Althouse: "I want to tell that lady as well, can you stop filming me with a video camera? Because I’m really here in real life..."

June 1, 2016

"I want to tell that lady as well, can you stop filming me with a video camera? Because I’m really here in real life..."

"... you can enjoy it in real life, rather than through your camera. Can you take your tripod down?... This isn’t a DVD, this is a real show, and I would really like you to enjoy my show because there’s lots of people outside that couldn’t come in."

Said Adele.

There are 2 aspects to her logic, compelling in radically different ways:

1. Life should be experienced directly, and not through an electronic device. Be here now!

2. You are the fortunate ones, who got into this place, and if there's video of the concert, the excluded ones will have something of the feeling of being in here. Preserve the exclusiveness: Don't let the masses see what is yours!

31 comments:

damikesc said...: I'm a bit shocked the venue allowed that in the first place. I haven't heard of any concert or event where recording it was permitted. But if Adele's people or the venue didn't forbid it, while rude, the woman didn't actually do anything wrong.; 6/1/16, 7:10 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: 3) I want to sell DVDs of the concert, and if you people post videos to YouTube people might just watch those instead of buying the DVD.; 6/1/16, 7:21 AM
Curious George said...: "damikesc said...
I'm a bit shocked the venue allowed that in the first place. I haven't heard of any concert or event where recording it was permitted."

Grateful Dead allowed recording of their concerts.; 6/1/16, 7:26 AM
Ann Althouse said...: There may be no way these days to stop everyone who's pulling out their phone, and little clips from the concert may be desired for publicity for the artist. The problem seemed to be the tripod and continuous filming of the entire concert, which looks like a commercial operation that undercuts her rather than promotes her.; 6/1/16, 7:38 AM
tim maguire said...: The story calls her a fan, in which case she isn't planning on "sharing" the video with the people outside. Selling, maybe, putting clips on YouTube, maybe, but there's nothing in it for those folks in the hallway.; 6/1/16, 7:40 AM
Ann Althouse said...: So I agree with Ignorance is Bliss that there is a commercial interest here, but I wouldn't put it as Point #3, because it's not in her statement. It is almost surely also true, but she didn't say that. In the post, I'm focusing solely on her words, the form she chose for her plea, and I'm interested in the 2 different ways of appealing to the fans.

The fans might be interested in helping Adele with her money-making, but Adele chose to speak in terms of values that she wanted to be associated with. Those values were somewhat discordant, in an interesting way.; 6/1/16, 7:42 AM
Dan in Philly said...: What business is it of other people to tell me how I should enjoy a moment? If I get more enjoyment out of a concert by recording a few seconds of it, then why is Adel ruining that for me?; 6/1/16, 7:46 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Girl with the Pony Tail on the Treadmill:

I like Adele.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Except she's kinda fat.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

She's talented, though.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

It's a shame she's fat.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

You'd think if you were that talented you'd make your body look good to go with it.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

If I was a star, I'd keep my body Tight.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Paparazzi would take photos of me, and I'd always look good.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I'd work out even harder.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I'd wear Designer Clothes, just like Gwen Stefani.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Gwen Stefani is talented, and she's not fat.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Gwen Stefani is Tight.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

It's a shame Adele doesn't spend more time on herself.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

If I was a star I'd have pictures taken of me in my Audi.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I could probably afford an even better car, but I think I'd stick with the Audi.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Keep it real.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

It's a shame about Adele.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I am Laslo.; 6/1/16, 7:57 AM
Linda said...: If we don't take a picture or video an event - did it really happen?; 6/1/16, 7:58 AM
MadisonMan said...: If I were a rock star, I'd have it written in my contract that if I saw someone videotaping/cellphoning my performance, I'd stop, call the person up on stage, tell them off, and leave. I'd still collect my fee however.; 6/1/16, 8:05 AM
Mark said...: So she is concerned that an audience recording combined with a likely decent video of the show is going to compete with the real thing?

I wonder how much of the demand for any Adele concert videos is driven by the poor sounds and distant views of the average concert goer who likely had a hellish process getting tickets (or paid a premium from stub hub or another reseller).

I recall a lot of stories of how Adele tickets were instantly sold out to huge venues the moment they went on sale months ago, except for the resellers who appear to instantly have hundreds or thousands each.

I bet a video competes with that hassle from start to finish, especially given how bad some stadiums can sound in the cheap seats.; 6/1/16, 8:10 AM
Steve said...: I believe that your #2 is backwards. A better interpretation might be:

You were lucky enough to get in to see the show live. People are lined up to experience this show and you are seeing through an electronic eye. If you are going to do that, why don't you wait for the DVD and let a fan that wants the live experience take your place?; 6/1/16, 8:26 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I believe that your #2 is backwards. A better interpretation might be..."

Yeah, I thought about it that way too.; 6/1/16, 8:42 AM
Michael McNeil said...: I went to a Casey Abrams performance a couple months back, sat basically right next to the band, and videoed several pieces with my phone (not using a tripod). Nobody from the establishment or the group said squat to me about it, while the band members looked significantly (and certainly not angrily) at the camera (phone) as they played. Yay for the iPhone and its 4k video capability! I haven't put it up on YouTube as yet, mostly due to laziness.; 6/1/16, 8:56 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Girl with the Pony Tail on the Treadmill:

I don't understand how Gwen Stefani's ex-husband could've cheated on her.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

She's so talented.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

And Tight. Her body is smokin' hot.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

You KNOW she looks good naked.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Who would cheat on THAT?

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Asshole.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I don't know; maybe she has a weird nipple or something.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

She doesn't act like a girl with a weird nipple.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

There's no way she has a weird nipple. She's obviously perfect.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I don't understand how any guy could cheat on her.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

Maybe she didn't give blow-jobs.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

That can't be it.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I wish I was as Tight as Gwen Stefani.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

No mocha after the gym tonight.

(pony-tail swish, pony-tail swish)

I am Laslo.; 6/1/16, 8:58 AM
kjbe said...: If I were a rock star, I'd have it written in my contract that if I saw someone videotaping/cellphoning my performance, I'd stop, call the person up on stage, tell them off, and leave. I'd still collect my fee however.

Yeah, that's not a thing, anymore.; 6/1/16, 9:23 AM
Anonymous said...: What, make money from your performance? she must've forgoten the Leninism taught in all the best British schools.; 6/1/16, 9:27 AM
Bill Peschel said...: I'm reminded of this: Back around 2000, my stepson won a contest. We got a four-day Disney cruise.

One night, there was a stage performance. It was good, except one passenger five rows ahead of us kept his video camera on, giving me a perfect shot of his little 3-inch lit rectangle, throughout the event.

I was distracted and furious, and since I was there in a crowded auditorium with my family, I couldn't go Rambo on him. I did feel sorry for him, because I knew he was getting a shitty recording and he couldn't have enjoyed holding that dam camera up for a half-hour. And was he really going to watch that show years later?

Little did I know I was seeing the first cresting wave that would be followed by more and bigger waves.; 6/1/16, 10:03 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Could the act of recording be causing a more pleasing sensation than the passive inaction of quietly taking the performance in?

There is also the fact that passively taking in the performance, without some recording device, makes it harder to facebook.

You have to sue words.; 6/1/16, 10:09 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Could looking forward to facebooking be like looking forward to getting hi?

To the drug addict, the anticipation of getting hi is enough to release the brain chemical reward.; 6/1/16, 10:17 AM
Fernandinande said...: Said Adele.

Isn't that a type of penguin?; 6/1/16, 11:04 AM
Etienne said...: Social media brings the retarded masses to the front of society.; 6/1/16, 11:29 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Maybe there was a message behind the guy listening to a live concert of Bob Dylan all by himself. I believe he did not record it, but, Althouse made a post of it of course.; 6/1/16, 11:46 AM
Captain Drano said...: I get it.

As a sole parent, it was frustrating to "miss" certain portions of my children's events or shenanigans when I was videotaping. You're not experiencing it in the moment when trying to video. (And back then it wasn't as easy as using a cell phone. You had to have the viewfinder against your eye, at least until they were teenagers, then there was a small viewfinder that folded out, but the dang thing still weighed a couple of pounds. Still had to carry a regular camera as well.); 6/1/16, 12:05 PM
n.n said...: 1. An argument against virtual reality and vicarious living.

2. An argument against prostitution and debasement.; 6/1/16, 12:26 PM
el polacko said...: if the concert was free of charge and the audience was on a first come, first served basis, she might have a point. but the folks in the audience paid hundreds of dollars each to "get in", unlike those poor people "outside" who yearned to attend but couldn't afford the ticket prices. if someone prefers to watch the concert through a screen rather than looking directly at the stage, that's their business. ironically, the only reason we have video of the dressing down of a paying customer is because another audience member was recording it. adele should just put on her outfit, sing her songs, and then go home and let people decide for themselves how they want to waste their money on her.; 6/1/16, 12:44 PM
virgil xenophon said...: "Be Here Now."

I see e-hippie chick AA knows who Baba Ram Dass is--same hippie generation, lol; 6/1/16, 12:49 PM
virgil xenophon said...: Laslo@8:58am/

Maybe Gwen doesn't do anal. I thought you of ALL people would immediately conjecture about "that" little possibility.. :); 6/1/16, 12:53 PM
Joe said...: It's been shown that photographing or video recording events makes you forget them faster. One theory is that you become so absorbed by the act of recording that you end up not really paying full attention.; 6/1/16, 1:57 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: I had a brilliant idea even before this post, and I share it here with no expectation of remuneration. Buying a concert ticket should entitle you to download a video or audio recording of the event the next day. Could be an optional fee added on to the ticket, or just part of the basic ticket price. Fans get a souvenir and promoters get additional revenue, so it's win-win. And nobody needs a tripod.; 6/1/16, 3:05 PM
Mark said...: Tyrone, a number of bands already do that.

My friend took me to see the band Phish a couple years ago, the ticket itself had a download code. By the time we made it home from the venue, the concert was already downloadable as MP3 as part of the ticket price. Think they added $2 the year they put that practice in play .... $50 to $80k per concert no doubt covered the costs.; 6/1/16, 3:46 PM