In a Twitter thread, the artist details her thoughts on people filming her performances.
Currently on tour across North America, Mitski shared a series of tweets yesterday (24 February). In the statement, she recognises the omnipresence of phones in our lives whilst asking fans to be present and share in the moment together.
“Hello! I wanted to speak with you about phones at shows,” she wrote. “They’re part of our reality, I have mine on me all the time, and I’m not against taking photos at shows (Thought please no flash lol)”.
“But sometimes when I see people filming entire songs or whole sets, it makes me feel as though we are not here together. This goes for both when I’m on stage, and when I’m an audience member at shows,” she continued. “I love shows for the feeling of connection, of sharing a dream, and remembering that we have a brief miraculous moment of being alive at the same time, before we part ways. I feel I’m part of something bigger.”
She went onto express that seeing the people in the audience “gazing into a screen, it makes me feel as though those of us on stage are being taken from and consumed as content, instead of getting to share a moment with you”.
The artist concluded the statement by expressing gratitude to her fans and for getting to play shows. “Ultimately it’s your night, and I want you to enjoy it as you like. I don’t want to be greedy, I’m fortunate to get to play!” she said. “Just putting out there that sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can experience magic at a show. But only if we’re there to catch it”.
A note from Mitski:
Hello! I wanted to speak with you about phones at shows. They’re part of our reality, I have mine on me all the time, and I’m not against taking photos at shows (Though please no flash lol)
— mitski (@mitskileaks) February 24, 2022
Mitski is set to play shows across the UK and Europe in April and May. She will also join Harry Styles for a several dates in June as part of his rescheduled world tour. Find out more about her gigs with Styles here and revisit the Mitski cover story.
