The idiot in front of me at the Ministry concert thought he was being really cool by pulling out his cell phone, presumably dialing up a friend and holding his cell phone in the air pointed towards the stage. Phones in general and cell phones well inside buildings are not known for their high fidelity sound transmission. I'm sure his buddy was thrilled to hear a bunch of indecipherable noise.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind for cell phones and concerts.

1. At most concerts, it is too loud for you to hear the person you're calling or the recipient of the call to hear you.
2. If it is quiet enough for you to hear each other, then you are so loud that you are distracting the people trying to listen to the concert and you are disrupting the performance.

If either case, the solution is simple. Leave you cell phone off at concerts. If you have to make a call, go to the back of the venue, as far from the performance and attentive audience as possible. If you and your calls are so important, then you should have a silent vibrate mode on your phone. If it's really a matter of life of death, then you shouldn't be at the concert but should stay at home or your office where you can be more reached more reliably.