'Do You Want Me To Leave? I’ll Leave!' - Jack White On Why He Banned Phones At His Gigs

Rock troubadour Jack White has explained his decision to ban mobile phones at all of his gigs following the release of his third solo album, Boarding House Reach.

Promoting the worldwide release of his new LP, White spoke to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich on Beats 1 about how his ban on phones has been an “interesting art experiment”.

“It’s been sceptical but really positive so far,” White said.

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The singer then touched on the need for people to be engaged with the concert as he works without a setlist.

“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would. If I finish a song and go, ‘Ta-da!’, and it’s crickets, I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do now’. Am I supposed to play a heavier song, a faster song? Do you want me to play acoustic? Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave!"

“What I don’t like is, ‘Is that how they really feel, or are they just not even paying attention because they’re not engaged… because they’re texting?”

As NME reports, In January, White announced that he would be using the app Yondr to electronically lock all phones and recording devices on his album tour.

Check out the full clip below.