In a message on her official site, which has been picked up by media worldwide, Kate has requested that fans refrain form using cameras, smartphones, tablets etc to record her show. She explains why:
Hallo,
Many thanks to everyone who sent such lovely wishes for my birthday. I had a wonderful day.
We’re all very excited about the upcoming shows and are working very hard in preparation. It’s going very well indeed.
I have a request for all of you who are coming to the shows :
We have purposefully chosen an intimate theatre setting rather than a large venue or stadium. It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows. I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iphones, ipads or cameras. I know it’s a lot to ask but it would allow us to all share in the experience together.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Respectfully yours,
Kate.
Sounds perfectly reasonable to us! It would be a shame to be confronted with a sea of screens during such an intimate theatre experience.
UPDATE: Media reaction has been surprisingly HUGE worldwide, and, thankfully, mostly supporting Kate’s very respectful request. The Guardian argues that Kate is making “a valiant stand in the battle of transcendence v smartphones” here. More media reaction to Kate’s request:
Irish Independent | The Telegraph | The Guardian | Rolling Stone | BBC |
davidly
I find this comforting.
Carl
This is really thoughtful of her. She knows that the real fans won’t want to watch her through a screen. I certainly won’t. And i won’t be taking any pictures once the show starts. I’ve no doubt that it will be released on DVD/BluRay (as it would be intelligent from a business perspective and a real shame not to).
NJ Morgan
I totally agree. The use of mobile devices in shows is infuriating and plain bad manners. Why bother when there will no doubt be a DVD of the show (a complete recording this time please Kate!). Sadly however, I don’t have much confidence that concert goers are going to take much notice of Kates’s plea :0( At some point in future, drastic measures will need to be taken on this issue.
neil
Some will they cant help themselves…..idiots,You can never catch the excitement of the moment but they will try ,miss being in the moment and regret it forever Just hope they dnt spoil it for the rest of us
masanori
“Sounds perfectly reasonable to us!” Love this! BTW Who is in “us”?! Count me in!!
davie
Hoorah. Good move Kate!!!
I wish my tickets would arrive for 5th September 🙂
Mikko
It’s great to see her make this request – someone should – and I truly hope people will heed it, but I wonder… Standards have slipped very far. I was recently at a concert of Mozart’s music at the Vienna Konzerthaus, which you might think is a conservative setting. It was the middle of tourist season, so the audience was mostly non-Viennese. Middle-aged Japanese and American women were filming the concert with 10-inch tablets (twelve rows from the stage, too, where you can’t get anything with a wide-angle lens like that anyway). It looked incredibly dumb, but the ladies seemed perfectly oblivious.
Michael McA
Whatever Kate wants – she should get. Remember people, who she is and what she has done – and woe-betide anyone who blocks my view or spoils my enjoyment of the show.
Elizabeth
I understand why Kate is asking for this, but I will be taking a couple photos as my own mementos of this momentous occasion. Kate has to remember that she’s created this self-imposed exile for 35 years and that a lot of us want to have our own memory of the event. A DVD release won’t be the same.
davidly
For a self-imposed exile she sure has provided an awful lot to an awful lot of people. You say you understand, yet you will in effect dismiss her wish as unworthy, and without a doubt annoy more than a few around you.
But you will have your memory, I guess.
Michael McA
Elizabeth – I sincerely hope you will not be sitting in front of me……..
H.R. Hudson
I can understand Kate’s request to not have her shows recorded. I’m sure that after 35 years, Kate wants the fans to have a good time and positive memories of her show.