Chrissie Hynde Has Had Enough of Phones at Shows

The tension over phones at live shows isn’t new, but Chrissie Hynde just poured fuel on the fire. In a social media post on June 2, The Pretenders frontwoman unloaded on what she calls a “weird compulsion” to film and photograph concerts, comparing the glow of screens to a mosquito buzzing around an artist’s head while they try to sleep. Few artists have been so blunt.

Hynde’s rant didn’t come from nowhere. She recalled conversations with Emmylou Harris, noting the topic surfaces every time artists meet. Venues plaster “NO CAMERAS” signs, yet people ignore them. She pointed to Bob Dylan’s strict no-phone policy. “You would think an artist of his stature could make a simple request and the audience would respect it,” she wrote. “No chance. People will sneak in a camera or a phone.”

The post also aimed at behavior beyond music. Hynde described a Van Gogh exhibit where “morons” held phones up in front of masterpieces, and suggested even Jesus Christ walking into a room would be met with a sea of devices. She did draw a line, though, acknowledging that some pop artists actively encourage social media documentation. That split is becoming the fault line in an increasingly heated discussion.

Just this year, Billie Eilish spoke up in defense of phones at gigs, while Sabrina Carpenter admitted she’d consider banning them but fears fan backlash. Bring Me the Horizon’s Oli Sykes took the conversation to a physical extreme when a phone thrown from the crowd hit his head, causing a mild concussion. Hynde’s words land squarely on one side: the unrelenting screen glow is, for her, an intrusion that the music doesn’t deserve.