Would you be happy to lock your phone away during a gig?
Well, Tommy Tiernan is asking audience members to do just that.
The comedian has become the first Irish performer to add this requirement to his performances.
Yes, those attending any Tommy Tiernan shows will be required to lock their phone away before he comes out on stage.
During Tommy’s recent string of gigs at Dublin’s Vicar Street, the audience received Yondr phone pouches to put their phones away for the duration of the gig.
They then locked their phones into the pouch before waiting for a Yondr staff member to unlock the pouches after the show.
Speaking on the Tommy, Hector & Laurita Podcast he explained why he made the move.
“Yondr is a thing where people go to gigs, and they put their phone in a bag. I’m the first act to do it,” he told his co-hosts.
“I did it last night and it was fantastic. What happens is, say Vicar Street there was 1,100 people there, so we have somewhere between 1,100 and 1,300 and it’s a patented thing.
“It is to give everybody a better experience and you’ll pay more attention to the show when you don’t have access to your phone.“
He added that all those in attendance were informed before the show that their phones would be locked away. Those in attendance get to keep their phone inside the pouch but they are unable to open it.
“We had to contact America because they’ll have it copyrighted, it’s a soft pouch that your phone fits into that closes shut and the only people that can open it are the Yondr staff – it’s expensive,“ he added.
“You go in and there are staff there, so we hired extra staff, we’ve to pay for the bags, it’s not cheap. And you put your phone into this thing and there’s a magnetic thing that shuts and only the staff can open it.“
We wonder if this will take off…
