Call them the concert illuminati.
At the very least, it can be traced back to the late troubadourMelanie, a.k.a.
In 1969, Melanie, who died this past January at 76, was booked at Woodstock.
Lighters up! The tradition of flicking your Bic, or turning on your cellphone flashlight, may have started with…Bob Dylan?Michel Linssen/Redferns/Getty Images
By the time I finished my set, the whole hillside was a mass of little flickering lights.
Now of course people bring cellphones.
And then somebody else lit another match.
In short time, there were areas of the arena that were engulfed in matches.
(Amusingly enough, one of the props for the funky living-room set was a fire extinguisher.)
I dont know if it was the first time ever, he recalls of the Dylan tour.
Thats what made the Dylan thing unique.
We cant douse the whole crowd.
Thank God for cellphones, Koplik says.
You cant set anything on fire.
