Music news: Put Your Phone Down! CORTIS reignites music's biggest concert debate
Before smartphones became part of everyday life, people somehow managed to leave concerts with memories that lasted a lifetime, writes Music News Blitz's Victoria Bruwer.
Watch footage of legends such as Queen, Michael Jackson or Led Zeppelin performing for enormous crowds of hundreds of thousands of people. Nothing but hands in the air, completely immersed in the performance.
No glowing screens. No race to upload the perfect Instagram Story. No pressure to prove you were there.
Fast forward to today and the view from the stage looks very different. Artists are greeted by an ocean of glowing screens instead of faces.
That contrast has become one of the music industry's most heated debates, and rookie K-pop group CORTIS has unexpectedly thrown it back into the spotlight.
The Put Your Phone Down tour marks the group's first world tour, but videos from the opening shows in Incheon tell a different story.
The crowd? Almost entirely hidden behind raised phones.
More than just a tour name
Put Your Phone Down sounds like a straightforward instruction.
Rather than confiscating phones, CORTIS encourages fans to lose themselves in the music and become part of the performance instead of watching it through a screen.
Ironically, social media was flooded with videos showing the exact opposite.
Comment sections quickly filled with international fans saying things like, "Come to my country, we'll actually put our phones down," while others argued that expecting people not to film in 2026 is completely unrealistic.
Overnight, the conversation stopped being about CORTIS and became about concerts as a whole.
Artists are asking for our attention again
CORTIS certainly isn't the first act to challenge phone culture.
Over the past few years, artists have become increasingly creative when it comes to limiting phone use. Some have covered fans' camera lenses with stickers before they enter the venue. Others have sealed phones inside locked pouches until the concert is over.
Some have even handed out disposable film cameras so fans can still leave with physical memories without spending the night staring at a screen. Artists don't necessarily want fans to stop recording the show.
They just want them to experience it first. There's something undeniably different about a crowd that's singing, dancing and making eye contact instead of worrying whether the video is in focus. The audience dances more, sings louder and connects more deeply with both the artist and everyone around them.
Instead of thousands of people creating individual videos, everyone shares one collective memory.
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But fans have a point too
Of course, it's not as simple as telling people to put their phones away.
Concert tickets aren't cheap.
People save for months to see their favourite artists, travel across cities or even countries, and naturally want something to remember the night by.
A 30 second clip of a favourite song or a quick photo with friends can become a cherished memory years later.
There's also another reality.
Fan recorded videos often help artists themselves.
Some of the biggest viral concert moments have come from audience footage, introducing musicians to entirely new listeners and helping tours sell out.
Others argue it's simply about having the freedom to choose.
If someone paid for their ticket, shouldn't they be allowed to decide how they enjoy the experience? Or does the artist have a say in how they want fans to experience their art?
Not easy questions to answer.
A tale of two generations
That difference is becoming more noticeable.
A Cigarettes After Sex concert is a perfect example. Although the band attracts fans of all ages, it also appeals strongly to a younger generation, creating an interesting contrast within the audience.
If you've ever been to a Cigarettes After Sex concert, you'd probably notice that younger fans are the ones holding their phones high above the crowd, recording song after song.
Meanwhile, many older concertgoers barely touch their devices.
They might snap a quick photo before putting their phones away for the rest of the night. Neither group loves the band any less. They simply choose to experience the concert differently.
The older generation grew up preserving memories in their minds. The younger generation has grown up in a world where memories are expected to live online.
If it isn't posted, did it even happen?
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Maybe the answer isn't choosing sides
Realistically, phones aren't disappearing from concerts anytime soon. Nor should they. There's nothing wrong with filming your favourite chorus or taking a few photos to look back on years from now.
The problem only starts when recording the concert becomes more important than actually living it.
It's about balance.
That's what CORTIS' tour title is trying to convey. It isn't about banning phones altogether. Just don't let them become the entire experience.
The memories, if you let yourself make them, are the part that lasts.
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