Cell Phones as Lighters

No I am not creating a new gadget - nor am I trying to market this one. Rather I am sharing my first experience at a concert where the musicians said "I wanna see all those cell phones in the air" and I had the eerie feeling this is supposed to be like when we held lighters in the air at a Pink Floyd or Black Crowes concert? I think it was officially my acceptance of being part of a generation gap.

Some context might help I suppose. Serona and I and a few other parents from our homeschool cooperative took a group of teenagers to see Skillet/Thousand Foot Krutch/Decyfer Down this week. These bands are actually on our personal Zunes (ok not Decyfer Down) and while I would not classify them as favorites we do enjoy some of their music. We were excited for the concert and it was great to see everyone really enjoying themselves. I knew we were definitely not the demographic of the crowd but that was fine with us.

Still I have to admit seeing the cell phones in the air as if it was the normal thing to do threw me. Not seeing the phones there, not watching everyone take photos, text message or call one another through the club. All of our chaperons were checking their phones as much as the students we were with. I had a pretty good discussion about the differences between the treo, iphone and various blackberry models with some of the students and we text messaged between the groups to communicate where we were and were going, that was all normal to me. The part that was weird was the idea of cell phones instead of lighters and how normal it seemed to everyone else around me.

To tell the truth it shouldn't be strange. They look kind of similar - though I think lighters feel and look better. They are safer to be sure and they don't violate all the ordinances I am sure clubs have with non-smoking ordinances and various security concerns. As we were walking out a few of us parents were talking about it. I think I still prefer lighters for myself and I think it would have felt different at many of the concerts I went to to be waving a cell phone and somehow to me it seems less memorable. Then again who in the world thought to hold up lighters together? They function the same in many ways and maybe cell phone ambient light is better for the current and future generations to hold above their heads as they sway to their music - has to be safer.