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Stage Apparel - What's On Your "No" List?

#261
macribas said:
A couple of years ago I went to see Boston, one of my favorite bands.

They just didn't look they were in the same band! Check the picture out:
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In this picture, some of the no-no's I have noticed on this thread:
- Drummer wore a baseball cap backwards
- Tom Scholz wore cargo shorts and high socks
- Singer looked like he came straight from work (T-Shirt)
- Lady bassist with a grandma dress (well, maybe shorter)
- Michael Sweet in his hard rock dressed-up outfit, vest and long sleeve shirt, didn't look bad at all, but doesn't belong
The other guitar player, not in the picture, didn't look bad either.

All this to say I don't really care about how a musician looks. Especially given that fashion is an acquired taste and frankly, not all of us have it. I know a lot of great musicians that don't have a clue about getting dressed. And vice-versa: lots of hip-looking bands that do not make music that I care about.

I am surprised that there is a "dress code" for those things. I mean, one of the good things about being a musician is not having to dress up to go to work. I just found out that many people think it is not cool to wear t-shirts on a stage. That's a bummer.

I believe that in the end this is all very personal, therefore I should know what works for me, that is what I feel comfortable wearing. Here's my controversial no-no item: short-sleeve button-down shirts, especially the plaid ones. I know a lot of people wear them on stage, but to me it just doesn't look good. Oh, and I won't wear polo shirts on stage either.

Cheers!
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Tom Scholtz went to MIT. That gives him an automatic geek nerd pass in my book. Plus he has 35 patents more than I have. Socks and sandals would not have surprised me with that guy.
 
#262
Gopherbassist said:
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My official policy in life as a whole, not just on stage, is to never waer these or anything that resembles them. I had my sister and brother in law try to convince me of the virtues of the flip flop the other day. My tennis shoes are superior in every concievable way.
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Flip flops are great if you want to be practically barefoot but protect your feet from the hot ground. Theyre great for the beach! But definitely not on stage.
 
#264
I had my sister and brother in law try to convince me of the virtues of the flip flop the other day. My tennis shoes are superior in every concievable way.
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Clearly your sister and brother-in-law have never had a bandmate roll a 150-lb case of power amps over their toes. I would never go anywhere near a stage with my feet less than totally covered.
 
#266
macribas said:
I mean, one of the good things about being a musician is not having to dress up to go to work.
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On the contrary. Being a musician to me means you get to dress up!

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If i showed up at work the way that I often dress on stage, I'd be fired (my day job is at a very boring engineering firm populated by boring engineering types). Not immediately, but they sure as heck wouldn't send me out to meet clients or want me at conventions. If they needed to trim the fat, and I was dressing like I do on stage, I'd be the first to go...

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#267
pklima said:
I suppose you don't always "have to" dress up to go to work as a musician (unless the gig requires a tux or something), but when your work involves large numbers of people paying attention to you and looking at you, it's just a good idea.

I have nothing against wearing T-shirts on stage, but they must look obviously better than the T-shirts the audience is wearing.
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We are sympatico, my brother. You're a fairly opinionated guy, as I've gathered on this board, but I always seem to agree with you.

I always say that I like to look better then pretty much anyone in the audience. I always think that if I'm gonna have a ton of eyeballs focused on me, I'd better give 'em as good of a show as I can, and part of that is the visual aspect of the show - clothes, props, lights, etc. Besides, every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man...
 
#268
The great fallacy that many people assume is that "It's all about the music," and nothing else (i.e. how you look, how you act, etc.) really matters.

It's not. A live musical performance is a multi-dimensional event. Music is only one of many dimensions. Those who choose to ignore any of the dimensions limit themselves. Those who pay attention to multiple dimensions put themselves in a better position to succeed (for whatever definition "success" has for them) than those who don't.

That said, T-shirts, cargo shorts, & flip-flops may very well be a valid "look" for some bands. It can be a well-thought-out part of the overall presentation. For most, though, it just comes across as sloppy and lazy.
 
#270
There are plenty of great musicians who's wardrobe and stagewear ideas DR affected. Doesn't diminish the stage wear at all, works for some acts.

Here's Junior Brown, It ain't bragging, he can play it to the hilt. (The little Mack Bulldog would be nice fixed up, always liked that design.)

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#271
Onstage fashion no-nos.

1) Shorts (unless it's outdoors and very hot)

2) Jean shorts (never ok.... period)

3) Straw hats (look ridiculous, unless you are on Hee Haw.. wait.. they look ridiculous then too)

4) Speedos (self explanatory)

5) All black (unless you're Johnny Cash... all black looks like youre trying too hard)
 
#272
I'm torn because I break some of the rules. (see avatar)

I'm 53 but play in an alternative cover band

I shave the head because if I grew out the hair I'd look like an eccentric mad scientist. I used to have a goatee/mustache thing, but EVERYBODY looks like that in Wisconsin now. It's a full beard but cropped and kept short. I wear prescription, progressive lens sunglasses because I can't see without them. I'm short. I wear my Ric and Metro HPJ high so they kinda cover my upper body. Black button shirts over over black t shirts. Sometimes I wear my black TB bass clef shirt under my button down. Another no-no I guess.

I'm just trying not to look like the old guy in the band. Hell I move around more than te rest of them anyway :)
 
#277
I never owned a pair of uncomfortable shoes until I bought a pair for my wedding. It was between two choices, and I chose the uncomfortable pair because they looked great. Stage attire is the same way to me. I'm in a rock band, and just can't do shorts or sandals on stage. Sorry, it just doesn't rock. and we rock. I get a lot of mileage out of a black v-neck and jeans with beat ass black cap-toes. Love the cap-toes.

If I had my druthers, it'd be shorts and bare feet 24-7 in my world, but that's the way life goes unless I move to the Caribbean. and yes, cargo shorts. because I forget stuff unless I know I have it in my pocket, dig? (;

I must say I had a fun night when I wore a black T that simply read "marriage is so gay", but I usually try to be a bit more backline than out front.
 
#278
ustabawannab said:
I'm torn because I break some of the rules. (see avatar)

I'm 53 but play in an alternative cover band

I shave the head because if I grew out the hair I'd look like an eccentric mad scientist. I used to have a goatee/mustache thing, but EVERYBODY looks like that in Wisconsin now. It's a full beard but cropped and kept short. I wear prescription, progressive lens sunglasses because I can't see without them. I'm short. I wear my Ric and Metro HPJ high so they kinda cover my upper body. Black button shirts over over black t shirts. Sometimes I wear my black TB bass clef shirt under my button down. Another no-no I guess.

I'm just trying not to look like the old guy in the band. Hell I move around more than te rest of them anyway :)
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FWIW based on your avatar, that's a great look you're rockin. You look bad-ass.

Also FWIW, I play with two drummers who are both on the north side of 50, and both of them are in better shape than other musos around here who are half their age. And they get more female attention at gigs than the young dudes, too.
 
#280
The main rule in our band? Dress like you are actually IN THE BAND. There has to be something that distinguishes you from the audience. And with this ethos it generally means dressing somewhat better than the audience.

Now with the state of hipster-ism as it is in NYC (our home base), that can be a little challenging. Hipsters are possibly part of the audience at the venues we play. And hipsters are prone to wearing just about anything that could leave them looking anywhere from homeless to hippies to rockstars. They put everything on a bit of a curve.

Our response as a band? A somewhat cohesive band look where we pick clothing from a few distinct colors. But it leaves things open to the point where everyone can express their own individual sense of style. And it's important to keep in mind that some degree of theatricality is not a bad thing. You're there to play a show, and looking good on stage for your audience is part of the total experience.

As for what not to wear? It's pretty logical in our band.
-No standard running shoes (or the dreaded white reeboks). There are plenty of cool, stylish sneakers to wear that won't break the bank. Boots or shoes of varying styles work, too.
-No logo tees. This boils down to not wanting to advertise someone else's product onstage. It's not an absolute, since some music related t-shirts are cool. But there are definitely plenty of other options.
-No light blue jeans. These come across looking kind of ratty on stage. Darker jeans work better.
 

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