It depends on your gig/band image I guess, and how comfortable you are with shorts. Some people look great in shorts. I'm too self-conscious and have ghost-white skin, but honestly, who cares what you wear? And if you're in a punk or indie band or something like that, anything goes when it comes to clothing, from what I've seen.
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Wearing shorts on stage.
- Thread starter invader3k
- Start date
I usually just check to see what the other guys are wearing and dress like them. Yeah I wear a funny hat. I don't want the audience to be blinded by my slick head. Don't laugh. When you are in your 60's you may be the same way.
Anyway, I've never worn shorts on stage and never will. I don't want to take on the liability of someone being blinded by the reflection off my legs.
Generally speaking, I from the 'no shorts' school of performance.
Bottom line is, you want to look like you are in the band.
If you step off the stage and can look like everyone else and blend in as an audience member, you missed the mark. People from a distance should be able to point you out and remark, "Oh, that guy/girl is in the band"
So, if you are gigging for a crowd dressed in business casual and you have on shorts, you hit the mark.
If the crowd is all wearing shorts, you missed it.
Addendum: My wife just pulled up a photo of us gigging a few summers ago and there I am in shorts and so is the crowd. Oh well, I still have goals.
Bottom line is, you want to look like you are in the band.
If you step off the stage and can look like everyone else and blend in as an audience member, you missed the mark. People from a distance should be able to point you out and remark, "Oh, that guy/girl is in the band"
So, if you are gigging for a crowd dressed in business casual and you have on shorts, you hit the mark.
If the crowd is all wearing shorts, you missed it.
Addendum: My wife just pulled up a photo of us gigging a few summers ago and there I am in shorts and so is the crowd. Oh well, I still have goals.
I wear shorts to most gigs we play, but keep in mind the music we are doing is just dance and party music. A very "in-formal" crowd. Now, when we do a wedding we always ask the bride and groom what they prefer the band to wear. We have all had to rent tuxedos before. I also work in a professional office environment, so my closet already has slacks, nice shirts, and clothes for all type of occasions. So, I dress for the gig. 95% of the gigs are whatever goes, 4% are corporate "normal" dress, and 1% formal "make sure it's dry cleaned and pressed".
I would never wear shorts to a gig, or a hat, or sunglasses or a wife beater shirt or sandles or flip-flops, or even sneakers for that matter.
But it all depends on the venue and the type of band you are in.
But it all depends on the venue and the type of band you are in.
Personally, I think bands look dorky when they are wearing cargo shorts, big white sneakers, and baseball caps. It doesn't matter where you live or what the weather is like, it looks very uncool and "unrock". Like a previous post said, you want to look like you are in a band. Not like you are shopping at Wal-Mart on a Saturday. A lot of hardcore and metal bands wear shorts and pull it off. Henry Rollins pulled it off. But most don't.
For the record, Angus is not just wearing shorts. He's wearing a full schoolboy's uniform (backpack included).
"Always dress better than your audience". Steve Martin
For the record, Angus is not just wearing shorts. He's wearing a full schoolboy's uniform (backpack included).
"Always dress better than your audience". Steve Martin
I am guilty. I was at a jam thing on Sunday afternoon. Also, I am running out of things that fit (everything becoming too big!) So, I'm not proud of it but it's me wearing shorts (and playing my Sterling SUB.)
Now that I think about it, I'd rather see the band in shorts than wearing some stupid hat that so many think should be part of the bass players wardrobe.
There, I said it !!!!!
Those dumbass hipster hats (porkpie, fedora, etc.) don't make you look cool, they make you look like a Dork!
(man, it feels good to finally get that off my chest)
We should start a club. I bet I'm the only bass player within 50 miles who doesn't wear a stupid hat to play. Tommy Shannon started that crap. And if I ever meet him I will yank that thing off his head. (Great player though he is.)
Shorts? If it's a casual gig, outdoors, and it's really hot, go for it. Wearing anything but playing a pool party would probably look ridiculous.
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shorts, cargo shorts etc are just fine.
So long as we dont go back to the funk-punk early 90's and have bassists start showing up in spandex bike shorts!
personally I was as skater and a bike messenger for years. So half my pants end up cutoff at teh knee as soon as it gets hot.
Besides, gotta show off my tats!
So long as we dont go back to the funk-punk early 90's and have bassists start showing up in spandex bike shorts!
personally I was as skater and a bike messenger for years. So half my pants end up cutoff at teh knee as soon as it gets hot.
Besides, gotta show off my tats!
Huh? If memory serves temps here in Wisconsin last week were in the 40's and you still had to wear shorts?
