
How Dave Chappelle Is Creating a “No-Phone Zone” for His Chicago Shows - fudgy73
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-dave-chappelle-is-creating-844886
======
DarkTree
I was just listening to an Episode of the Nerdist podcast featuring Aziz
Ansari today and he talked about the issue of people taking pictures or
filming his live material and leaking it to the public. He said he had no
issue with people recording material that is already public, but that it
really stinks when new material is leaked because it waters down the humor for
future attendees of his shows. To combat this, at the beginning of his shows,
he asks everyone to take out their phones/cameras and stands there while they
take pictures of him. Then he nicely asks them to not use their phones/cameras
during the rest of the show. Obviously this doesn't stop everyone but I think
it's a pretty low-cost, high reward option.

~~~
justifier
a counter argument.. i went to a ucb monday night, aziz was on the ticket
which is what prompted the memory, and i understand comedians do free shows,
or favourite haunts, to work material

i once saw mitch hedberg do a 10$ show nearly from a notepad and made it part
of the joke, taking notes on audience reaction then noting the reaction to the
notes

at the ucb show there was a comedian i was unaware i was familiar with named
josh fadem, he did a bit on werner herzog pitching a hidden camera show that i
laughed over for three comedians after fadem's set

i wanted to remember the nuance of the bit and scoured the internet but was
unable to find anything substantial, i did find this(o) early in development
version of the joke but it pales in comparison to the complexity and
construction of the one i saw him do live

i really wish someone had a phone on him that night

(o)
[https://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/WernerHerzogsRealityShow](https://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/WernerHerzogsRealityShow)

~~~
DarkTree
And then you think of the thousands upon thousands of years humans have
experienced very special, nuanced moments without any way of reliving them.
Sometimes you just have to appreciate experiencing it in the moment.

~~~
justifier
note i said i wish someone had a phone on him, selfishly relieving myself of
the burden

i used to do an open mic circuit and the coolest thing i saw at a bar was an
mc with a tech bent that upon agreement would pipe the mic through recording
software as well as the pa and then automated a conversion and upload system
where you, or any visitor, could go to the bar's website and download your set
in high quality mp3

i'm very appreciative of the experience

i lament being unable to share it with you

------
jrockway
Ah, starting an arms race, eh. A GoPro under your shirt (poking out between
the buttons) would work fine if you aren't even trying, and there are plenty
of more stealthy solutions that a visit to Amazon and $10 will get you.

My first thought was "I almost want to go to his show and leak the video". But
then I realized, that's probably exactly what he wants. Free publicity for
announcing this scheme. Free publicity when the video leaks. Free publicity
when Twitter discusses it. Free publicity when he "gets mad". Free publicity
as analysts analyze what it all means.

Brilliant. I haven't heard from Dave Chappelle in years, but here he is on the
front page of a startup-oriented news site.

Also good marketing from that startup that makes the pouches.

~~~
stanleydrew
Ah, but you're only focusing on one part of the value proposition for Dave.

Even if video leaks, he's at least ensured he has a 100% engaged audience not
chatting or checking Instagram or commenting on HN or whatever.

~~~
jrockway
But if it doesn't block RF people are still receiving incoming calls and texts
with ridiculous ringtones, which has got to be annoying, even to
professionals.

~~~
ars
And they can't even stop the ringer, since their phone is locked up.

------
rahimnathwani
1) Looks like a submarine.

2) Someone who wants to record the show could easily do it even with these
checks. I expect there's another motive.

3) Dave Chappelle has had some difficulty with audience interaction in the
past, and this may be a way to keep the audience more focused on the material
and performer, increasing their enjoyment of the show.

I hope he's as funny as he used to be.

~~~
EvanPlaice
2\. Raising the barrier of entry will disincentivize _most_ people from doing
it.

I've had close friends try to show me crappy recordings of live music shows on
their mobile phone. No thank you, next time send an invite so I can see it
live.

3\. Audience interaction is probably a lot more difficult when every numbskull
with a smartphone is simultaneously trying to record the show.

Short story, enjoy the damn show and stop trying to rebroadcast crap quality
copies of the real thing.

I recently had the privilege of seeing Bill Burr live at a crappy little
venue. The show was even better than I imagined, with tons of new material.

10/10 I'd pony up the cash to see him next time he's in town.

------
justifier

        one in which comedians can breathe a little bit easier
        knowing their bluest material won't wind up online 
        before last call
    

"bluest" has to be the best word to describe my feelings about this effort

walt whitman made a legacy from releasing 'blue' material, perhaps most
notable in his second addition of leaves of grass which he affectionately
called 'my blue book'(o)

it was the edition that he carried in his pocket to do edits and addendums

this fear of showing development is odd to me and seemingly harmful to future
generations

mathematicians are often teased for it, being accused of hiding mountains of
failures while presenting discoveries, seemingly conjured like magicians

expression is hard work(i), why would anyone additionally expel one's limited
effort to make it appear easy?

(o)
[http://www.whitmanarchive.org/published/1860-Blue_book/image...](http://www.whitmanarchive.org/published/1860-Blue_book/images/index.html)

i was only able to find a paid link: 1.99$ from amazon video even if you're a
prime subscriber; season 1 episode 11, froot loops for dinner, follows a
comedian working material like a comedian

(i)
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CJNQVA/ref=atv_feed_cat...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CJNQVA/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=ovgapsearch-20)

~~~
karmelapple
Note: "blue" doesn't mean new or in development, but rather dirty, ribald, or
adult.

[http://comedians.about.com/od/glossary/g/bluehumor.htm](http://comedians.about.com/od/glossary/g/bluehumor.htm)

~~~
justifier
ha! my bad.. i did think it odd that another color was attributed to a work i
always heard refered to as 'green'

my ignorance revealed my bias

still, why hide your material even if it's blue? it's still your material

..or is the argument we need to protect the children?

~~~
slyall
Because the comedian will be testing out new jokes that will often push
boundaries.

Say he tells a joke about race. If he gets a bad reaction from the small crowd
then he just won't use the joke again or rework it. He moves onto the next
joke in the set.

If somebody is recording the show then that offensive joke will get put onto
youtube and the headlines will be "XYZ tells racist joke".

------
Animats
This is much better than phone jammers, which some venues tried about a decade
ago. The FCC and telcos have been reasonably successful at stopping that.[1]
Many (most?) cell phone sites now detect and report interference, so jammers
get noticed quickly.[2]

The company that does this will probably lose a few percent of their cases per
use, but, like 3D glasses, most people will return them at the drop-off bins.

[1] [https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/jamming-cell-phones-and-
gps...](https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/jamming-cell-phones-and-gps-
equipment-against-law) [2] [http://www.tbo.com/news/business/fcc-seffner-man-
was-using-c...](http://www.tbo.com/news/business/fcc-seffner-man-was-using-
cell-phone-jammer-20140429/)

~~~
enobrev
It's not easy to get the pouches off. It's a pretty strong magnet - I'm
assuming as strong as the retail stores use to avoid theft. I certainly
couldn't pull it apart myself, though it comes off in a snap if you have the
opposing magnet - of which they had plenty at the exit - which made getting
our phones back far more efficient than I'd expected.

~~~
Animats
Oh, that's how it works. From the info on their web site, it looks like it's
something that's controlled by some signal at the venue, and unlocks
automatically when you leave the controlled area.[1] Yonder's site says _" If
at any point attendees need to use their phones, they simply step outside of
the phone-free zone to unlock the case."_

[1] [http://overyondr.com/](http://overyondr.com/)

------
datashovel
I've thought about this problem before, and came to a different (though
perhaps inferior) solution.

Why not broadcast the material via wifi directly to the audience's devices,
and have audience listening with headphones? What if audience member doesn't
own a device? There would be spare devices at box office that would be
provided / rented. It would certainly change the ambiance of the performance
since the acoustics of the venue wouldn't be heard, but it wouldn't prevent
people from (for example) hearing the laughter of the crowd around them.

I think if the app was designed right, it could possibly stop people from
recording. Not that it would technically be possible to prevent people from
recording, but since you control the stream of data to the device you can
embed "watermarks" in real time during the performance. So if someone did try
to record it would be theoretically possible to trace back to precisely which
user / device was responsible for leaking the performance.

EDIT: On second thought, perhaps it would be safe enough to allow the user to
retain a copy (with watermarks included), accessible via the app they used to
listen to the performance live.

~~~
67726e
I'm not dropping $60 to sit in a theater with a bunch of strangers, pay $10
for a Miller Lite so I can watch Dave Chapelle on my phone...

That said I'm not sure just how much of a point there is to this. I saw
Chapelle a year or so back, and he was very agro about calling out people
using phones (even to just check a text message) and having them tossed out.
That really ruined the show, not the interruption itself but his jackass
attitude. It's like media companies fighting new technology, adapt or die.
Contrast this with Weird Al where he embraces phones and goes through the
venue taking selfies.

~~~
datashovel
Oh, not watch, but listen. That's not to say you couldn't push a video to each
user's account as well, but I'm saying the only thing that would change about
(at least in this case a comedian's performance) is you would hear the
performer crystal clear and wouldn't have to worry about distractions nearby.
The audio of the performance would be broadcast directly to your phone and
heard through your headphones.

And why not, you could even add back the acoustic effects into the stream so
people still feel like they're listening to the performance in a big hall (or
wherever the venue might be).

EDIT: And I think the solution doesn't necessarily fight back against new
technology. Rather I think this embraces new technology. Sure it does take
steps to protect the content, but that's only because these days it's so easy
for anyone with a phone to distribute live shows in pretty much real time if
they want to. If comedy becomes a lost art and is no longer interesting to
people as a form of entertainment then perhaps another form of entertainment
will take its place. But if that doesn't happen I can't see how a popular form
of entertainment can "adapt" into something that is "different than it used to
be" in order to prevent piracy.

I already think artists have more or less warmed up to the idea that they need
to incorporate more live shows into their regimen to make a living at it. But
then all of a sudden it's easy to pirate that content as well. It certainly
feels like a problem that needs to be addressed. Before long if recorded
entertainment isn't making any money, and now live entertainment can't be
expected to make any money, what's left besides looking in the classifieds for
something else entirely?

------
slyall
I can see somebody's phone starts ringing or otherwise making a noise and they
can't get to it to turn it off.

I play chess and phones are banned from events (they sometimes have metal
detectors at the door of large tournaments). Which causes a problem if you
don't have a nearby car or hotel room to leave them in. Although recently they
have tweaked the rules to allow phones to be in your bag (turned off).

~~~
enobrev
They explicitly ask you to make sure it's on silent before they put it in the
bag and hand it back. Of course there could easily be mistakes, but there were
not at last night's show.

------
brandonmenc
I went to a Prince concert a couple years ago that had a "no phones" policy
announced ahead of time.

At first I thought, "bummer," and although I would love to have pics from that
night, I think audience participation was much higher than it would've been if
everyone had their phones out.

This pouch would've been great, because I had to leave my phone in the office
a half mile away as I walked to the venue.

~~~
iamsohungry
> At first I thought, "bummer," and although I would love to have pics from
> that night

Honestly, when I hear this, I think, "Why?" You want block the views of the
people behind you and watch Prince on a 3x5in screen when he's physically
right in front of you just so you have some grainy, poorly-lit photos of your
own instead of looking at the professional photos of Prince that are available
online? It harms the experience of other fans. It harms your own experience.
It harms the performer's bottom line. There's literally no upside to this.

Practice some immediacy.

~~~
nkozyra
Probably for the same reason people take snapshots on vacation despite not
being professional photographers with thousand dollar lenses. It's a direct
connection to the place and the event, a memento. A professional photograph
depersonalizes it.

~~~
iamsohungry
> It's a direct connection to the place and the event, a momentum.

It's absolutely not direct connection. You're looking at the phone which is
looking at the thing, not looking at the thing. It's more direct than a
professional photograph, but it's less direct than looking at the thing.

> A professional photograph depersonalizes it.

Looking at it through a phone depersonalizes it.

~~~
nkozyra
Sure, but it's just a few seconds to preserve the memory of precisely where
you were and what you saw. There's really no substitute for that and the cost
to the experience is minimal.

~~~
icanhackit
_to preserve the memory_

And to elevate oneself socially based on select signalling of goods and
services consumed, places visited and activities performed.

The photos will happily sit on a device, external storage or the printed page
for occasional review but let's be honest here: it has less worth unless
others see it. It's not the memory-trigger aspect that's so important but the
feeling people get from knowing others are admiring what they're doing. The
act is mostly for signalling.

Some people forget the era where you typically didn't have a camera everywhere
you went, and when you did have a camera you were limited by the amount of
film you had. I remember that time and have plenty of vivid memories from it
thanks to carrying the best camera I've ever owned: my eyes.

 _the cost to the experience is minimal_

For the people capturing the moment perhaps. In Versailles I was whacked in
the head with a selfie stick by a pirouetting halfwit. People fumbling with
their phones and selfie sticks aren't considerate of the people around them.

~~~
Dylan16807
People can be plenty inattentive and inconsiderate without a camera involved.

~~~
icanhackit
True but give them a smartphone or vanity-stick and they become weapons-grade
nuisances. I wouldn't advocate banning those devices, I just wish people would
be more considerate of others around them. The problem starts with the
individual, and being considerate is something that can be learned.

------
enobrev
I was at the [fantastic] show last night. The team handling the Yondr pouches
were friendly and efficient. It's weird to have your phone in your pocket
without being able to use it. Akin to a dead battery, but bigger. I'd been
concerned that it was going to take forever to leave the venue because we had
to line up to get our phones out of the pouches, but they were also friendly
and perfectly efficient on the way out. I'd say it didn't add any more time
than getting a 21+ wristband on the way in, and even quicker while leaving.

The show was absolutely more enjoyable. I don't personally care if people
check their phones and record live shows, but I absolutely despise when my
view is obstructed by someone waving their device around trying to get a shot.
I'm here to watch a relatively expensive live show, not watch other people
record it.

As a potential downside, the opening comedian hadn't showed up, which left us
sitting and watching / listening to the DJ for 2 hours before Dave Chapelle
hit the stage. The DJ did an excellent job keeping the crowd entertained, but
there were a few lulls where I would have loved to pop into HN or Reddit or
something since it was literally idle time.

Sure, there was plenty of interaction, chatting, some dancing, and other fun
with people around us. And maybe there was more than there would have been
otherwise. But I still felt a bit like I was being punished. I know perfectly
well how to balance being social with staring at a screen, and I'd rather not
have that option taken from me. There were three times in that two hours that
a quick google or calendar lookup would have enlightened rather than hindered
the moment.

Who knows the consequence for someone who is "on-call"? I haven't been on call
in a few years, but I'd hate to have to miss a great show because of it.

All in all, I'd say it was well implemented and an interesting exercise that
might be a bit hard to swallow depending on the show, the venue, and our
various communication needs. I was happy to do it for one of my all-time
favorite comedians. It's not likely I would have participated for a smaller
show.

Edit: sidebar - in the article it says...

    
    
        Simply leave the designated zone (and head, say, to the lobby bar), and, as you move past several strategically placed stations, the pouches can now magically be unlocked.
    

We had to go to the tables at the exit (or to the downstairs bar outside of
the venue) for them to release the locks with a big magnet akin to the anti-
theft contraptions at retail clothing stores. Maybe they just used those
because it's a much smaller venue, or maybe the "designated zone" isn't prime-
time yet.

------
EvanPlaice
How about we collectively make it socially acceptable to punch people who hold
up their phone blocking the view in the back of the head.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

~~~
EvanPlaice
Or... not...

The point being. I don't see it as socially acceptable for audience members to
ruin the experience for others because they feel entitled to record/distribute
their viewing experience.

A lot of people act as though, 'if isn't posted on facebook/twitter/etc' it
didn't happen. I personally think the opposite, I'd rather devote my energy to
being present in the moment with the people around me. Endlessly sharing de-
values the experience for me personally.

Maybe there's a compromise. Offer an option for people who attend events to
promote their public personal. Create like a public/press box where they can
do as they like without taking away from the experience of others.

------
monochromatic
... and anybody with a pocket knife can defeat the purpose.

------
eps
Won't work, not for stopping leaks.

Moreover, by asking people to put their phone under a lock, the venue implies
that they view every attendee as a thief. That sure as hell won't go down well
with some and they will find a way to record and post to YouTube purely out of
spite.

~~~
tptacek
As the article says, Mumford & Sons and Hannibal Burress have already been
using the system. It should be easy for you to show that people have leaked
videos from shows where the pouches were used.

~~~
coldtea
That would only prove that it haven't happened yet, not that it can't happen,
and with the motivations the parent describes.

