'Put your phone down': K-pop band weighs in on concert etiquette

What the report says

BBC World News reports that K-pop boy band Cortis used the start of its global tour in Incheon, South Korea, to press a familiar but contentious message to fans: enjoy the show directly rather than filming it through phones. The group repeated the line “put your phone down” on stage, turning it into both a slogan and the title of the tour, which began on 18 July and is scheduled to continue to cities including New York and Los Angeles before returning to Seoul later this month.

The article says the band’s appeal has split opinion among concertgoers. Some fans continued recording, saying they wanted high-quality keepsakes from a rare chance to see the group up close, while others said the atmosphere improved when people in the crowd danced and engaged with the performance. One fan told the BBC she had even rented a better smartphone specifically to film the concerts, reflecting how important fan-shot clips can be in K-pop culture.

Cortis, a five-member group that debuted last year under BigHit Music, has become part of a wider debate about concert etiquette and phone use at live shows. The BBC notes that other artists, including Phoebe Bridgers, Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish and BTS, have also asked audiences to limit filming or focus on the performance. In K-pop especially, fan videos often circulate widely online and are valued as part of the fandom experience, which helps explain why the band’s request has provoked mixed reactions.