Yes, Grouplove has passed the live music test. And I have to give a special thanks to my cousin Matt for winning our Metro/Bears/Packers bet and wisely selecting to see Grouplove as his first concert at Metro.

Ever since Matt picked the show I’d been digging Grouplove’s tunes on their debut release Never Trust a Happy Song, a unique and clever mix of upbeat indie-pop, rock, folk and groovy songwriting with some Beach Boys Pet Sounds melodies and rhythms tossed in.

And in the days leading up to the show my curiosity grew and a whole bunch of questions started bouncing around in my head.

I wondered how they would transfer the energy of the songs to the stage.

I wondered how the fans would embrace the band live at this very early stage in their career.

Would the band’s chemistry be developed enough to captivate and amaze?

Would fans get emotional?

Would it be the same as the Gayngs and Ra Ra Riot show?

Well, Grouplove certainly brought the goods.

And fans did spread the love and feel-good vibes on many levels.

And with the sold out Metro just about ready to burst, the quintet charged through their set with reckless abandon.

During the show I saw many fans like the ones above hugging and lovin’ on each other in many creative ways.

Some were arm-locked, while other fans were locking other body parts during the whimsical surging anthem “Itchin’ on a Photograph,” the summertime gem “Naked Kids” and especially the encore crowd-pleaser “Colours.”

Experiencing all of this for over an hour made it hard to believe that Grouplove had been together for barely a year.

And the band wasn’t shy about their lack of live show inexperience either. They declared graciously several times that this was their largest headline crowd to date.

It was a most joyous and beautiful blur.

And to top it all off I had the honor and pleasure to share the show with my cousin Matt who, I found out before the show, had not only never been to a Metro show, but had never been to a rock concert ever. Double bonus!

This was truly a scared moment, my friends.

And as I mentioned before we’re going to explore and share more as we talk with Matt about his first concert experience on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Until then, we’d love to hear what you thought of the Grouplove show, so go ahead and post your comments and thoughts below and we’ll include your experiences in the episode.

In case you’re wondering I took these shots with my Droid X2 and originally shared them via Instagram as part of our ongoing mobile experimenting. Follow me on Instagram by searching for “livefixchris.” I’d love to see what kinda of concert magic your capturing with your smartphone too.

Well, this is a fun continuation of our ongoing White Stripes experiment. Of course it’s only Jack White attempting a new world record as he voyages out in the wake of his new album Blunderbuss.

Here’s the news according to a press release that I received and chuckled through as I read the details of this strange metaphoric concert quest.

Jack White has again decided to take on the tremendous challenge of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

During the rest of the performances on his current tour supporting his new album “Blunderbuss” (which incidentally is currently in the running for the world record of “the fastest named album in history” *pending), Jack White will every night on stage attempt to break the world record for most metaphors in a single concert.

The attempt may prove very exhausting and at times even dangerous, but the results could prove to be glorious and possibly even vainglorious. White and Third Man Records are certain that the extremely scientific and intricate analysis of the metaphors that occur will be examined in accordance with Guinness’ usually very thorough methods probably, or at the very least if somebody answers the phone at the pub.

Third Man Records encourages all attendees of said concerts to please not interfere or interject with any metaphors that they witness occur during the show as to not disqualify or worse yet, trivialize the metaphor in question. In addition all concert attendees are encouraged to entice as many metaphors to occur during the show that they possibly can as long as they don’t endanger themselves or Mr. White.

Sounds like fun, right?

Well, for the most part it will be entertaining to watch this unfold.

But I think if audience participation is not encourage White will be missing out on an intriguing opportunity for concert fan crowdsourcing. And if fans are just observers and not participants in this strange quest then we might have another unfortunate Looky-Loos situation on our hands.

Jack White vs. Guinness

The other twist to the story is that this isn’t the first time that Jack White has tried to make Guinness World Records history with his live show.

As Pitchfork reports, back in 2007 The White Stripes attempted to set a record for the shortest concert ever with a one-note show. The attempt was captured in the excellent film Great White Northern Lights and here’s what happened back then:

“Ultimately they turned us down,” White told Aldrin, calling the Guinness organizers “elitist” and their decision arbitrary.

“There’s nothing scientific about what they do. They just have an office full of people who decide what is a record and what isn’t. I mean, there is some stuff like Olympic records where they have a committee. But most of the records in there-who has the biggest collection of salt-and-pepper shakers or whatever-are just whatever they want them to be. So with something like the shortest concert of all time, they didn’t think whatever we did was interesting enough to make it a record. I don’t know why they get to decide that, but, you know, they own the book . . . Maybe this will help us get the word out.”

Well, it seems that it did.

Guinness World Records have now explained their decision to NME. The White Stripes were, apparently, recognized for their accomplishment in a 2009 edition of the book. But then Guinness received a barrage of applications from other bands attempting to outdo the White Stripes. The organization realized that “the nature of competing to make something the ‘shortest’ by its very nature trivialises the activity being carried out,” they told NME. They decided to do away with a range of “shortest” categories, including shortest song, shortest poem, and shortest concert. Also adding to the decision, they told NME, was how different interpretations of what constitutes a “concert” made the category hard to work with.

All this said, White’s metaphoric quest seems more like a personal mission between him and Guinness, than a fun thing for him and fan’s to experience during the forth-coming tour. Either way, I’m sure it will be entertaining to see if White can pull it off and see if Guinness finally approves.

What do you think about White’s quest?

Were you at the one-note show? Would you want to help White with his metaphoric adventure? What would you do to make this a true artist and fan collaboration?

Rock on my friends and do share your concert experiences and thoughts in the comments below, so they can be included in a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Jack White’s Tour Dates:

05/18-20/12 – Gulf Shores, AL – The Hangout Music Fest

05/19/12 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel +

05/21/12- NY, NY – Roseland Ballroom +

05/22/12 – NY, NY – Roseland Ballroom +

05/24/12 – Detroit, MI – Scottish Rite Theater +

05/24/12 – Detroit, MI – Scottish Rite Theater (all ages matinee show) +

05/26/12 – George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival

05/27/12 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre +

05/28/12 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for the Performing Arts (Silva Concert Hall) +

05/30/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern +

05/31/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern +

06/21/12 – London, UK – O2 Academy Broxton +

06/22/12 – London, UK – Hammersmith Apollo +

06/23/12 – Hackney Marshes, London, UK – Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend

06/25/12 – Amsterdam, NL – Heineken Music Hall

06/26/12 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

06/27/12 – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk +

06/29/12 -Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter

07/01/12 – Belfort, France – Les Eurockeennes

07/02/12 – Paris, France – L’Olympia +

07/03/12 – Paris, France – L’Olympia +

07/05/12 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks +

07/05-08/12 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival

07/20-22/12 – Dover, Delaware – Firefly Music Festival +

07/25/12 – Melbourne, Australia – Festival Hallm +

07/26/12 – Sydney, Australia – Hordern Pavillion +

07/27/12 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour In The Grass Festival +

07/27-29/12 – Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival +

08/03-05/12 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza

08/08/12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater

08/10-12/12 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands

This is no way to celebrate Mother’s Day. And I’m sure Tupac and Kanye wouldn’t do something like this.

As the Stool Pigeon reports, R. Kelly fans were deceived and extremely disappointed by the star’s 75 second concert during Mother’s Day weekend.

Basic admission for the event — billed as ‘An Intimate Night w/ R Kelly (Mothers Day Weekend)’ — was $30, but at the other end of the payscale on a graded ticketing system, VIP bottle service for eight people was offered to those willing to part with an eye-watering $950.

In return, fans were ‘treated’ to the sight of Kelly strolling about the stage in Austin, TX while chomping on a cigar at 12.43am, enjoying a brief spot of karaoke over the album version of his hit ‘Ignition’, and demanding that pretty ladies come join him in the VIP section, or else he would be “up out this bitch”.

Then, as Austin360 reports:

Kelly returned to the stage to explain that “he wasn’t contractually obligated to sing — so what he had done was a favor, of sorts — and that he was there to get drunk and if the crowd would chill out and let him do so he might come back out and do some more.”

Then, as FactMag.com reports:

At another point in the night, a promoter tried to reason with angry fans, claiming that Kelly had paid too many dues to be booed, and that at a similar event in Dallas, Kelly sung for half an hour because people showed him love.

Ticketing website Eventbrite, however, will be refunding tickets purchased for the event, because promoters for the show did not state that Kelly would be hosting rather than promoting.

Clearly R Kelly wasn’t trying to attempt the same world shortest concert like Jack White. And I’m surprised no fans tried to give R Kelly a hug when their emotional expectations weren’t met and their hopes were squashed.

In the end I feel sorry for R Kelly fans who continue to stick with him through things like this, court battles and a string of ho-hum albums.

Once again, this seems like another emotional reason for fans to rise up and start a complaints choir.

Do you ever feel like you’re trapped in a closet at a bad concert?

Were you at the R. Kelly show? Have you ever been to bait and switch concert?

Share your concert experiences in the comments below, on Twitter @livefixmedia, on Facebook , Google Plus, or call the concert fan hotline at 773-609-4341, and we’ll include them in a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Happy Mother’s Day!  One of my favorite songs about a son expressing his love and appreciation for his mom is Tupac’s “Dear Mama.”

I can’t say that I relate completely with all the lyrics, but the universal emotional sentiment that Tupac expresses is spot on. And that’s what makes the song transcendent and eternally awesome. And the emotion and realness with which Tupac performed this song is a big reason why his music still moves us and his hologram rocked our world.

And like Tupac, Kayne West continues the same tradition with “Hey Mama,” another classic tribute and a personal favorite. And I love this live version.

So go hug your mom and tell her that you love her today (and everyday too). And as Tupac points out, we remember those moms that have passed on.

Enjoy the videos and stay tuned as we continue our annual Mother’s Day tribute with an upcoming episode of Live Fix Radio to celebrate and remember how live music changed the lives of moms everywhere.

We’d love to hear about your favorite mom-centric live music stories. Post them below and we’ll include them in our Mother’s Day episode.

There’s some good data points in here. But what this infographic really reminds of is our chat with Alex from StagePage about mobile apps and how we need to foster more context and meaning around all the media that concert fans create during shows. I’d like to see an infographic that illustrates that conversation.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll share your story on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Continuing our exploration of sites, apps, tools, other cool stuf for concert fans, we’ve been experimenting with the new social media bookmarking site Pinterest. It’s a great site and we’ve posted several boards for you to enjoy.

Here’s our Pinterest Live Fix collection of boards. So far we’ve created boards for concert infographics, ticket stubs, cool stuff for concert fans, live show shots and more.

But, as always,  we’d like to know what pins and boards you would create. Post your ideas in the comments below and we’ll share them on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

During this episode of Live Fix Radio, join us as we explore the creative adventures of fellow concert fan and photographer Ben Slayter.  Listen in to our chat with Ben as he shares the inspiration for the collaborative multi-media project Docufest, memories of Rothbury and Burning Man, and more insights about our ongoing “what makes fans want to rock out at concerts” conversation.

Subscribe via iTunes.

Show Notes:

Segment one: News and other cool stuff you should know about

• Say Hello to the Crazy Falling Fan at Creamfields Festival

• Win Live Albums and More RSD 2012 Swag

• Downtown Sound Chicago Summer Music

• Xylobands bracelets at Coldplay shows

• Getting Ready for Grouplove at Metro

• Beatles Lost Concert Movie

• Ravina announces summer concerts, breaks ticket records

• Indiana Inspection Rules Take effect in wake of Sugarland tragedy

Segment two (24:13): Interview with Ben Slayter.

How Do You Experiment with Concert Memories?

What are your most memorable live concert experiences? How do you use video, photos and social media to capture and share your greatest live show moments?

Share your concert experiences and thoughts about this podcast in the comments below, on Twitter @livefixmedia, on Facebook , Google Plus, or call the concert fan hotline at 773-609-4341, and we’ll include them in a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Yes, as we’ve discovered, there is a Zen likeless between the live concert experience and flipping through the vinyl at your favorite record shop.

And after this year’s Record Store Day I certainly achieved my vinyl nirvana with other live music fans at Reckless Records.

Here’s a snapshot of the bounty I scored on RSD 2012 (Clockwise):

Iggy and the Stooges – Raw Power

Tegan and Sara – Get Along (Live)

The Civil Wars – Live at Amoeba

Buddy Guy – This Is Buddy Guy (Live)

Shabazz Palaces – Live at KEXP

I’ve been working my way through each album and digging every second. But I’m holding off on opening a few of these albums for a special reason because, you know, we love contests.

Live Fix Blog Comment Giveaway

Yep, we want to share the RSD fun with you so we’re celebrating with a couple Live Fix Fan giveaways.

The first one will be happening right here on Live Fix in the comments below.

Prize #1: Record Store Day prize package

During my visit to Rediscover Records, Rich was kind enough to offer up a RSD compliation CD, Tedeschi Trucks Band “Revelator” Live EP, and a Sub Pop Mixed Nuts sampler that includes tracks from Beach House and others.

Prize #2: The Civil Wars – Live at Amoeba

We’re excited to give these two prizes away as they’re both an excellent collection of live and studio tracks.

And all you have to do is drop a comment below that includes either your favorite local record shop, RSD experience, or your most memorable concert.

We’ll pick two lucky winners at random, contact you via email and send you the winnings via mail.

The comment contest starts today Monday May 7th and ends on Friday May 11th Wednesday May 16th at 11:59pm. You must provide your email in your comment and you can only enter once. Any duplicates will be thrown out. We’ll announce the winners on Sunday May 13th.

Live Fix Facebook Giveaway: Win Raw Power, Get Along

Then later this week on our Live Fix Facebook page, we’ll be giving away the Iggy and The Stooges “Raw Power” and the Tegan & Sara “Get Along” albums.

In order to win these fine albums, you’ll need to become a fan of our page, by “Liking” us, and then when you see the Raw Power, Tegan & Sara update post later this week, you’ll need to click “Like” or comment on that specific post and we’ll pick two lucky random winners from that post.

Good luck and we look forward to hearing about your favorite RSD and concert adventures and featuring them on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

As you know, live music makes concert fans do some crazy stuff. So say hello to the Crazy Falling Fan from the Creamfields Festival in Sydney, Australia.

According to reports, after the fan survived the fall he saluted the crowd with a triumphant thumps up. And, of course, the DJ who was playing tweeted the outrageous moment and kept right on rocking the crowd.

And then the fan was treated at a local hospital. Then shortly after he tried to get back into the Creamfields Music Festival but was apparently denied access.

Again. Wow. Just wow.

Like last years 2011 Best Concert Fan Moments, this dude will certainly be on our list for 2012 in December. And maybe he should go on tour with the Dancing Guy?

What’s the Craziest Fan You’ve Seen?

Were you there at Creamfields? Have you witnessed other crazy fan moments during your favorite shows?

Share your concert experiences and thoughts in the comments below and we’ll include them in a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

It’s taken a while but we’re excited to share the news that our Bears vs Packers: Who Will Win A Free Show At Metro will continue next weekend as my cousin Matt and I head out to see Grouplove in Chicago.

To recap, I bet Matt a free show at Metro that the Bears would win and head to the Super Bowl 2011. Well, as you know the Bears lost and the Packers went on to win the Big Game.

And after a long and very careful decision process Matt has chosen to see Grouplove for his very first show at Metro. So will this adventure be like our other first time at Metro adventure?

Who knows? But either way we’ll certainly share all the details on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

Until then, check out the video of Grouplove’s single “Colours,” and this live set from their recent visit on Letterman, both of which have got me thinking about what their live show will be like as a sold out crowd gathers to celebrate Matt’s first Metro gig.