Can You Choose "Cowbell" as an iPhone Ring Tone?

You may have heard the news today about the iPhone going off during a recent New York Philharmonic performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony. Incredible, simply incredible.

The basic story is that some clown in the front row let his iPhone go off (it sounded like a marimba, apparently....would have been better if it were a cowbell) , and at first conductor Alan Gilbert (who I give major phatty props to) tried to ignore it, but then stopped the orchestra.

You can read the full account  here, but basically it went like this: Maestro Gilbert asked the offender "Are you finished?" and after a moment he then said "Fine, we'll wait." The phone rung some more, and when it stopped, he made sure that it was done, and the guy nodded, indicating that it wouldn't happen again.

Now, everyone is up in arms about this guy who left his phone on---understandably so. If I were there, trust me, I would have gone ape as well. What amazes me most, is that in all the accounts I've read, this guy didn't seem to be bothered one single bit by what happened.

See, if it were me, I would be falling over myself apologizing left and right for such an offense. In fact, I'd be so embarrassed and feel so incredibly bad, that immediately after turning my phone off, I think I would just leave, simply out of shame. I mean, the 4th movement of Mahler 9? Come one! That's got to be the WORST.  But no, this guy didn't seem too fussed at all. Never mind that he pissed off not only the entire audience of Avery Fisher Hall, but Maestro Gilbert and the orchestra. It didn't seem like he cared. What was wrong with this cat? He couldn't muster up an apology? He couldn't feel a bit of shame at all? He couldn't even reach down hastily to turn his bloody phone off??? Huh?? Seriously?

That's what gets me the most about this story, is his (lack of) reaction. Sure, it's always awful when a phone goes off in a concert, and it's even worse when it's in a symphonic piece that reflects on death and much of the audience may very well be in tears and deep in thought. But his lack of concern for his MASSIVE faux pas is what shocks me the most. We all screw up in life, it's true, and that's ok. We apologize from our screw ups, learn from them, and move on. This dude couldn't even get the first part of that right. Geesh!

Moral of this story? As awesome as your phone is, turn it off before a concert. If heaven forbid you forgot to, and it goes off during a concert, have the decency to shut if off as fast as you can, and apologize profusely, and actually feed bad about it as well. You might consider just leaving too, especially if I am sitting near you---I will give you the stink eye the rest of the night, along with confronting you afterwards, and will then write a blog entry complaining about you and your bloody phone.