:to be swept up into a shared mood in a physical space in real time with everyone there,"Dugonisays.

With audiences snapping photos, sharing tweets and instantly posting clips of shows online, smartphones haveled to some not-so-smart moments in the world of live performance.Remember that fan playingPokemonGo near the front row of aBeyoncconcert?

Many performers have voiced their frustration on the very stages where they're being filmed, often to no avail.

Rihannablasted fans to stoptextingtheir "boyfriends and girlfriends" andinsteadjust watch hershow, whileAdele wascaptured in cellphonefootage pleadingwith a woman in the audience at oneof her live concerts.

"Can you stop filming me with a video camera, because I'm really here, in real life,"she implored.

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Now some artists are insisting on "phone-free concerts"as a way to keep fans from posting their material online, andto keep them frombeing so preoccupied with sharing selfiesand clips that theymiss out on thespontaneity and connectedness of the event.

Comedian Dave Chappelle, who hosted Saturday Night Live's post-election show to rave reviews this past weekend, is among those leading the way.

In Canada, he was the first to enlistthe services of Yondr, Dugoni'sSan Francisco-based company, for a recent gig at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.

Since then, other performers including Tracy Morgan, Alicia Keys, Hannibal Burress, Shawn Mendes and Ariana Grande have also used Yondr pouches,at live concerts or special events previewing new material.

Audience members divided

But are audiences ready for unmediated reality? It remains a surprisingly thorny subject.

"I'm pretty much against it. I feel like social media contributes to what musicians do. When I take photos at concerts, I think it helps promote the artist," says concertgoer SuzanneAlyssaAndrew.

"I also feel like it's kind of free speech, and for a woman it's for safety, so I like to have my phone."

Ubiquitous cellphoneuse at live events "takes away from the experience," says Chris Bolarinho, a music fan and DJ.

This technology "would take you back to when there was a time you would actually buy your ticket, go see the show and enjoy it, go out after, talk about the show instead of just sitting there having coffee, going through your phone and looking at the video again," he said.

Beyond the stage, Yondr pouches are now also being used in schools, at weddingsand film screenings, with requests even coming from parents who want to use them at home.

'More time to focus:' using Yondr in the classroom

8 years ago

Duration 0:57

Waterloo, Ont. high school students on having their cellphones locked in Yondr pouches during classes.

We'vebecome so dependent onhaving our phones at all times that some believe constant access to their device is "a basic human right." However, with many live social interactions now taking place through a screen, cellphone addiction is cited as a growing detriment to our quality of life.

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For instance, students at a high school in Waterloo, Ont., are using Yondrin their classroom. They had mixed reactions to the pouches when their teacher first brought them into theschool, but most admitthey appreciatethem for helping them to focus on their studies.

"At the end of the day, we're at school to get our work done," says Faith Saechao.

"The pouches, I feel like they really help with taking that distraction away and everyone is able to focus on what we're really here to do."