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Is it ever acceptable to wear shorts at a gig?
- Thread starter Rod Barchetta
- Start date
It all depends on what the band leader will allow. If you’re allowed to, are in decent shape, and you have the legs for it, by all means wear shorts. At sixty four years of age, I’m not wearing shorts on stage.
I dont understand who makes these rules or why we are supposed to think it matters.
My post was a joke.
It's all about preference and perspective, and I respect that. We obviously don't agree.
To me he looks like someone I would cross the street to avoid so he wouldn't hit me up for a dollar.
Wearing shorts on stage is just about the dorkiest look you can have.
Check with your bandleader. If it’s OK with that person, go for it!
I love playing fretless. I now have unlimited wrong notes.
I love playing fretless. I now have unlimited wrong notes.
The metal community and our army of camo cut off shorts disagrees with you.
So Anyway, I never wear shorts to a gig. If you're outdoors, you'll avoid insect bites, etc. Plus I want to differentiate myself from the audience and let them know I appreciate the chance to be on stage. Look sharp, play sharp.
And these guys....
And these guys...
And these guys...
Never wore shorts.
And these guys....
And these guys...
And these guys...
Never wore shorts.
Angus Young seems to think it's OK to wear 'em and it's never held him back plus I ain't heard any complaints about his dress code over the years so I would think he would say a big fat yes!
I wouldn't "put" the singer in anything, any more than I'd tell anyone else what to wear. If she wants to wear long pants, that's her decision. I wore long pants or a jumpsuit on stage for many years because the last thing I wanted was to be hired by the kind of people who would hire me for reasons that had nothing to do with how I played music.
If it’s against the rules, nobody told AC/DC.
In italy we gig in shorts all the time.
In italy we gig in shorts all the time.
A little side note, here. I agree with almost everything you say (on just about every subject) and I want to amplify: I am not the kind of control freak who would want to tell anyone what they can and can't wear.
That said, there are certain situations where the band does have a say in what clothes are worn.
I want to be clear: I am not talking about denigrating a person by say ... telling them they MUST where bikini bottoms (or a banana hammock) on stage when everyone else in jeans and T-shirts.
In our band, back in the 80s (I can't believe I'm about to admit this) one had to be willing to wear some leather (or leather-looking, if they had "animal objections") and some spandex (preferably pants, to be fair). It was our "uniform".
So, I guess I could see a situation where an entire band has decided to wear Speedos© (WHY?!?!?!?!) and insisted ANY MEMBER - not just a female - be willing to "jump on in with the team for the big win" (I apologize. I watched "Full Metal Jacket", amongst others on Monday).
There are certainly situations where a band uniform is mandated by management, and in that situation hopefully you know what you're getting into (no pun intended) before you sign the contract. I suppose in that sense the whole band has been "put into" some sort of outfits. In general though it's pretty much up to me to decide if I'm going to wear short dresses or something else.
Nowadays I'm an old lady with great legs and I think it's kind of funny and fun to be age inappropriate in a tasteful way, so I'm happy to show those off. But I'm also running little risk at my age of being hired as eye-candy
