Dave Chapelle has teamed up with San Francisco-based tech company Yondr in order to stop fans and audiences from using their phones at his live shows.
The movement, called the "no-phone zone," gives fans small pouches (photo here) created by Yondr where they would place their phones. The pouch then locks the smartphones shut thanks to a wireless signal, so long as they're within the "no-phone zone." Not only that, but the only way users can unlock the phone from the pouch is to leave the zone.
Dave Chappelle will be giving the pouches - which come in three different sizes -- out to all attendees during his 13 sold out performances at Thalia Hall in Chicago.
29-year-old Yondr founder Graham Dugoni tells The Hollywood Reporter: "It's a huge thing for Chappelle, like all comedians: how to make the show phone-free." Graham Dugoni adds, "The deal came together pretty quickly."
According to Mashable, there has been a growing concern regarding fans recording shows. Both Yondr and Dave Chappelle are aiming to change that through the new method: audience members wouldn't have to fully give up their phones when at a venue. "People just don't want to give up possession of their phone," said Dugoni. "It's like an extra arm." To date, Yondr can accommodate an arena totaling 20,000 seats.
As it turns out, the new technology and concept came to Dave Chappelle's attention after comedian Hannibal Buress previously used the "no-phone zone" service.
In fact, Hannibal Buress was the first comedian to try out the Yondr service. In one of his 2014 shows, Buress' performance - where he kept calling Bill Cosby a rapist - went viral. It ended up with numerous death threats for the comedian, which prompted him to use Yondr's service at one of his shows in June earlier this year.