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Thought Adele was tough on cameras at concerts? Alicia Keys bans phones during her shows

The lights dim, the music starts and the phones and cameras come out — that's what live shows are like these days. But not an Alicia Keys show.
/ Source: TODAY

The lights dim, the music starts and the phones and cameras come out — that's what live shows are like these days. Filming the event has become as much a part of the concert-going experience as swaying to the music.

However, some artists are no fans of that habit. Adele recently — and bluntly — told a fan to pack up her pro recording equipment during a performance in Italy. But Alicia Keys and others are taking it a step further and banning phones altogether.

They're not actually preventing attendees from entering the arena with the devices. But they are preventing them from using them, with the help of a small case that makes it impossible to access the phones during a show.

RELATED: 'Honestly beautiful': Alicia Keys opens up about makeup-free photos in new essay

Alicia Keys
If you bring your phone to an Alicia Keys concert, prepare to have it locked up in a small pouch.John Salangsang/Invision/AP

As fans file into the venue, security guards place their phones in a Yondr case, and that's where the devices remain until they leave the concert (or just step away from the performance area for a quick call or text, should the need arise).

"We think smartphones have incredible utility, but not in every setting," Yondr explained on their website. "In some situations, they have become a distraction and a crutch — cutting people off from each other and their immediate surroundings."

RELATED: Adele tells fan to put the video camera away: 'I'm really here in real life'

concert fans hold up cel phones
People taking photographs with touch smart phone during a music concert live on stage for the Ace of Heart tour at Sports arena in ThessalonikiShutterstock

Keys and other music stars aren't the only ones using the technology. Comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. are also on-board with the phone ban.

But audiences are torn.

“In this day and age, my phone is how I keep my memory,” one Keys concertgoer told the Washington Post. “Chris Brown. Jason Derulo. I have their footage on my phone. If you don’t want your music heard, then don’t perform it.”

Another told the Post, "It’s annoying when people have their phones out, lights blaring. They can’t stop texting. It’s disrespectful, and I like Alicia Keys."

Still others simply worry about the potential security risk that comes with denying people fast access to their phones should a real emergency arise.

Follow Ree Hines on Twitter.