Imagine seeing Iron Maiden and not being allowed to record a song with your phone. That’s what fans experienced at the band’s June 22 show at La Défense Arena in Paris, where the metal legends filmed an upcoming Run For Your Lives tour concert movie.
To capture the performance, Iron Maiden made the standing-floor section entirely phone free using Yondr pouches, which lock phones away until the end of the show.
“If you have a standing ticket, your device will be locked in the pouch on arrival and unlocked when you leave at the end of the night.
In a statement shared before the concert, the band explained the decision.
“This will enable us to create the optimal viewing experience for our fans on release, and a unique viewing experience for our standing fans in Paris.”
Fans with standing tickets kept possession of their phones throughout the night, but the devices remained locked in pouches except in designated emergency-access areas.
The move reflects comments singer Bruce Dickinson has made repeatedly about concert phone use. Speaking on the Appetite For Distortion podcast in 2025, he encouraged fans to experience shows directly rather than through a screen.
“Put it down, put it in your pocket and look around you. Look at the people, look at the joy, look at the band, feel the emotion, feel the music.”
Dickinson also recalled attending a phone-free Ghost concert and being struck by the difference.
“Oh my God — the difference. It was astonishing.”
Iron Maiden has spent much of its Run For Your Lives tour asking fans to limit phone use, though the band has stressed it’s generally a request rather than a requirement. For the Paris film shoot, however, a phone-free floor was seen as the best way to capture both the band’s performance and the crowd’s energy.
In an era where nearly every moment is recorded, would you welcome more phone-free concerts?
