For the entirety of his storied career, Jack White has remained a steadfast champion of rock and roll. Since his debut with The White Stripes, he has been viewed as a vital force in preserving the genre’s integrity. While his influence has only grown, his commitment to the live music experience has led him to implement a strict “no phone” policy at his shows—a bold move he initially feared would be short-lived.
In a recent conversation with Vulture, White opened up about the origins of this policy and his initial skepticism regarding its longevity. “I thought it was something that we would be able to do for about two weeks,” he admitted. “It would be almost like an art project and then people would quickly be upset. You’ve taken their favorite thing out of their hands. That’s not a diss or anything—this is what life has become. Or their most reliable thing in their hands. Let’s put it that way. So I thought, for sure, this would be two weeks tops and we’d be back to whatever.”
Contrary to his expectations, the policy has remained in place for years, met with overwhelming positivity from concertgoers. White notes that the only resistance he encounters typically comes from those who have yet to experience a show without the distraction of a screen.
The musician finds the most rewarding aspect to be the stories shared by fans who have rediscovered the art of conversation in his absence of digital interference. “I love the stories that people tell me like, ‘Between the warm-up band and you guys, I started talking to a stranger next to me about music!'” White shared. “It was like before phones, but it was along the lines of, ‘Do you have this record?’ ‘Yeah, I’ve got that record. I saw those guys are coming to town next week. I’m going to go check them out.'”
