The "Tour" T-shirt

[two fingers]

Doh, right. I'm a little dense sometimes.

Still, if you sold bumper stickers while on tour, cars all over would be advertising your name

Cars all over both little towns!

 

[two fingers]

I like it.

Could you keep a straight face while asking your daughters to wear them to school?

Oh both my daughters like having the "cool dad" who is in a band. We played a college football game tailgate recently. My older one (13) was texting all of her besties to come by and check us out. If I remembered their names I was calling them out from the stage. It was great.

I wouldn't have to twist their arms to get them to wear a dad band shirt.

 

[Marko 1]

I think it's a great idea...

and I don't see why you'd have to sell them for any less than what you would get normally.

 

[two fingers]

I think it's a great idea...

and I don't see why you'd have to sell them for any less than what you would get normally.

I just mean as compared to a single color print. They're usually cheaper. Multi color will be more expensive cost. So we may not profit much, if any. But that wouldn't really be the point for me anyway.

So, let's say t-shirts for local bar bands sell for $15-$20. Single color prints might cost $10 (or a tiny bit less if you find a good deal). Multi color may cost $13 or $14 each to produce. But I don't think there will be a market for them at $25 or $30.

It would mainly be a fun gag.

 

[buldog5151bass]

My one suggestion. Spend the extra dollar and get good quality shirts, like Hanes Beefy Ts. It's worth it

 

[Sjobi 1]

Do it!
I love bands with a sense of humor. My wife as a Phoebe Bridgers sweatshirt where her name is written as a death metal logo, it’s awesome.

My only suggestion would be in addition to the two bars and local events on the “tour”, throw in a ridiculous gig like “Pyramids at Giza 4/20” or something insane like that.

 

[BAG]

I like it. You could include other cities and towns with a cross through them and a funny reason.

Go for it.
I'll take one please. XL.
I'll pay double if you all include Dublin, Ireland.

Do that and I'll buy one too.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

In the mid 90s, my dad's band (all dads) sold their tapes as merch. Not their own recordings, just oddball stuff from their personal cassette collections, because they'd all moved on to CDs by then. The sign said "$1 each or 2 for $5!" Most people bought two because they thought it was hilarious.

Your shirts will sell. Bribe a bartender to wear one during your sets, and you might even get pre-orders for the next batch.

 

[juancaminos]

I like it...a lot! I designed and paid for band tee shirts to wear and sell to fans. And always want a long sleeve version that said "do not arrest" on one arm and "I'm with the band" on the other! But never got around to it.

 

[Jim Kernan]

Sounds like a fun idea

 

[allen_m]

If you’re not having fun you are doing it wrong. I like the over the top graphics on front but how about leaving the dates on the back blank and then writing them in with a sharpie? I think that’d be an interesting juxtaposition of fantasy vs. reality.

 

[LBS-bass]

If you do it, let me know and I'll swap shirts with you.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

A local band did this several years ago. All local venues in the DC Metro area, none more than 15 miles from one another. It was fun and funny then and it still makes me smile remembering it! Go for it! You'll always wonder if you don't.

 

[LowActionHero]

OK, I own my situation. I'm in a great dad band. I love my band. It fits PERFECTLY into my lifestyle right now. The members are like family to me.

We get SERIOUS about playing the songs correctly. We dive deep into vocal harmonies. We pick apart the music until we're satisfied. The bar is set pretty high when it comes to that.

Otherwise, we don't take ourselves too seriously AT ALL. We do this for fun.

As such, I've been tossing around a (potentially) funny idea. We literally mostly play two venues. One is a bar in my town (as well as the drummer, guitar player, and keys player). The other is in the town where our female singer lives. But even that is only 18 miles from my house. Other than that we'll do a local festival, college football tailgate, or private party from time to time. But all of them are near here.

I really want to design a "Tour 2023" T-shirt for my band. I even want to name the "tour". I even want to have the "tour" dates on the back (which will basically be those two local bars and a couple of town events).

I think it would be hilarious. And we would sell them as such. It's not meant to be serious. It's meant to be sort of an "inside joke" between us and those who buy/wear the shirts.

I'm talking serious graphics like a Boston or Journey album cover. Tour dates on the back. "Album cover" style graphics on the front.

We would probably have to sell the for little or no profit, because the graphics and printing in multiple colors wouldn't be cheap. But I don't care. It's not about making money for me. It's the joke.


Talk me out of it.

A couple of random images from the interwebz.
View attachment 4894356 View attachment 4894357

That sounds EXACTLY like something I would do.
ESPECIALLY if it only had two venues on it!

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Go for it. We did, though no “tour”. These were $15 each for 60 shirts, printed on 1 side, nice soft poly/cotton shirts.

 

[Killing Floor]

Do it.

edit my autocorrect changed do it to donut. That’s a positive sign.

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

 

[Baa]

I have friends in a dadband, who do t-shirts (and pins, decals and rebranded wine bottles).
They have a loyal, but not so big following who buys their stuff. The fans wear the shirts to gigs, put stickers on their cars and such.
It will never make them rich, but they do it for fun, and it is fun!
I help them with shirt design and I manufacture their stickers and wine labels, so I have a collection of their stuff.

 

[H K]

It's a funny idea as long as you go a bit over the top with it. I'd limit the number of gigs on the tour to 3. Then people will naturally start to wonder, and eventually understand and get in on the joke, without having it explained to them. That'll make people giggle and I bet sell more shirts.
Call it a "world tour" too even.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

We had a big batch of band brand t-shirts made for our friends and fans one time, (several years ago) and they went so fast we ran out, had to have some more printed. We didn't do it to make money, but more for building the 'support the hometown band' mindset. Everyone pitched in and bought a couple. We saw those things at shows for a couple seasons.

I think the "Tour T-shirt" idea is awesome... I wish we'd done that! Maybe next time.