Iron Maiden singer blasts fans glued to phones at concerts. ‘Little fascist in your hand.’

Bruce Dickinson is doubling down on his disdain for phones at concerts.

During an appearance on the Appetite for Distortion podcast, the Iron Maiden lead singer went into more detail as to why he despises the devices so much. Much of it boils down to him believing that these devices are taking away from fans’ ability to fully be present at concerts.

“I wish the camera on those things had never been invented,” Dickinson said. “It’s like some terrible disease that people feel the need to look at the world through this stupid little device. It’s like a failure of humanity. You’re surrendering your senses completely to this little fascist in your hand.”

Before Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary tour kicked off in May, the band requested that fans keep their phone usage to a minimum. The band’s manager, Rod Smallwood, asked fans to “please respect the band, respect the other fans, and have the time of your lives as you join your Maiden family by singing your heart out, rather than getting your phone out!”

Despite the asks, fans have seemingly done the opposite, much to the dismay of Dickinson. “I also feel pissed off, because as a performer, I want to perform for an audience of people that have some emotional feedback, not a bunch of Android twerps,” he noted.

At the heart of Dickinson’s discontent is an urge for fans to experience live music not through a screen, but to allow themselves to be fully wrapped in the show. To this, the singer said, “Put it down, put it in your pocket, and look around you. Look at the people, look at the joy, look at the band, feel the emotion, feel the music. What a phone does, it cuts all of that off. And so I feel sad.”

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