Dave Chappelle sort of missed the entire ascent of YouTube from nothingness into the greatest video library the world has ever known. He’s what you’d consider to be an ‘old school’ comedian, one who cares deeply about keeping his material protected instead of giving it away for free on YouTube after some fan films his jokes during a show and uploads them for the entire world to see. Dave Chappelle cares so deeply about keeping his material off YouTube that he’s actually pioneering a new technology at his shows that keeps fans off of their phones entirely.
Here’s how it works: Upon entering the venue you are given a Yondr case and your phone goes inside of it. You are free to use your phone in the entrance area but there is a ‘no phone grid’ and once you cross into the grid the Yondr case automatically locks itself, sealing your phone inside until you leave that grid and exit back into the area where phones are allowed.
Chappelle will be implementing the Yondr technology at his upcoming Chicago shows according to The Hollywood Reporter:
The revered funnyman has entered into a deal with San Francisco-based Yondr to use that company’s smartphone-locking pouches at a series of live shows this week in Chicago.
Attendees at any of Chappelle’s 13 sold-out Thalia Hall performances will be greeted by staffers handing out gray smartphone sleeves, available in three sizes. They are then instructed to place their phones inside the sleeves and fasten them, at which point they are welcome to carry them inside the venue.
As soon as they enter the “no-phone zone,” however, the pouches will have locked shut, preventing anyone from firing off so much as a winking emoji. Need to make a call or send an email? No problem. Simply leave the designated zone (and head, say, to the lobby bar), and, as you move past several strategically placed stations, the pouches can now magically be unlocked.
If the experiment works, it could mark a bold new era in stand-up comedy — one in which comedians can breathe a little bit easier knowing their bluest material won’t wind up online before last call.
According to THR the Yondr technology is also being implemented at movie screenings to keep any leaked footage offline as well as at concerts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve never been one to pull out my phone at a concert or comedy show and try to grab video, but I recognize that this is a problem that exists. On the one hand I’m cool with venues doing this because it’ll curb the people that steal the artist’s content and give it away for free, but on the other hand I say fuck these venues that are trying to tell people what they can and can’t do.