GEOFF TATE Says 'It's A Shame' Some Fans Watch Concerts Entirely Through Their Phones: 'Come To A Show And Immerse Yourself In It'

In a new interview with This Day In Metal, ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate offered his opinion on concertgoers using cell phones to take photos and videos of performances and sometimes filming entire shows instead of enjoying the moment. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "The live experience is so unique and so different, that it's a shame to miss it by looking at something you can look at for the rest of the day. Come to a show and immerse yourself in it. But then again, it's up to the individual. You can't just dictate to everyone in your audience, 'Okay, everybody, we're gonna think these thoughts. We're gonna listen this way. We're gonna put the phone down. We're gonna...' You can't do that. People wanna experience what they wanna experience, and people experience what they can experience too. Some people don't wanna immerse themselves in it. They wanna stay somewhat distant. Peace. I particularly like to immerse myself in it and jump up and down and scream and sweat. [Laughs]"

Back in May 2013, Tate received some backlash from fans for an incident in St. Charles, Illinois where he took a cell phone from one of the audience members and threw it behind him into the crowd. He later told "The Classic Metal Show" about the incident: "That happens a lot. In the frenzy of a concert, there's all kind of activity that happens with the front row. It's a metal show, it's rough, it's chaotic, it's intense. And that particular situation, I grabbed the guy's phone, took a picture and tossed it back to him, but he missed it 'cause the lights were in his eyes. And he was actually in our meet-and-greet after the show. And we were laughing about it. I said, 'Oh, man. I'm sorry. Did your phone get damaged?' And he said, 'Don't worry about it. It's no big deal.' Which was really funny. But because we're in this court case, and there's a group of people that are interested in trying to create sides, they just ran with this thing and tried to make me look bad, and I don't think I look bad at all. My God. No big deal. The guy was laughing, we were happy and we had drinks backstage."

Swedish metallers GHOST made their entire 2025 and 2026 tours phone-free experiences — with attendees maintaining possession of their phones at all times, secured in Yondr pouches — after playing a pair of phone-free shows in Los Angeles in 2023 for the filming of the "Rite Here Rite Now" concert film. IRON MAIDEN asked fans to put their phones away while attending concerts on the British heavy metal legends' recently launched "Run For Your Lives" world tour. Other acts, such as TOOL, have also employed a similar approach, requesting fans stay off their phones until the final song of their set.

Through the use of technology like Yondr, fans are able to place their phones in a pouch that unlocks only after they leave the no-cell-phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific cell phone stations inside the venue.

Phone-free concerts are touted as a way to cut down on illegal filming and non-stop selfies that can take away from the performance.

Yondr founder Graham Dugoni said his company's pouches were created for "phone-free spaces" where "creativity and productivity could flourish in the absence of technology."

Phones, Apple watches and other communication devices are placed in the pouch and sealed using a magnetized lock, which can be opened with an unlocking base.

Tate's third chapter in QUEENSRŸCHE's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series, "Operation: Mindcrime III", came out on May 3.

"Operation: Mindcrime III" was made available under Geoff Tate's own name and not under the QUEENSRŸCHE banner. The LP is once again a concept album with a storyline following Nikki, a drug addict-turned-assassin manipulated by a shadowy figure known as Dr. X. However, unlike the first two installments, "Operation: Mindcrime III" tells the tale from the perspective of Dr. X, "how the story happened from his point of view," according to Geoff.