Bruce Dickinson has made his feelings very clear: he hates mobile phones at live shows. In a recent interview on the Appetite for Distortion podcast, the Iron Maiden frontman didn’t mince words, calling the constant filming and screen-holding “a failing of humanity.” He described modern concertgoers as those who turn every moment into a performance for a device.
“Put it down, put it in your pocket and look around you,” Dickinson urged. “Look at the people, look at the joy… feel the emotion, feel the music.” He criticized how phones cut people off from being in the moment, saying they turn concert experiences into screens rather than shared energy.
Dickinson also repeated his wish that cameras built into phones had never been invented in the first place. He likened the devices to a “little fascist in your hand,” an ever-present barrier between the fans and what’s happening on stage.
Iron Maiden have been asking fans to respect their request to keep phones stashed during shows, especially during the European leg of their Run For Your Lives tour. While it’s not a strict ban, Dickinson stressed the difference in atmosphere when screens are down—more connection, less distraction.
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