Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Tour: A Phone-less Experience
By Jenna Skok
After a four-year-long hiatus from solo-touring, the beloved Phoebe Bridgers makes a memorable return with her Lost Tour, enforcing a no phones or digital device policy upon entering the venue. Bridgers hinted at this unique style of live performing during the spring of this year with her “secret” shows performed at small venues across the United States (specifically in cities with reported UFO activity.) Upon announcing her official tour on Instagram, Bridgers writes, “I’m going on tour no phones”.
In a digital age where phones and technology have become a pivotal and necessary tool in our lives, how is Bridgers doing this? How can her team control an entire arena of fans to be entirely phone-less?
I attended the Lost Tour at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and went through the process myself. Upon entering and scanning tickets from their phone, patrons were to put their electronics in Yondr Pouches. These soft fabric pouches lock away your devices but allow you to keep your belongings in possession at all times. After exiting the venue, employees helped fans unlock their pouches with a magnetic tool to gain access back to their devices.
There’s much discourse over Bridgers’ decision to make this concert device free. Many, like me, believe this is a brilliant way to strengthen human connection and encourage being present in the space. The production value of the concert itself was breathtaking, and what many are describing as “mesmerizing” with huge light fixtures and projections onto the stage. Others, however, believe this puts a needless stress on younger fans and those with disabilities, who need their devices for emergencies. Accommodations and medical exemptions for the phone-free rule can be arranged at the shows, but many feel that the entire concept is unnecessary.
As a long time Phoebe Bridgers fan, I was extremely grateful for the experience and am curious to see if phone-free concerts become more of a trend among artists after the Lost Tour concludes. Not having my phone was definitely a strange and slightly uncomfortable feeling, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I believe that events like this, that force you to be off your phone, allow for stronger memories and better experiences all around, for both the fans and the artist.
A few months ago, I found myself wandering down a genealogical rabbit hole. Before I knew it, it was 2:30 a.m. and I had been on the couch for over five hours with paper, pencils, and my laptop scattered all around me. Most genealogy sites offer week (or month long) free trials, which gives you the perfect amount of time to find some ridiculously cool information and documents without having to pay a cent. If ancestry isn’t something that interests you, you could also opt for a particular historical event, conspiracy theory, or biography of a celebrity. Use this down time to learn more about the things that have always interested you, and be the person who blows everyone’s minds next time you go to trivia night.
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