FEAR FACTORY Guitarist Defends Fans Who Use Cell Phones At Concerts

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares has slammed musicians who complain about fans using their cell phones during live shows, saying that people who buy tickets for concerts should be able to enjoy the performances however they like.

During an interview that was captured on video as part of episode four of FEAR FACTORY's ongoing summer 2016 European tour diary, Dino was asked if he ever gets annoyed when he looks out into the audience during one of the band's concerts and sees people watching the show through their phones. He responded (see below): "For me, it doesn't bother me. I know it bothers other people. Okay. Whatever. I mean, I kind of respect it. But at the same time, if people are gonna pay fifty dollars, a hundred dollars, two hundred dollars, a thousand dollars for a ticket to go see you, they should have the right to do whatever they want. That's my opinion. And it may not be the opinion of other artists. And it always seems to be the singers that seem to have issues with it — whether they slap the camera out of the [hands of the fans], or whether they stop the show to talk shit about somebody holding up a camera phone."

Dino continued: "What does it matter? What does it matter? It doesn't fucking matter. I think those guys are, like… They should just worry about doing their show. And if a kid wants to watch the show through the phone, then that's fine. Let him watch the show through his phone. He already paid for the ticket, he could do whatever he wants. You can enjoy the show however you like. Just don't throw any bottles at me, don't throw any beer at me, don't throw any shoes… Then that's a different story. But when you're in the crowd and you wanna do what you wanna do that doesn't harm anybody, go for it."

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor recently said that he will keep smacking mobile phones out of people's hands at concerts if they're not paying attention to the show. Taylor made headlines earlier in the summer when he slapped a phone out of the hand of a texting fan in the front row at a SLIPKNOT gig. The singer later explained his action by tweeting, "If you're gonna text, stay home."

Then in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Taylor insisted he'd do it again, saying: "You can hate me all you want. It's not going to stop me from smacking those things out of people's hands. You watch people walk down the street, and they can't get their beaks out of their stupid phones to cross the street."

He added, "I don't mind people who take pictures. I don't even mind people who shoot video. I love that, because you're still engaged in the show. But if I see someone, and it's so obvious they're not even there, you've got to poke them with a stick to get their attention sometimes."

Taylor explained his motivation to The Pulse Of Radio in more detail, saying: "When you're a nutjob like myself and not only are you out in front of a ton of people, but you're also doing it with a broken neck, and really into it, and you look over and some dude is on the barricade texting away...yes, I know, there are thousands of other people who are riveted to what you're doing. But I'm sorry, as a performer, you hyper-focus on that one person who's not paying attention and you do something like that."

The singer, who went on the road only weeks after having surgery on his spine and neck, has also had two fans thrown out of SLIPKNOT gigs at recent shows in Toronto and Concord, California for being disrespectful.