What are the two things most stand-up comedians hate most in life?
Themselves, and cellphones. I’m not sure how to fix the former, but Dave Chappelle has an idea for how to deal with the latter.
The Chi-Raq star is in the middle of a 13-show residency at Chicago’s Thalia Hall that began earlier this week; tickets for every date sold out within an hour. To avoid another incident like what happened in Detroit, and also because people having their iPhones out during comedy shows is super annoying and rude, Chappelle turned Thalia Hall into a no-phone zone.
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. (Via the Hollywood Reporter)
The pouches, provided by Yondr, are locked shut “via wireless signal” in designated areas. If you need to use your phone, “simply leave the designated zone and the pouches can now magically be unlocked.” Yondr can block your tweets and texts in venues that hold up to 20,000 seats, so if it works for Chappelle, who doesn’t want his material to be filmed, other comedians (and eventually bands) may start taking the same precautions.
Jerks who film an entire show, and never watch a second of it, are fuming.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)