Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Musicians on stage wearing black clothes...
- Thread starter Chad Michael
- Start date
I think Faith No More got it right in terms of the amount of black on stage...
It can accentuate professional intent. Lots of colors looks like people wore what they were wearing that day. It can appear like you didn't care enough. Whether one believes that or not a lot of audiences respond to it. I've been thanked by party planners or hosts for showing that extra care. Want to get asked back or recommended?
It is a show. Yet some folks don't want anyone telling them what to do. So there's a place for them. Just not at gigs where I've stipulated the dress code. When I call folks they ask, "Is this a tux or roadhouse gig?" The pros don't care.
Jeans and a bowling shirt, 80 degrees SVT fridge, P bass at a crossroads somewhere? OH Yeah.
House Concert with singer songwriter? Black.
All black clothes, Ashbory/Glock Pre & 1000w, Avante Garde 21st Century Classical, Funk, Jazz, Spoken Word, Appalachian Clog Dancing, Cellist from the Kennedy Center in tux, two DJs, Classical Horn section? Yep, same gig same stage.
We're having fun. Wait! We were. Wait! We will again!
It is a show. Yet some folks don't want anyone telling them what to do. So there's a place for them. Just not at gigs where I've stipulated the dress code. When I call folks they ask, "Is this a tux or roadhouse gig?" The pros don't care.
Jeans and a bowling shirt, 80 degrees SVT fridge, P bass at a crossroads somewhere? OH Yeah.
House Concert with singer songwriter? Black.
All black clothes, Ashbory/Glock Pre & 1000w, Avante Garde 21st Century Classical, Funk, Jazz, Spoken Word, Appalachian Clog Dancing, Cellist from the Kennedy Center in tux, two DJs, Classical Horn section? Yep, same gig same stage.
We're having fun. Wait! We were. Wait! We will again!
Opposite here. I prefer bright colors. I play a green bass, have orange and purple cables, and wear bright yellow sweat bands on my right wrist.
Once had a front woman demand I replace my yellow sweater towel because she claimed it was distracting the audience (from her).
So now I go as bright as possible all the time.
Once had a front woman demand I replace my yellow sweater towel because she claimed it was distracting the audience (from her).
So now I go as bright as possible all the time.
Here's my look from days gone by, black clothes against a black Bass and a backline of black amps and cabs.
No permed hair there, that's all natural, just grew it long and never combed it.
No permed hair there, that's all natural, just grew it long and never combed it.
I'm still looking for a tort suit.
This is going to make lurking and skulking SO much easier and more satisfying...
I think it's just an easy way to achieve a uniform look.
I agree shorts are not good stagewear and I look down on other musicians who have worn shorts on a gig. I only wore shorts to a gig once because it was outdoors and effectively 103° with high humidity and I simply had to ventilate to stay alive.
I try not to wear all black because Im bald
If I wear all black on a dimly lit stage all the audience sees is my head floating in space
If I wear all black on a dimly lit stage all the audience sees is my head floating in space
Good, I could use the raise.
Front woman needs to step up her game.
I don't mind toning it down a little for a spotlight front person, but I'll be damned if that means I have to dress like a member of the catering crew. I play in a female-fronted band at the moment, and when I told her that I deliver rock star attitude on stage and dress the part she gladly accepted the challenge. We may both be well-dressed in tasteful colors, but she'll always be prettier and a better singer.
I would also go with tasteful black (dress slack, dress shoes, button down long sleeves, vest or jacket) if we were allowed to accessorize with bright accent colors (ties, vests, pocket squares, etc.) for the sake of a spotlight front person of great regional renown. A little diva-ish, but more justifiable. Local singers who need as much help as they can get to sell it on a local small to medium stage? Those front persons would be doing themselves a big favor by coordinating some colors into the entire band's attire.
Again, very stage/venue/music specific. Some bands don't care, their audiences don't care. The rooms I play, the clients who book us, the kind of party music and atmosphere we're trying to create, black dominant is almost always not just a bad choice, it's a bridge-burner.
Last edited:
Outdoor warm weather gigs are usually played in loose fitting light colored shirts and pants. We do many beach club type shows and we are wearing shorts. Winter indoor shows are usually darker colors with blue jeans..
What if it's 100 degrees, you are playing outside, in the sun? Black with long pants even then?
Same gig, that's my brother on drums, and our friend Kicho on guitar. We played in a band 35 years ago, it was cool to share the stage again. My black shirt has skulls and alien tentacles on it.
