LiveFixblog

What would you do if you could control a band’s live show?
Would you tell them to play your favorite songs note for note, or would you request a fresh improvisation on the spot?
Well, if you’re an Umphrey’s McGee fan, you’ll have the chance to be a part of a very interesting concert experience that gives you “control” over a show.
During [...]

That video above is evidence that something eternal happened last night at the Saul Williams show.
It was a case of my brain processing one thing while my heart processed another.
During what I believe was the song “A Penny for a Thought”  I misunderstood the lyrics in a way that surprisingly served my soul and comforted my mind [...]

Hey, unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to visit Austin, TX for the ACL festival this year but thanks to Rock and Roll Mama Lindsay Reed Maines, being a vicarious live music fan was really easy for me.
Maines enjoyed Bon Iver’s set, among others like Kings of Leon, and I wonder if she noticed some Little Things, too.
That said, I strongly recommend [...]

 
What if your first concert was too amazing, memorable and unforgettable?
Are you then set up for a chronic case of concertgoing disappointment for the rest of your life?
Possibly.
And what about experiencing concerts in unconventional venues?
What makes seeing a concert in an unconventional venue–like an art museum–so unique, special and transcendent?  
Styx to Sigur Ros: Two BlogWorld 2009 concert stories [...]

 

 
Though most of the show shifted in all the right ways and flowed to all the right places on the strength of Noonan’s smooth and soothing lyrical storytelling, a bit of tension arose between Noonan and fans who gazed upwards in awe at him from the front row. Getting a bit frustrated, he wasn’t finding [...]

 
Earlier this year, I began exploring the power of the “Little Things” with Bon Iver because, as I mentioned, having played baseball since I was old enough to hold a bat and toss a ball, there ’s one thing that the baseball taught me about live music; it’s that noticing and appreciating the “little things,” [...]

 
Live Fix Experiment Results: Miike Snow &  The Tapping-On-My-Notepad Lady
These are no ordinary Live Fix Experiment results.
What I’m going to share with you is both rare and crucial to every fan’s live music experience.
It happened to me at the Miike Snow concert on Sept 25th. 
It was something that has never happened to me before.
It was something that I [...]

 
 

 
The fan to artist transformation is in full effect.
The Chicago Public Library Sound Off Music Contest is in the voting stage for the People’s Choice Awards (Sept 27-Oct 3) and there are a lot of great and inspiring entries. The contestants  have all found a way to uniquely express their love for Chicago by repping all the myriad personalities and flavors [...]

 
There’s two things that have been brewing in my mind lately.
And I’ve been buzzing to share them with you:  
1) The Community of Cathartic Mourning
and
2) Building Relationships in Live Music 
The Community of Cathartic Mourning
A good friend of my wife and I shared this Bonnie Raitt Star Tribune review  with me a few weeks ago (the video above is [...]

Some say that with This Is It Michael Jackson will finally get the silver screen moment he always wanted.
But will it be a concert film he would’ve wanted and one that fans deserve?
It certainly won’t replace what his live concerts were like or what his final tour would’ve been like.
But nonetheless this past weekend tickets for This Is It went [...]

 
The atmospheric beauty of DJ Rekha’s set began with sensual Bhangra beats that cultivated in her mind, flowed to her turntables and laptop, and eventually manifested on the dance floor in a hybrid of traditional Indian dancehall and contemporary club grooving. In Chicago’s Smart Bar, located in the basement of the historic Metro rock venue, [...]

 
 
 
What’s bigger than Chicago, bigger than the Black Eyed Peas and bigger than Oprah?
The collective ripple effect of thousands of ”Joy Ambassadors” dancing in downtown Chicago during a Black Eyed Peas concert.
Like the rest of Chicago, I was amazed when I saw it (see above video).  And usually mobs are angry and not this beautiful or inspiring [...]

It’s Friday! And that means it’s time for live music!
Well, tonight will be quite the night (should everything go as planned) because we’ll be heading to review both Bell X1 and Miike Snow  in the same night. How exactly are we going to accomplish this?  That’s a good question. I’m not quite sure but I [...]

 
 

 
One of the things I love about Live Fix is getting the chance to talk with fans about their concert experiences. I consider it  huge honor when ever a fellow fan shares their live concert story with me.
And last week I had the pleasure of talking with one of my friends, Dale, about seeing U2 in Chicago [...]

 
For the last two months I’ve been re-absorbing  the self-titled debut album by Fool’s Gold, a Los Angeles band that blends world rhythms with afro-pop and rock. They seem to be carving out their own niche and style because their music speaks to me in ways that other afro-pop and world music hasn’t in a while. 
Maybe it’s the lyrical work of vocalist/bassist [...]

When’s the last time you went to a concert  that kept you captivated for a solid week?
Well, for the last week, I’ve been buzzing from a show I went to last weekend.
Before I go into the details, I would first like to thank my friend Sgt. Tibs at Chicago Now blog GoWhereHipHop for having a [...]

I’m trying something new with this post.  
I received the above live concert video via email showcasing modern rocker Ariel Aparicio during a live performance of his song “The New World” at a recent show at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
I enjoyed the video and I wanted to share a few important things that stood out about the video with you.
You’re now [...]

 
Heading to see U2 at Soldier Field tonight in Chicago?  Then you’ll want to check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes look from Chicago Tribune.  The video takes a look at the “The Alien Space Ship/Claw” stage set up for U2’s 360 tour. The stage is designed to make the outside concert environment more intimate and make Solider Field [...]

 
 
Sometimes there are press conferences I wish I was at, so I could ask my own questions.
Like this one at Madison Square Garden during which Billboard reports Jay-Z announcing his plans for his ”Answer The Call” charity concert set to take place at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Sept. 11, with all tickets priced at $50, and 100% of the [...]

 
Just one peek into the strange sociology of music journalists will show you that they’re a peculiar bunch.  I can say this because I am one. And it’s true. We are just as eccentric as the artists we write about (if not more!)
We are truly a strange and quirky breed.  We’re obsessive and overly protective at times [...]