In case you missed the last several mentions, Maynard James Keenan is still against fans using cell phones at his shows. Nearing his 60th birthday and celebrating the milestone via the Sessanta Tour with Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Primus, Keenan continues to explain the strict no-phone policies at his shows. While Keenan allows fans to use their phones to record or take photos for one song towards the end of the evening, the singer remains unapologetic about his stance, most recently reiterated in an interview with Phoenix News Times.
Keenan expressed how he believes it’s just “rude,” explaining:
“It’s rude. Not to us, I mean, I just did a whole photoshoot. 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.”
When asked if he has ever elected to not let fans film at the end of the set, Maynard stated:
“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.”
