“If Jesus Christ walked into a room, everyone would pull out their phone.” Chrissie Hynde rips fans who film concerts

Chrissie Hynde is the latest artist to speak out against fans filming concerts on their phones, and she isn't mincing words.

In a two-page letter posted to social media, the Pretenders electric guitar–slinging frontwoman lamented what she called an “unpleasant fog hanging over the heads of all artists” and questioned why concertgoers feel compelled to document every moment instead of experiencing it.

“Why do people have to film or take pictures at concerts or museums?” she asked. “Why do people have to know how many steps they take every day? What difference does it make?

“You can plaster a venue with signs requesting ‘No cameras,’ but people don't respect it. It's as if people feel entitled, even though the artist clearly has asked them not to do it.”

Hynde pointed to Bob Dylan's phone-free concerts as proof that even direct requests from major artists often go ignored.

“Bob Dylan ensures that phones are sealed in a bag before a show,” she wrote. “You would think an artist of his stature could make a simple request, and the audience would respect it. No chance. People will still sneak in a camera or a phone. It's like a weird compulsion that people can't control.”

Dylan isn't alone. Artists like Tool, Ghost and Kate Bush have adopted phone-free policies or appealed to fans to keep devices out of sight during performances. But Hynde's frustration goes beyond simple concert etiquette.

“It reminds me of monkeys wanking in full view of the people standing around their enclosure,” she said. “No one seems to understand why artists don't like it. If you've ever had a mosquito buzzing around your head when you're trying to go to sleep, you will get a vague idea of what it's like to have people filming your show or taking photos while you're on stage.

“If Jesus Christ were to walk into a room, the first thing everyone would do would be to pull out their phone. Can someone please explain?”

The comments are consistent with Hynde's long-standing preference for genuine, lived experiences. The singer-guitarist, who has played the same 1965 Ice Blue Telecaster since the 1980s, has often reflected on the formative experiences that shaped her career, from forcing her way into London's punk scene to memorable encounters with Motörhead bass guitarist Lemmy Kilmister.

For Hynde, the problem isn't technology itself. It's the feeling that too many people are watching life through a screen instead of participating in the show.