There was once a legion of concert-goers long before the advent of the smart phone who not only left the show with the band ringing in their ears, but also a burnt and blistered thumb from flicking their BIC™. As dirty as that may sound, it was one of those special moments during the show when the act slowed the set down and more often than not broke out the acoustic instruments. In these cases, the crowd reciprocated by hoisting their lighters and/or pocket torches to the sky and swayed in unison with the tunes being played on stage. The temperature in the arena/venue always rose exponentially with number of tiny torches in the air, but there was nothing better looking around and seeing the glow from the crowd.
Unfortunately, these nostalgic memories are quickly becoming those which are fondly remembered, rather than a hotly anticipated experience. This is due in part to the increasingly health conscious population who are acutely aware of the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke, so the only smoke in the venue these days is coming from the dry ice on stage, instead of the concert goers in attendance. While this has only been a recent occurrence as more and more cities place stringent restrictions on smoking, it in turn reduces the need to carry a lighter.
While it’s easy to blame the smoking restrictions on the lack of lighters, an increasing number of younger concert goers are turning to their smartphones to take the place of their BIC™ through either a simulated lighter app, or the blindingly white LED flashlights most phones are equipped with. Much like the shift music underwent from albums to CD’s and ultimately MP3’s, the shift from a traditional lighter to a digital simulation conveys a similar message to the artist, but in a much cooler and disconnected fashion. The only limits you have when hoisting the smart phone to the sky are your battery life and/or muscle stamina, but with a lighter there’s an element of danger from the physical burns you can inflict upon yourself, but back in the 80’s hair metal era when a bottle of aqua net was sacrificed prior to a concert, one wrong move and the place could go up in a flash. (I don’t recall this actually being the case however).
While I understand the convenience of flipping on an LED flashlight and becoming a one-man lighthouse, it just feels hollow. This might be my old man moment of “Back in my Day….”, but it just feels like a concert when the lighters go up in unison. Much like that pungent odor of the area it’s one of those concert going rites of passage. If you haven’t burnt your thumb at least once in the name of rock n roll, I don’t see how you can call yourself a true concert goer. Give me a lighter over a smart phone any day of the week.
–Trev
