Back when we had the pleasure of discovering how Perez Hilton throws a Pre-Lollapalooza party in Chicago, I started to wonder what goes through the mind and heart of Mr. Lavandeira during a concert.

Well, now you might be able to ask him yourself and let us know what he says because he’s teaming up with Lean Pockets’ “Live Famously” sweepstakes to give fans a chance to win a prize package that includes a special VIP concert experience.

Here’s the details of what you, and a friend, can win for the grand prize.

• luxury hotel stay
• private car service to and from the airport
• $1,000 reward card for whatever they want
• $250 spa card
• special concert experience with well-known celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

We’re also told that ” you can win thousands of daily prizes, such as retail gift cards for stylish clothing brands, department stores and online shopping.”

Here are the two ways to get your sweepstakes code:

1. During the promotion period, visit a LEAN POCKETS® brand retailer and purchase a specially marked package of LEAN POCKETS® brand Stuffed Sandwiches with the Live Famously logo on it.

2. To enter without making a purchase, obtain a code on the “Live Famously Sweepstakes” Tab on the LEAN POCKETS® brand Facebook Page.

 Is This Contest For the Fans?

As we continue to experiment with and see how brands use the live music experience to engage fans, we’ll keep an eye on this Lean Pockets contest to see how it goes and what you, the fans, think of it.

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

We’ll also be sharing other concert contests in 2012 so stay tuned for more!

Continuing our exploration of concert contests and how brands are engaging fans, we wanted to pass along info about Fuse and XFINITY coming together to give you a chance to win a full day and night of enjoyment in New York City!

According to the contest details, one lucky winner will win:

• A trip to New York City along with pair of tickets to the concert of their choice at a Madison Square Garden venue
• A music prize pack including an MP3 player and headphones
• A gift certificate to download your favorite music
• And a pair of tickets to enjoy a night on the town at any local New York City museum or attraction!

When chilling out at home I’ve enjoyed watching several of the live shows on Fuse, so it’s good to see them giving local Chicago fans a chance to win a trip to catch a show in the Big Apple.

The contest also features Chicago band Kill Hannah but, unfortunately, this sweeps contest is limited to locals and is only open to residents of Illinois.

The entry deadline is December 26th and you can enter by heading over to fusemycity.com to fill out the quick registration form!

Stay tuned for more as the “My City. My Music.” contest unfolds and we talk with the winning fans and the contest sponsors on a future episode of Live Fix Radio.

During our chat with 14 year-old singer-songwriter Kate Diaz she told us how her time at the Berklee College of Music, which included playing Lollapalooza for the first time, was an inspiring moment in her young musical career.

And now until March, the Berklee College of Music will be hosting auditions for 2012′s scholarship contest in Chicago and in other cities as part of their world tour. Here’s more info on the Lollapalooza scholarship:

The college hopes the Berklee Lollapalooza Scholarship – a four-year, full tuition award – will attract a caliber of artist who might one day play the festival. A student who is not only a talented musician, but also a complete artist with a unique sound, charisma, and energy.

The application deadline for Fall 2012 is January 15. The first recipient will be chosen in March and announced at Lollapalooza 2012. As part of the partnership, a Berklee student artist will also be selected to perform at next year’s festival.

Good luck to everyone who’s auditions and let us know how your experience goes and we’ll share your story on a future episode of Live Fix Radio!

We all know that road trips are a big part of the live concert experience.  And last summer we explored how good things come in three’s when combing the Honda Civic Tour, live music and concert fans.

And this summer Honda is at it again as they get ready to kick off the 2011 Honda Civic Tour (HCT) featuring blink-182 and My Chemical Romance with a 10th anniversary celebration highlighted by three exciting “fan participation opportunities.”

That said, we’re excited to share the contest details with you!

Beginning on June 15th, and during the tour that kicks off on August 5th, fans can enter to win major prizes including:

• An exclusive fly-away to Los Angeles that includes two signed guitars, front-row seats, and a meet and greet with both bands at the world famous Hollywood Bowl.
• One-of-a-kind Honda Civics that have been customized and autographed by the headlining bands, at each stop of the 40-date tour beginning on August 5th.

Honda Civic Tour Lineup

Joining blink-182 and My Chemical Romance for dates on the anniversary tour are Manchester Orchestra, Rancid and Matt & Kim.

Get more contest information and entry details at www.HondaCivicTour.com.

Get the Honda Mobile App

Yes, there’s a mobile app too.  And you can download the free (iPhone, iPod Touch, Android) Honda Civic Tour app here.

“Band in a Bowl” Sweepstakes

In addition to the above prizes, fans may also enter the 2011 Honda Civic Tour blink-182 and My Chemical Romance Hollywood Bowl Sweepstakes, which runs from June 15 through October 31.

The Grand Prize includes:

• Two roundtrip airfare tickets to Los Angeles
• Two nights of deluxe hotel accommodations
• Attendance at the bands’ soundcheck
• Two front row seats to the HCT blink-182 My Chemical Romance concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, October 8th
• A meet and greet with the band members
• And two autographed blink-182 and My Chemical romance guitars.

The First Prize features a $500 gift card to Loserkids.com, an online retailer of action sports and music influenced brands such as Famous Stars & Straps, Macbeth Footwear and Hurley; while ten runners-up will win drumheads autographed by the two bands.

Good luck, and as always, tell us about your favorite Honda Civic Tour concert experiences so we can feature them on a future episode of Live Fix Radio!

Lollapalooza is celebrating 20 years by asking fans to submit their concert stories to win a free trip to Lollapalooza 2011 in Chicago in August.

And judging by the fan stories that have already been submitted, this contest is a very special experience filled with thousands of great memories and millions of concert fans emotions.

As I cruise through the stories that have been posted thus far, one of my favorite stories was posted by Jennifer Duron. She shares a great tale of traveling with 15 friends as a teenager to see Lolla ’92 just outside of Houston, Texas.

And there’s more stories, a whole lot more — all the way up to last year’s 2011. It’s great to read these stories knowing that thousands of fans are going back in time to celebrate how the Lollapalooza experience has impacted their lives.

Reading all these stories definitely made me think of our favorite Lolla experiences over the years seeing Kanye West, Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Lady Gaga.

And it makes me wonder if we’re heading towards a better Lollapalooza experience or not.

It makes me wonder if Perry Farrell and company are really pushing the boundaries of the fan experience, or just raising the ticket prices and adding more bands to the bill? Is the festival just getting bigger and not better?

Does an crowd-sourced mobile experience like HackLolla, make for an improved fan experience?

And as I dive deeper in the fan stories and the cool interactive time capsule, I’ve also been wondering…

How has the Lolla fan changed over the years?

Do fans expect less or more during the experience?

Will fans ever push back and demand more from the festival?

Is the Lolla experience in 2011 giving us a glimpse into the future of the concert experience?

If it is, then what is the biggest difference between the first Lolla and last year’s festival?

If you want to win your way to Lolla, you still have time. The deadline to submit your Lollapalooza story is next Tuesday June 21 and you can enter here.

Go ahead and tell us what you think of Lolla’s 20 year history. And share with us your favorite Lollapalooza concert story in the comment below.

Continuing our series on cool contests for concert fans, here’s news about the Foo Fighters giving fans the chance to have the band play in your garage and rock out with tracks from their new album Wasting Light.

This contest is a no-brainer since the album was recorded in a garage. And besides that, it’s a fun way of merging the recording process of the Foo Fighters new album with the live concert experience thus making the whole experience ultra intimate and unique.

How Do You Enter?

All you have to do is take a picture of your garage and in 25 words or less explain why the Foo Fighters should play in your garage.

The winners get a signed copy of Wasting Light and you get to invite 50 of your closest friends and family to the garage gig. The winners will be selected from fans in or around New York, Chicago, Dallas/Fort-Worth, Toronto, Seattle, Tacoma, Washington D.C., Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Atlanta.

This contest also reminds me of our previous exploration when we wondered about Crowd Surfing with Dave Grohl, the personal feeling of house concerts and Blogoteque’s redefining of the concert location.

When you’re done wondering about that stuff, go ahead and enter the contest and be sure to check out the concert sweepstakes where you can win VIP tickets to the forthcoming Foo Fighters tour.

The contest is presented by Blackberry and so far, aside from the garage picture being taken with a Blackberry phone, I don’t see any interesting or specific brand or mobile element being used to enhance to the garage gig contest. But, as always, we’ll keep an eye out for news about that type of stuff.

If you plan on entering the garage contest or have a fun Foo Fighters concert story? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

Vote To See “Back and Forth” in Your City

We heard lots of buzz at SXSW 2011 about the new Foo Fighters documentary “Back and Forth” that chronicles the making of Wasting Light. And now you can visit www.foofighters.cinedigm.com to vote for your local theater to host a screening of the film, which includes a live performance by the Foo Fighters at the end of the screening. A trailer of the film is below.

Continuing our series on concert fan contests, here’s news about how Pitchfork Media and DonQ Rum have teamed up to test your indie-rock and pop music knowledge, and see how well you can write a concert review, all for a chance to win spirits and stuff!

I was cruising around Pitchfork’s site recently and was drawn in by an enticing ad to test my indie rock knowledge and my ability to write about my favorite concert experience.

I was unable to deny the urge and curiosity, so I clicked on the ad and dove in.

I got several answers right (without going to the Pitchfork site or going to Google for answers I might add, so so proud of myself) as I unlocked the first three levels.

I’m not that into drinking rum, but nonetheless I had a great time escaping into the game’s fun music trivia pop-quiz diversion.

And what was most exciting was that after I unlocked various stages answering questions about The Arcade Fire, LCD Sound System and others,  I was presented with the opportunity to write about my favorite concert experience (as noted below), and then click submit for the judges to rate my concert review.

Like many advertisements and interactive experiences, this one is engaging and fun to play, but it doesn’t make me want to go buy DonQ rum.  It’s not as cool as AXE’s or Scion‘s contest, but it still does do a decent job associating the thrill of live music and obsessiveness of  indie-rock fans with the DonQ brand.

So maybe the next time you’re thirsty for a swig of rum at Pitchfork 2011 or you’re looking for a satisfying spirit at your next concert, you’ll toss back some DonQ.

Or maybe this contest will get you to think twice about the connection between your taste buds and your last concert experience.

So if you’re a fan of DonQ rum or not, I think you’ll have fun playing the game and putting your love of indie-rock and pop music to the test.

If you play the game and submit your favorite concert moment, let us know what you think of the game. Go try it out, see what you can win, and drop a comment about your experience below.

Well, the fans voted and now there’s an official winner for the Shure “Give It Voice” Battle of the Bands Contest.

Congrats to Boston’s Llama Tsunami and the Without Helmet for racking up over 10,000 votes to win the Shure BOTB contest!

We’ve been following both the Shure contest since it launched in November because a live show and free Shure gear was on the line.

So with their victory Llama Tsunami has won the right to play live at SXSW 2011 in Austin, TX during the Red Gorilla Music Festival. And as we head to SXSW 2011 next week, we’re looking forward to catching up with the band to see how their big show goes.

But besides discovering some new music and sharing fun contests with you, we’ve been following both the Shure and the Jansport BOTB contests for some other reasons too.

We’ve been wondering about the impact of the BOTB contests on the bands, and we’ve been curious to better understand how contests have impacted the fan experience.

For starters, during the Regional Showcase phase, I connected with two of the finalists and asked them how their show went and what the vibe was like during their performance.

And interesting enough, both bands told me that they won news fans over. And in some cases, even when the bands were performing to a crowd with more fans of the other bands, the band with the less fans in the crowd won.

Knowing that makes the Shure contest even more interesting because the official rules state that the judging criteria during the Regional live show was based on:

(a) musical and vocal performance,
(b) stage presence and
(c) crowd engagement and response.

And if the Regional finalists I spoke with were playing to crowds that were mostly fans of the other bands, than it certainly says a lot about their ability to play live.

Now, I will say that the bands I spoke with did not win the contest. And I haven’t had the chance to speak with the winning band to get an idea of what their regional performance experience was like.

And the other thing that make this Shure contest interesting is that when I watched the performances during the final voting phases I felt that St. Bagu had the most energy, sounded the best across all the performance judging criteria. And their show, when compared with the other finalists, made me wish I was there to see the show live.

And if the final voting stage was based on the fan response to videos of the Regional Finalist winners live show performance then I wondering about a couple other things too.

Looking at the final vote tally below, it seems like either a) more fans truly enjoyed the performance of Llama Tsunami or b) the Llama Tsunami simply had a more successful turnout during the final voting campaign as they rallied their fans.

Who knows, it might be a combination of the two as well?

Either way, as we’ve been following the Shure Contest, it’s been fun to see all the bands evolve and grow during the experience. And it’s been fun to watch the fans interact and support their favorite band at the show and in the voting.

Did the Shure and Jansport Contests Achieve Their Goals? Does Everybody Win?

What long-term impact will the Shure and Jansport contest have on the winning bands and all the bands (check them out: Shure, JanSport) that competed? Will more fans discover both winning bands because of the contests? How did the contest impact the band chemistry and the development of each artist? We’ll have to wait and see to get answers to those questions.

I know we’re looking forward to seeing both winning bands perform live at SXSW 2011, and we’ll be sure (no pun intended) to report back on how the shows turn out. And we’re also looking forward to talking with the winners about their Battle of the Bands experience and passing along a few fan stories to you too.

But in the meantime…

If you’re in a band who’s entered, or a fan who’s voted, we’d like to hear about your experience and what you thought of either BOTB competition.

I’m excited to announce the first comment contest of 2011 here on Live Fix! Read on to see how you can get in on the fun, and get a chance to win an exclusive test spin of MOG music.

You already know our Best Concerts of 2010, and now it’s time for you to share yours and as we unleash our first reader contest of the year. But before I explain how you can win, here’s a quick 411 about what you can win.

What is MOG?

In short, MOG is a new paid music subscription service that I’m completely addicted to because it’s a fully personalized radio experience with millions of songs you can stream or download on demand.

MOG costs around $10 bucks a month and with their standard subscription you get the latest releases in rock, pop, rap, folk, electronica, etc., plus access to millions of other songs in MOG’s digital jukebox in the cloud.

You can also download or stream the music to your iPhone, iPhone Touch or Android mobile device via MOG’s award-winning mobile app, or listen via your computer at home.

It’s fully personalized radio because you can enjoy playlists created by your favorite artists, or you can create your own playlists and share them with your friends.

I’ve been using MOG’s music subscription service for over a year now, and after testing out other music subscription services, I have to say that MOG is my absolute favorite.

I’m a huge fan of their service, which is why I’m proud to have MOG as a Live Fix sponsor and I’m excited to give you a chance to get addicted to it too.

There’s a lot more I could tell you but that’s all I’ll say here for now, just so we can get on with the contest.

As I mentioned in my reasons why I love MOG, I explained that they currently offer a standard 14-day trial period, but for our contest today, MOG has offered a special reward for a few lucky live music fans on Live Fix. Here’s what you have to do to win.

Contest Details

What’s The Prize?

Five random winners will receive one-month FREE of MOG.

How Do You Enter?

In the comment section below answer one or both of these questions:

1) What was your favorite concert of 2010?

2) What is your all-time favorite concert experience?

Include band, date and venue with your answer.

By submitting your response in the comment section below, you will be eligible to win one of the five passes for a FREE month of MOG music.

Picking the Winners

The contest begins today February 11th and ends Friday February 18th at 11:59 pm CST. At that time the comments will be closed. And I will pick 5 lucky random winners shortly after.

Repeat responses and/or multiple posts will lead to immediate disqualification (1 answer per user).

Winners will be notified via email so make sure to also include your email when you post your answer in the comment section. No email = no entry. And emails will only be used to contact winners.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your favorite concerts of 2010 and all-time best concert experiences!

We told you about the Coachella 2011 fake poster rumors getting squashed with Kayne West, Kings of Leon and The Strokes headliner announcement. And now here’s a mega post on the lowdown about all the fun contests going on this year, including a chance to win a trip to party in the desert and help contribute to the Coachella experience.

Like last year, the contests will give fans, aspiring DJs and artistic recyclers all a chance to win their way to Coachella.

The Coachella contests are sponsored by Global Inheritance and it’s a pleasure to share them with you because we’ve explored several of the fan-centric, artistic and interactive elements represented in the contests before on Live Fix.

We’ve wondered about the memory of Coachella fan experiences in time lapse and the rise of a new kind of family vacation that ushers in the next gen music scribes.

We’ve seen what sort of things can happen when the concert experience gets interactive, artistic and green.

And we’ve examined the phenomenon of the fan-to-artist transformation, too.

If you want to take a shot at winning Coachella tickets and the right to perform in front of 75,000 fellow fans, you better get on it and check out the details of the contests below.

Here are the details of the Energy Factory Sweat Shop Mixer contest:

• You cannot perform on your own. You’ll need at least 12 friends to power all your equipment.
• Your friends will be running on hamster wheels, riding bikes, turning hand cranks, riding seesaws among
  other things to power your turntables and sound system.
• There are limited time slots, so all DJ’s confirmed will need to put down a $50 deposit. If you arrive on time and perform your DJ set powered 100% by friends or family or people you meet at the camp grounds… you’ll receive a 100% refund plus a cool Sweat Shop Mixer t-shirt that is of course sweat shop free.
• You cannot suck.
• If you’re friends are in great condition and you’re ruling the decks….this time period can be extended.
• Coachella will curate the music hard drive so you’re getting the best of the best to spin.
• Set times are 40 min long.
• If you (and your friends) are up for the challenge, give them a taste of your tunes and send your proposed Coachella set mix to: sweatshopMIXER@globalinheritance.org

Coachella also notes that the Sweat Shop is a massive undertaking that requires the collective effort of electricians, engineers, electrical engineers, energy experts, designers, web programmers, architects, movers, mathematicians, truckers or the second coming of MacGyver.

So, if you have any of those skills and want to lend a hand, send an email to: coachella@globalinheritance.org

TRASHed at Coachella

This second Coachella “TRASHed” contest is a call out to those of you who love mixing live music with visual art.

My trips to Rothbury, Pitchfork and Lollapalooza over the years have given me tons of visual inspiration as I walk the grounds taking a break from the music to soak up all the trippy and abstract art installations.

And as an amateur sketcher, I’ve mentioned before how I’ve scribbled sketches of my favorite live music moments on my moleskine so that I can look at them later and quickly get the emotional gist of the show to write the review. So I’m excited to see how this contest turns out.

Here are the details explaining how you can be a part of TRASHed Coachella and submit your artwork to be considered to design one of the 20 artist to help design the recycling bins used at Coachella. If you enter or know someone who will, please drop a comment or send me an email.

• Everyone from Hunter S. Thompson to Fugazi has represented during the past 7 years.
• There’s two rounds of competition. Winning Northern America and then the world competition.
• 20 finalists will be selected each receiving tixs and vip passes for Coachella Festival 2011.
• The “non-offensive” redesigned bins will be placed in schools throughout Southern California after Coachella to inspire the future recyclers of the world!
• On February 20th, 20 artists and 5 alternates will be selected to redesign 96 gallon recycling bins.
• No admission fee, but any bad idea or artwork will be passed along internally at your expense.
• Send links to your artwork, concept and/or website to: Coachella@globalinheritance.org

CARPOOLCHELLA

Continuing our exploration concert road trips, here’s what you can win in you participate in Carpoolchella:

• Carpool with four (4) or more to a vehicle and you might win…
• VIP TICKETS TO COACHELLA FOR LIFE!
• ALL ACCESS GUEST PASSES
• VIP WRISTBANDS
• PHOTO PASSES (get up close)
• $50 COACHELLA MERCHANDISE VOUCHERS
• GOLF CART RIDE TO FRONT ENTRANCE

Here’s what you need to do:

Participate by simply writing the word CARPOOLCHELLA on a 8×11 piece of paper (or larger -
Get CREATIVE and be easy to SPOT). You can also just easily PRINT THIS CARPOOLCHELLA PDF and place on the dash and arrive at the festival anytime over the weekend before 2pm on Sunday.

During the weekend (Thursday – Sunday), a SECRET SPOTTER will be out at the parking and camping entrances watching people drive in. At random times, random cars with 4 or more people with a CARPOOLCHELLA sign on their dash will be approached for questioning and might possibly win a VIP ticket/pass for Life starting in 2011 or one of the other prizes drawn randomly (listed above).

How Did It Turn Out Last Year?

Check out the video below to see last year’s contest and DJ mixer, to get more info on the Official Lineup, Fake Poster fun, fan forums and the 2011 Coachella mobile app go here.