Bob Dylan is famously a man of few words, but last night he gave a rare statement regarding a longstanding policy he’s had at his concerts for years: phones recording his performance.
While performing in Vienna last night, Dylan halted his performance of ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ after just one verse to reprimand people taking photos or filming him on their phone.
“Take pictures or don’t take pictures,” he said. “We can either play or we can pose. Okay?”
Yikes.
According to Rolling Stone, this wasn’t the first time during the night he made an effort to get people to stop taking photos of him. He also reportedly said something similar but indiscernible, before taking a step back and tripping over a guitar monitor.
This has been a controversial policy for a few acts recently, with some going to even further extremes than Dylan. The Raconteurs have implemented a policy that bans people from bringing phones to use into the venue. Instead, they’ll be locked inside a pouch given to you upon entry, and to unlock it, you must go to a designated ‘Phone Use Area’ in the lobby.
Watch the video of Bob Dylan’s Vienna incident below.
