​If Adele could rap, she probably would have won that Grammy as well.

Sunday night's Grammy Awards made for interesting viewing, with Adele's sweep, some amazing tributes, performances, and a downright weird and horrible showing from Nicki Minaj.

Host LL Cool J opened up with a prayer for Whitney Houston, whose shocking death on February 11 cast a shadow over the proceedings, especially later in the evening, when Jennifer Hudson sang "I Will Always Love You" in tribute to the great Houston. Her death was hardly the only notable one, as the show paused to honor Etta James, Don Cornelius, Steve Jobs, and so many more. The scope of losses made the whole thing feel like a wake from time to time.

There were passionate performances -- like Adele and the Foo Fighters -- and then of course, there was that thing Nicki Minaj did, which boggled our minds.

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​It's safe to say that Kelly Clarkson nailed her performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVI last night.

Largely a low-scoring, defensive affair between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the game's fireworks came towards the end of regulation. Clarkson's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" was structured the same way.

Last week we predicted that she would avoid any lyrical flubs and strive for a safe and accurate showing.

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​So, I may not be the flag-waving American I should be, but hot damn, there's just something about hearing the national anthem that gives me chills.

Most of the attention in the build up for this weekend's showdown has been placed on dueling quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning, million dollar commercials, and the halftime show featuring Madonna and LMFAO. But before Sunday's festivities begin, a certain battle cry will be belted out on television's biggest stage; the super bowl.

Whitney Houston's 1991 performance set the bar pretty high, Jennifer Hudson created a lot of buzz in 2009, and Christina Aguilera came close to solidifying her place among the iconic performances before she forgot a line.

So when Kelly Clarkson picks up the mic in Indianapolis will she straight up nail it, or flub it?

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There's no way in hell that Berry Gordy could actually be proud of these guys.

​Last year's Super Bowl performance was absolutely awful. After listening to 10 minutes of shouting by the Black Eyed Peas, I wished I could have unseen their show (or used the time wiser, maybe to make another bowl of nachos or something).

I'm not looking forward to this year's halftime show very much. Sorry, Redfoo, but performing a la Zoolander and "prancing around in your underwear with your wiener hanging out for everyone to see" just isn't hot when you're 35 years old.
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Benjamin Leatherman

​There's no getting around it: At raves, things can get weird. Awkward. Uncomfortable.

Rave newbies often just don't know what they're getting into. True ravers -- not frat boys looking to act nuts or the randoms who know one song by a certain DJ -- follow a code of conduct, a mentality that traces its roots all the way back to the hippies and that peace-and-love stuff.

With the rave scene's rapid expansion, due in no small part to the popularity of mainstream artists like Skrillex and Steve Aoki, representatives of EDM, some Kandi Kids and ravers complain that the scene is losing touch with its roots. Yes, there are drugs. Mostly ecstasy. But that doesn't mean that your stoned behavior doesn't have consequences, and that the prevalence of mood enhancers makes it impossible to be annoyed by someone acting out of line.

So, in the spirit of our "Don't Be An Asshole" concert post, here are a few words on rave etiquette. Yes, drugs tend to loosen things up, but that doesn't mean there are no boundaries at a rave. Fucked out of your mind or not, you can go overboard. Yeah, even at a rave.

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Meg White

​Heard the news? Jack White is coming out with a solo album. If first single "Love Interruption," is any indication, Blunderbuss will be loaded with fluttering woodwinds, electric piano, and White in full-tilt gospel mode. It's pretty good -- I mean, not quite as daring as that ICP collab -- but it makes me want to hear the rest of the album and see if White can grab a hold of the dude version of the Dusty in Memphis thing he seems to be angling for, but it feels like it's missing something. Some fundamental stomp, a primitive rhythm. It's missing...drums. Oh yeah. It's missing half of what made The White Stripes awesome.

I mostly like what White does; The Raconteurs have their moments, and his production for Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, and John C. Reilly (for real) has been great. But he wasn't just talking musical mumbo jumbo when he said [of her drumming] "That is my strength. A lot of drummers would feel weird about being that simplistic."

Meg was more than Jack's foil (though the duo's scene in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes proved she was perfect in that role). She was the swing, the element that made the whole thing feel unpredictable, able to fall apart at any second. The element that made the White Stripes click.

So how about a Meg White solo LP?

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"You're not wrong, Walter, you're just an asshole."

​Hi, my name is Mike Escoto and I like music. In particular, I enjoy live music. As you might reasonably guess, my enjoyment of live music is why I contribute to Up on the Sun, in addition to co-running my own blog, Electric Mustache. It's a little crazy, but I actually get paid to go see concerts. Whether or not I actually deserve to get paid for my reviews is a discussion for another time, or, you know, the comments section of this blog post.

By my count I've reviewed 34 concerts for Up on the Sun since 2009, and I've probably been to another 30-or-so in that time frame either for another publication or my own personal enjoyment. Most have been enjoyable; a few have been amazing and a few have been total shit.

Usually, my enjoyment is based on the performance of the band or musician I'm going to see that night. That is, in my opinion, how it should be. But occasionally, external factors creep in. Sometimes it's the sound mix, or the lighting, but lately, I've noticed an increasing problem at the shows I go to. It's likely a problem you have experienced yourself.

That problem? Assholes.

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www.funnyjunk.com

​​Okay, so Wikipedia may be back, but make no mistake: The passing of the bills SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) would have a major impact on a majority of Internet users. While a free and open Internet hurts the revenue of many companies, it ultimately benefits more people than it hurts. SOPA and PIPA would mean that innovation would become more limited and creativity would be censored.

The music industry in particular would experience some interesting changes. Artists would have a harder time reaching a maximally wide audience to whom they distribute music, for free or otherwise, and the expansion of their fan base would become more limited as well. Fans wouldn't be legally able to share their favorite artists' music on websites with their friends. Meanwhile, pirates would continue to download music illegally.

The record labels are the ones hurting the most without SOPA and PIPA, yet they can afford a loss of income due to pirates considering how much money they bring in annually. Regardless, these bills affect the entire music community: labels, artists, distributors, marketers, music buyers and concert goers alike.

Let's take a look at how each of those groups are affected after the jump...

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