Are cell phones ruining the concert experience?

What if you gave a concert and the crowd refused to watch?

It’s not as far-fetched as it seems. As more and more concertgoers fiddle with cell phone cameras and fidget with BlackBerries, some people say mobile technology is ruining the concert experience.

“It’s extraordinarily irritating,” says Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame. “All these people holding up these horrid little squares of bright light.”

“It’s like they’re not even there,” says jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. “It’s like, `Why don’t you put that away and listen to the music?’”

“It drives me crazy,” says singer Steve Earle. “They have their use, but there’s definitely a price to pay.”

“You never expect 100 percent of people’s attention,” says rapper Ice Cube. “You learn to take 80 percent.”

But the levels seem to be rapidly shrinking thanks to “microboredom,” a term invented by - who else - a cell phone company to convince people they need to escape reality with their mobile gadgets.