“Live in the moment”: Ellie Goulding doesn’t want fans to have their phones out during her shows

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Ellie Goulding is taking a stand against people taking out their phones during her concerts by asking them to “live in the moment.”

Ellie made the request at a recent concert in London’s KOKO venue, according The Sun. She opened by remarking on how she watched old videos of her performing before crowds — before smartphones really took off — and felt the atmosphere was better because there was an absence of technology.

“Everyone is just living in the moment and feeling free,” she recalled. Because of that observation, she asked fans to take their phones and “put them in your pockets.”

She then noticed a fan in the crowd was not listening to her request because they were still talking on the phone — so she repeated herself. “I appreciate you are on FaceTime but say goodbye,” she called out before telling the fan, “I love you and thank you for watching.”

The performance served as Ellie’s live debut of her new album, Higher Than Heaven. While she sang some of her new songs, a special moment came when she threw it back to 2016 with “Still Falling For You.”

A couple had gotten engaged during the performance and Ellie reportedly came close to tears while watching it unfold.

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