We all can use some downtime in a dead zone.

To unplug. Disconnect. Leave our emails, tweets and Facebook postings behind. To be in a place where we won’t be tempted to “just see.”

You know, to just see if I have any messages. Just see if anyone tried to get me. Just see what is going on in the world because God forbid I go more than five minutes without just seeing what I might be missing.

Of course, what we miss is right in front of us because we’re too busy just seeing.

That’s why so many folks miss seeing shows at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. They’re too busy watching a screen to see what’s on stage. They can’t help but text, talk and worst of all, tape.

The recent string of concerts at Bethel Woods was fabulous, except for one thing - a sea of brightly lit smartphones.

There was the frustration of constantly peering around people’s phones to get a view of the performer.

If this is you, please stop ruining the vibe of shows. Stop being inconsiderate to other concertgoers.

And this isn’t a generational thing where we’re supposed to accept this discourteous behavior because it’s how young adults have transformed the concert experience. People of all ages are recording memories of the occasion or capturing videos they can post on social media to show off they were at the concert.

Baby boomers can’t stop staring at their phones.

One seat over from me, an older woman kept her phone out with her screen set bright enough to land a small plane. If that weren’t enough, she took pictures throughout the concert with the flash on. All she managed to snap were blurred images of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss because of the stage lights. Still, she kept clicking away.

Then it was back to tap, flash and record. I could see what she was capturing, a grainy video that couldn’t be worth viewing later.

Throughout the Pavilion, other concertgoers held up their phones to film the pair, distracting from the mellow mood they were setting. One woman managed to get a full-size iPad past security. It was like she was holding up a small television, visible to everyone sitting behind her.

It is possible that by focusing on your phone, you’re actually missing out on what’s happening right in front of you. Research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found media use could impair your memory of that particular experience. In other words, using a smartphone may prevent folks from remembering the very events they are attempting to preserve.

A few years back when John Malaney performed at Bethel Woods visitors were forced to unplug.

Before the show everyone’s smartphones were placed in a Yondr pouch. It’s an ingeniously unsophisticated scrap of fabric that resembles a beer koozie and eliminates smartphone use in places where the people in charge don’t want it. The phones were turned off or left on vibrate and kept hostage in bags, with the owners holding the bags, until after the show, when attendees set them free using a special unlocking tool resembling a kitchen gadget.

I wish other performers would declare their concerts “phone-free events.”

Beyonce told fans at a show, “Y’all gotta put the camera phones down for one second and actually enjoy this moment.”

Adele once criticized a fan for filming at her show. “I’m really here in real life,” she chided. “You can enjoy it in real life rather than through your camera.”

I’d rather not be disturbed by people trying to memorialize the moment on their mobile devices that they will never watch again.

You are paying for the live performance. Don’t obsess about capturing it for later.

Barry Lewis is a longtime journalist and author who lives with his wife Bonnie in the Town of Neversink. He can be reached at      barrylewisscdemocrat@gmail.com.