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Wear your own shirt?

Is it acceptable to wear your own band's t-shirt at a gig?


  • Total voters
    308
Wear the shirt on the lug in & during the gig. Get it really hot and sweaty. Sign it. Then sell it. If you've had more than one made- bit of potting mix in a large container of water and swish around a bit. Put it in a high saline mix (2lbs salt per gallon of water) with a devilishly thin spill of diesel across the top. Throw out on you driveway until dry. Claim each is a one-off for the gig and charge 3 times more. Obviously this will require the band to wear one each during the gig. Keep clean ones for yourself during the lug and gig!!
 
My opinion...

Stickers on cars? Sure
Koozies? Sure
Band shirts? Not at my own gig, but I will wear mine around the house and cutting the grass and stuff.
Hats? Same as shirts

I would not wear my own band's T shirt around town, at home, or in general in public. That seems to border on narcissism. MAYBE mowing the lawn since that's not exactly public and I need something to keep sun off me and soak up sweat. I also wouldn't put my band bumper sticker on my car. I prefer non-descript in my vehicular presence-- no bands, politicians, causes, little stick people, stickers stating that I heart a particular breed of dog, none of it.

I WOULD in theory wear my band's t-shirt at my band's gig (though in actuality I don't).

This is a proper place to promote your band-- at your band's gig, surrounded by your band's logo on a drum set, with the name on the marquee (if there's a marquee), with your band's banner hanging behind the stage, in front of many of your friends. If there's one place it's okay to advertise a store with it's logo, it's IN THE STORE, during business hours. People are there specifically to patronize the store. You get upset when you see the Walmart logo in Walmart? Or the Guitar Center logo in Guitar Center?
 
Acceptable? What are we? Conformists? Anything you do that doesn't involve the suffering of others is acceptable. Wear your shirts. It's good advertising. NEVER be concerned with others' opinions of you. Others are jerks. This is a world full of very vocal jerks, and the nice people mostly don't offer up opinions on stuff that's none of their business.

Wear the shirts. Don't wear the shirts. Pay busty strippers to wear your shirts. Whatever makes you happy is fine with me.
^The voice of reason!
 
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I don't. I play with a guy who does. Whatever floats your boat, but I don't. I also wouldn't wear a band t-shirt for any famous band, but might for a friend's band, or a different band I am a member of, or other unknown/underground band. But nowadays I don't wear t-shirts to gigs anymore at all, so in a way, problem solved.
 
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Wearing it to promote your band, or wearing it ironically, that's totally cool. Wearing it because you are your own number one fan? Probably uncool, but eh, so what? Those people aren't self-aware enough to recognize the issue.

I say if you're in a local cover band or weekend warrior it's fine. If you've already made it, (like Metallica) it's fine. In between, you're more worried about your image, so do what you think is cool.
 
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Our drummer cut the sleeves off his and wears it at gigs all the time. He's the only one. I wear my band merch when I'm out and about, but never on stage unless specifically requested. We did have a "band merch" night when we got a new batch of shirts to sell and we all wore our "Redhead" shirts. Was the BL's idea, not mine! Smile for the camera, Bunk:

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Years ago I saw the great drummer Elvin Jones with his band Jazz Machine. Elvin had endosement deals with both Yamaha (drums) and Zildjian (cymbals). His entire band (including himself) wore T-shirts with the words "Jazz Machine" on the front. At set break, his wife handed out clean shirts. One set the shirts had Yamaha logos and the other set they had Zildjian logos.


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Ravi Coltrane and Elvin with matching shirts:

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If Elvin's doing it, it's cool ;)
 
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