Dylan came to Fort Myers "recently" (quotes because I don't remember when, but it was within the last 5 or so years, I think. Maybe he was here twice. Who knows; I've lost count with some of the bigger named artists) and that was the first time I heard of the pouches. I understand the wanting smart devices put out of sight, but I also didn't feel the need to spend over 200 dollars to sit in the last row of the cheap seats in the arena he was playing in. So I didn't go.
I've gone to concerts where people around me were filming the entirety of the show. It was distracting as all hell because you're trying to have a chill time and someone in your sight line has their phone up and recording. Yes, I am guilty of recording snippets myself, but I use them to make a 2-4 minute compilation video for my blog. I'm not using the videos for playback purposes on the little screen; I'm using them to help speak about the quality of the band I had seen. I've also skipped recording all together and just enjoyed the audio view. It's not necessary to have the phone out all the time.
I went to see the Indigo Girls in May. People had their phones out, recording most of the concert. What I really disagreed with, was the fact they were charging a fair good amount to attend, and one of their guest musicians ended up live streaming the entire concert on Twitch. For free. Why pay money "to be there in person" when you can "attend" a live stream on your couch? It's fun to go and be part of a crowd, but you can't post "please don't record" signs and let your musical guests live stream at the same time and not make a dime from it. It feels contradictory.
Back to Dylan - sorry, I got off topic. Some of his songs are great, some are not. He's trying to stay relevant even though his time has been up for a while. There's a reason he's been on multiple "never ending tour"s. The phones going in the pouches can be a necessity for him, but I can agree with the statements of "why". Especially if you're there with your partner and you've got a babysitter at your house. Forget this is Dylan and people have a slight dislike. Imagine it's someone else. The babysitter has an emergency and needs you and you don't have anyone else in your family who can answer the call. Now you have to take your vibrating pouch to the area where you're allowed to accept the call and you miss it. Then what? Sure, that can be rare, but it can happen. I can also agree with the train thing though - I almost missed the last train when I saw Elton John in Boston back in 2004 because he ran over. Great long show, but I had to high tail it out at the end and missed an encore because of how late he ran (I knew the train schedule but didn't anticipate a 3 1/2 hour show). I had a flip phone and a regular watch at the time. That I kept off and in my pocket the whole time.
People can use their smart watch now to record audio, which could be the reason Dylan wants them in a bag. On your wrist, it'd be right shit audio because it'll pick up everything (and honestly, nothing beats actual soundboard recording for live events), but the capability is there to do voice memos. I've attempted to record interviews that way. It's easy in a pinch, because it syncs to your phone and you can actively monitor the input on the phone screen when needed, but it's not completely practical. Also, I don't know about most smart watches, but the Apple watch has "theater mode", where you can select this option and every time you move your hand, the screen stays dark.
I once saw Dylan live with Willie Nelson back in 2004. Shitty opening acts for both of them. Willie was cool and Bob was interestingly meh. There wasn't that big of a crowd for this series. I think it was because it wasn't promoted properly. However, It was an experience I won't forget because I got the tickets for free and asked my uncle if he was interested in going with me. He did, and I'm appreciative of that because it was something I got to share with him before he passed away. I also am glad I didn't record the concert. It wasn't necessary.
