In a small theatre in Montmartre, Paris, Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, producer and rapper Jason Beck, aka Gonzales, began his attempt for the longest concert by a solo artist at 0:22 a.m. on Sunday, 17 May 2009. Spurred on by a rotating series of enthusiastic audiences (especially the 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. crowd), Gonzales continued to play throughout the night and the following day while at various times being shaved (with a cutthroat razor), eating cereal one-handed and being interviewed on TV. Determined not to repeat any songs (“I want to break the record without sounding like a broken record”) Gonzales interpreted a huge playlist that ranged from Britney Spears to Beethoven. He also took requests from the audience watching him at the venue itself and online via a live stream of the attempt. The record was eventually broken in the early hours of Monday morning and by the time Gonzales finished his concert Guinness World Records™ Adjudicator Frank Chambers could announce a new record of 27 hr 3 min 44 sec.

Video from Fluctuat.net – for more information on Gonzales’s record attempt certified by Guinness World Records, go to: www.fluctuat.net/

21 May 2009