LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE Blasts Use Of Cell Phones At Concerts: 'Put Your Fricking Phones Down And Be Present'

In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe spoke about 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): "Put your fricking phones down and be present. I haven't done this yet, but I'm going to. As the phones come more and more and more, I'm going to walk out one day at a particularly phone-driven show and I'm gonna bring a stool, and I'm gonna set it down in the middle of the stage after a song or two, and then I'm going to turn on my phone, and I'm gonna point it at the audience, and I'm gonna sit there, and I'm gonna sing a whole song. I'm not gonna move. I'm gonna do what they do. And then at the end, I'm gonna say, 'Did you people enjoy that? No? I didn't either. So why don't we be here together? Put your fricking phone down.' The memories that you're going to have, because you're experiencing this show through this digital filter or whatever of a crappy cell phone video… You're not [movie director] Steven Spielberg. Sit here and enjoy the show with me. Be here with me, because that's how it was when I started going to shows. Except for — thank God — those people back in the '80s who were photographer nerds. The weird people, there was always one or two with a camera who would take pictures, and thank God for them, 'cause they documented things. But everybody else was present. And people are missing it nowadays by viewing a show through a tiny iPhone screen. Be here with me."

Blythe went on to say that there is a particular reason he has publicly started to push back on these behaviors.

"I'm not asking for sympathy, like, 'Poor Randy, he feels bad.' But, yeah, the relationship is missing," he explained. "And I want a relationship with the audience. Because the harder you go, the harder I'm gonna go. The more you look at the phone, the more I wanna sit on a stool and film you. And it's gonna happen one day."

Asked if he has considered banning the use of cell phones at LAMB OF GOD concerts, similar to what TOOL has done, Randy said: "I thought about it. My band probably wouldn't be down with it. I'd be totally great if they were no cell phones. Because these things, they are warping the shape of our reality in a horrific way across the board.

"I'm not a Luddite, I am not anti-technology — clearly we are using it right now — but I think it would behoove us to step back and examine our relationship with technology and see what is being taken from us, the human aspect," he continued. "And I'm just gonna discuss music here — it's certainly removed that human aspect, in a lot of ways, from shows at times.

"I'm certainly not, like, 'Oh, nobody can take a picture,' I'm not that guy or whatever, but it's really disturbing to me how much people are missing," Randy added. "You are, in fact, missing the show. You're not here. You're looking at your phone, bro. When I went to shows, I was looking around and I wasn't looking at the band. I was looking around at the cute chicks who were there. You know what? You're not gonna get that on your cell phone. There is no 'swipe left' or whatever in the middle of the show. Get off your phone. Be here with us. Meet people, talk, have a human experience."

Back in September 2020, Blythe offered his perspective on the well-known downside of social media, which is the addiction it creates, in an interview with "The Hardcore Humanism With Dr. Mike" podcast. He said: "This is one thing that worries me for the younger generation, who are raised with these things. The 'pocket Jesus,' as I call it, the cell phone, has everything you need; it's your savior. The world is your oyster.

"For instance, I've traveled the world. I've been to every continent except for Antarctica. I can tell you there is a vast, vast difference from looking at pictures of, let's say, the Highlands in Scotland, or watching a documentary about the Highlands in Scotland — you can learn some things. There's a vast difference between viewing that on a screen and being there. It is unbelievable. That's a plug for the Highlands; it's an amazing place. But it's not comparable.

"So, for me, I'm not a Luddite — I believe the Internet is a valuable tool — but I feel it should be as the tool, a means to an end rather than the end itself. And I feel that's kind of, in a lot of ways, what it's become, with social media and so forth, people chasing likes and building their profiles and all that other stuff. And it's, like, to what end? What does that get you in the end? A bazillion Instagram followers. What does that get you? How does that translate into something of value within your life other than you're popular on cell phones. [Laughs]"

Blythe went on to say that while social media can be a valuable educational and communication tool, it can also be an immense distraction.

"When I lay down on my death bed, and I do hope I'm cognizant when I am dying — I hope I'm awake," he said. "I want to experience this; I want to understand what's happening, and hopefully I will meet it with fortitude and bravery. But when I lay down on my death bed and I think about my life, I doubt I will say to myself, 'You know, I really wish I had spent more time looking at my cell phone, building my social media profile. I really wish I had been on the computer more Googling kangaroos,' or whatever I was doing.

"I like to use these things in order to inject myself into the stream of life," he continued. "I'm lucky enough to travel — or I used to be — with my band a lot, and when we would go into a city, I'd go on Google. [I would look for] museums, or what's an interesting neighborhood here, or what's the local food. And then I put the phone in my pocket and I go. Because I want to taste that food, I want to walk in that museum — I want to see these things. And I think the challenge right now, being stuck at home so much, is there's a lot of things about my town, and I think this is for anyone probably, that they take for granted, that become mundane after you're exposed to them daily. And I'm trying to really broaden my perspective on where I live and go see some things I haven't seen in a while or maybe find some new things — try and view the world in a different way."

LAMB OF GOD launched its "Ashes Of Leviathan" co-headlining tour with MASTODON on July 19 in Austin, Texas. The trek, dubbed "Ashes Of Leviathan", also features openers KERRY KING and MALEVOLENCE.

"Ashes Of Leviathan" celebrates the 20th anniversary of LAMB OF GOD's "Ashes Of The Wake" and MASTODON's "Leviathan" albums, both of which were released on the same date in 2004 (August 31).

LAMB OF GOD is Randy Blythe (vocals),John Campbell (bass),Mark Morton (guitar),Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band have released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations and are widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in heavy music. The band's most recent collection, "Omens", arrived in late 2022, with Kerrang! noting that the album finds the band "as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever," and Consequence saying the "album will break you down to nihilistic pieces."