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LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE blasts use of cell phones at concerts

15-08-2024

In a new interview with Kyle MeredithLAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe spoke about concertgoers using cell phones to take photos and videos of performances and sometimes filming entire shows instead of enjoying the moment. He: “Put your fricking phones down and be present. I haven’t done this yet, but I’m going to. As the phones come more and more and more, I’m going to walk out one day at a particularly phone-driven show and I’m gonna bring a stool, and I’m gonna set it down in the middle of the stage after a song or two, and then I’m going to turn on my phone, and I’m gonna point it at the audience, and I’m gonna sit there, and I’m gonna sing a whole song. I’m not gonna move. I’m gonna do what they do. And then at the end, I’m gonna say, ‘Did you people enjoy that? No? I didn’t either. So why don’t we be here together? Put your fricking phone down.’ The memories that you’re going to have, because you’re experiencing this show through this digital filter or whatever of a crappy cell phone video… You’re not Steven Spielberg. Sit here and enjoy the show with me. Be here with me, because that’s how it was when I started going to shows. Except for — thank God — those people back in the ’80s who were photographer nerds. The weird people, there was always one or two with a camera who would take pictures, and thank God for them, ’cause they documented things. But everybody else was present. And people are missing it nowadays by viewing a show through a tiny iPhone screen. Be here with me.”

Blythe went on to say that there is a particular reason he has publicly started to push back on these behaviors.

“I’m not asking for sympathy, like, ‘Poor Randy, he feels bad.’ But, yeah, the relationship is missing,” he explained. “And I want a relationship with the audience. Because the harder you go, the harder I’m gonna go. The more you look at the phone, the more I wanna sit on a stool and film you. And it’s gonna happen one day.”

Asked if he has considered banning the use of cell phones at LAMB OF GOD concerts, similar to what TOOL has done, Randy said: “I thought about it. My band probably wouldn’t be down with it. I’d be totally great if they were no cell phones. Because these things, they are warping the shape of our reality in a horrific way across the board.

“I’m not a Luddite, I am not anti-technology — clearly we are using it right now — but I think it would behoove us to step back and examine our relationship with technology and see what is being taken from us, the human aspect,” he continued. “And I’m just gonna discuss music here — it’s certainly removed that human aspect, in a lot of ways, from shows at times.

“I’m certainly not, like, ‘Oh, nobody can take a picture,’ I’m not that guy or whatever, but it’s really disturbing to me how much people are missing,” Randy added. “You are, in fact, missing the show. You’re not here. You’re looking at your phone, bro. When I went to shows, I was looking around and I wasn’t looking at the band. I was looking around at the cute chicks who were there. You know what? You’re not gonna get that on your cell phone. There is no ‘swipe left’ or whatever in the middle of the show. Get off your phone. Be here with us. Meet people, talk, have a human experience.”

LAMB OF GOD launched its “Ashes Of Leviathan” co-headlining tour with MASTODON on July 19 in Austin, Texas. The trek, dubbed “Ashes Of Leviathan”, also features openers KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE.

“Ashes Of Leviathan” celebrates the 20th anniversary of LAMB OF GOD‘s “Ashes Of The Wake” and MASTODON‘s “Leviathan” albums, both of which were released on the same date in 2004 (August 31).

“Ashes Of The Wake (20th-Anniversary Edition)” track listing:
01. Laid To Rest
02. Hourglass
03. Now You’ve Got Something To Die For
04. The Faded Line
05. Omertá
06. Blood Of The Scribe
07. One Gun
08. Break You
09. What I’ve Become
10. Ashes Of The Wake
11. Remorse Is For The Dead
12. Laid To Rest(pre-production demo) *
13. Ashes Of The Wake (pre-production demo) *
14. Remorse Is For The Dead (pre-production demo) *
15. Another Nail For Your Coffin (feat. KUBLAI KHAN TX and MALEVOLENCE)
16. Laid To Rest (HEALTH remix)
17. Omertá (Justin K Broadrick remix)
18. Remorse Is For The Dead (live in Richmond, Virginia)
19. Now You’ve Got Something To Die For (live from 2007)

* Exclusive to 2CD and digital

This summer, LAMB OF GOD will join forces with MASTODON, who released their sophomore album, “Leviathan”, on the same date (August 31) that “Ashes Of The Wake” arrived in 2004. The tour, dubbed “Ashes Of Leviathan”, also features openers KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE.

LAMB OF GOD is Randy Blythe (vocals), John Campbell (bass), Mark Morton (guitar), Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band have released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations and are widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in heavy music. The band’s most recent collection, “Omens”, arrived in late 2022, with Kerrang! noting that the album finds the band “as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever,” and Consequence saying the “album will break you down to nihilistic pieces.”

LAMB OF GOD released their last album ‘Omens’, on October 7th, 2022, on Nuclear Blast Records.

“Omens” track listing:

01. Nevermore
02. Vanishing
03. To The Grave
04. Ditch
05. Omens
06. Gomorrah
07. Ill Designs
08. Grayscale
09. Denial Mechanism
10. September Song

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