Should mobile phones be banned at gigs?
As Paramore stroll out onto the stage to greet a packed Genting Arena, hundreds of fans raise their phones in the air and hit 'record'.
Among them are a group of excitable teenage girls in the row in front of us.
They stand, hold their devices aloft for what seems like an eternity, and succeed in blocking our view for the majority of the show.
It turns what should have been a great night into a frustrating one.
Welcome to live music in the 21st century, where as many people seem interested in recording the band as there are those who just want to watch them.
Flashback to 2016, when American comedian and actor Kevin Hart caused outrage when his staunch 'no-phones' policy saw 45 fans kicked out of the then-named Barclaycard Arena before he even came on stage.
At the time this seemed heavy-handed – especially considering audience members had paid up to £85 each for tickets.
But Hart's stance has become widespread.
When fellow US comic Chris Rock played the same venue a few weeks ago, everyone entering the venue was told to place their phones in pillow-case-like pouches, which were then sealed with magnetic security tags to be reopened by staff at the end of the gig.
This meant huge delays getting in and out of the show – and was no doubt a headache for staff who in this day and age have far more important things to worry about when it comes to searching gig goers.
Like it or loathe it, the trend of watching shows through the screen of a mobile phone appears to be here to stay.
It has become the equivalent of buying a t-shirt – only one that you can share on social media for the world to see.
Nothing screams "I was there!" more than an uploaded YouTube video of the killer show you have just seen.
Performers tend to be strongly opposed to fans live recording gigs, with Adele, Alicia Keys and Jack White speaking out against it in recent months.
Miles Hunt, of Stourbridge rockers The Wonder Stuff, said seeing fans record his performances is an infuriating experience.
"When I am in an audience and see people around me pull out their mobile devices to film/record what is happening on stage, I am left truly believing that our species is in full regression," Miles says.
"The recordings that are made are sonically appalling and visually dismaying.
"The process of making the recordings is an entirely narcissistic act.
"It is a statement made to prove that the person making the recording was at a particular event and nothing to do with the performance taking place.
"When I was a kid going to see shows, we were searched on our arrival at the venue to make sure we weren’t trying to sneak in recording or photographic devices.
"This was because simply buying a ticket to a show didn’t give us the right to record and reproduce the artist’s intellectual property.
"And to my mind this was all well and good. It was also a circumstance bound by law. When the hell did this change?
"I despise the hideously poor quality recordings of my performances that end up on YouTube and more so, I hate that I have absolutely no control over this happening.
"So when I am on stage and I see the act of these dreadful recordings actually place in front of me it boils my blood. And in doing so has a negative influence on my performance.
"Personally, if I ever met the person that put film and audio recording capabilities into something as ubiquitous as a mobile phone I would like to give them a firm slap across the face.
"It has turned the weaker minded members of our society into pig ignorant, egocentric imbeciles.
"Venues should have outright bans on all recording devices, period.
"If anyone were to ignore these bans, I would eject them from the venue."
Mike Hamblett, who runs The Robin 2 venue in Bilston, took a more diplomatic approach to the subject.
"Mobile phones are such an expensive personal item, I am sure we will never reach a stage when customers are stopped bringing them into the venue," he said.
"My personal opinion is a few photos are fine, but if you get a load of people filming a show all night, it really is annoying to other customers who just want to watch the show.
"Also, for the customers who are filming the show on their mobile phones, they are that busy filming, they must be really missing out on the moment that is happening in front of them."
