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What do you wear when you play gigs?

#181
I wish I had a pic but once did a big wedding and we played the reception, the grooms dad ordered what we were going to wear. Yes, you heard right-Ordered… (he paid for all but the pants and shirt)
We all wore black trousers, a white shirt, black bow ties, and he rented us all some kind of a shimmery sequined pinkish lavender jackets with black velvet lapels. Not counting the white patent leather shoes. We all looked like a bunch of Wayne Newton wannabes's
Besides the typical wedding yadda yadda's we played a lot of 50's revue (which we were known for anyhow) material.
The affair went really well even though I felt like a jackass on the stage…
Btw, for that evening I chose to play my Squier Pro-Tone for its looks. It fit in well
upload_2024-1-16_12-27-33.jpeg
 
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#183
51PRI said:
Me, too, and that's the reason for the thread. I need some revamping especially for the Winter gigs. Also, we took band publicity pictures last Fall and I overdressed. I wore a white shirt, tie, jacket, jeans and a porkpie hat...stuff I would never wear at a gig. The other guys, except for one guy who wore a jacket over his normal t-shirt, wore regular gig clothes. We don't look like we're in the same band.



This is a pic showing where 3 more black t-shirts would have made a big difference. IMO.
Click to expand...
Ah, understandable. I would wear my corduroy hat to match my pants, but it'd keep the hair out of my face which is a negative for me. I have bad vision as it is and don't wear glasses during sets (never had contacts). Makes it so I get less anxious due to crowds on stage, and keep my hair in front of my face to shield from bass face photos since I can barely see anyways. Just enough to see the side dots and that's it. That started cause my guitarist once told me it'd be risky since I may lose them if I'm "doing it right". Just learned to play without them.
 
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#187
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#188
Speaking again as a member of the audience I'll point out how the venue changes how to choose your attire.

If you are the band for a wedding reception, high school dance, restaurant, bar, or something similar then to the audience you are basically a jukebox. By that I mean you are to blend into the background and fill the room with music to be enjoyed. Calling your band a jukebox is a bit much but close, you have the ability and duty (for lack of a better term) to "read the room". Based on how people have responded to previous songs your job is to pick the next song to be something most everyone would enjoy. You aren't the star of the show, that's the groom and bride, the prom king and queen, or perhaps the food and beverages are the star. As such you should choose a "subdued" look. The analogy of the orchestra wearing black tuxedos and gowns while in the pit at a play is a decent fit here. In a way you are still on stage and so are expected to put on a show, so dress like the "character" you are playing. That has to balance with being part of the furniture. Maybe think of it as analogous to being a tasteful piece of art in the corner of the room, people should look and appreciate the skill and effort in the piece but don't dominate the room or clash with the guests and decor.

If you are the star, as in people bought tickets to a show with the name of your band at the top (and this goes if you are second on the ticket as the warm up band too) then feel free to "play the part" and look like something from another planet. You are there to entertain, don't disappoint.

In either case your band is expected to look like you belong together. If the drummer and guitar player are in a tuxedo and evening gown while you look like you ordered your chaps from the David Lee Roth catalog then that's going to get the audience confused. Have a "uniform" of some kind. That might be the uniform of something from another planet but it works if everyone looks like they are spiders from Mars or whatever. Being "in uniform" doesn't mean everyone is identical, but there's a clear similarity. Again you have a role to play. If you are the "captain of the team" then have something on your uniform to indicate that "rank". If you are the "lieutenant", as in the lead vocal on some songs with the "captain" singing most of the set, then dress like it. If you rank as something similar to a "sergeant" or "corporal" then have a look a bit subdued from the lieutenant and captain.

I was going to give some examples on what not to do but this is getting long. Perhaps my point has been made so I'll stop.
 
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#194
We typically play bars where we can be casual. For those, I typically wear a good pair of jeans (no holes or stains, in good general condition), a black button down shirt over a black t-shirt, and black dress shoes. In a select few places that are especially … casual…, I might just wear a plain black t-shirt or a black t-shirt with a band logo on it, but I don't do that often.

In a nicer place, I'll wear a jacket (usually dark, but I do have one casual jacket that's khaki) over a plain black, white, or some kind of brighter colored t-shirt that goes with the jacket. Depending on the venue, I might wear pants instead of jeans. I haven't bought one yet, but I was thinking I might get a vest to wear over a button down shirt.

Shorts?! I turn 60 this year and no one wants to see me in shorts. :eek:
 
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#195
Jazzdogg said:
Times have changed!

50 years ago, band leaders told us what to wear for each gig when we were hired. I played a lot of legit gigs (country clubs, weddings, dinner houses with subdued jazz, etc.).

There were, of course, different standards in effect for rock and other forms of popular music. There was usually an implicit dress code for those gigs; anyone else remember Angel's Flight polyester skin-tight bell bottoms in the seventies?
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You mean like in this pic of The Young Century's from late 1971 or early '72 when I was touring with them and still had my '65 Jazz bass and Standel amp (peeking out behind guitarist and female vocalist)?
DanAndBand_800x530.jpg
 
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#196
51PRI said:
Me, too, and that's the reason for the thread. I need some revamping especially for the Winter gigs. Also, we took band publicity pictures last Fall and I overdressed. I wore a white shirt, tie, jacket, jeans and a porkpie hat...stuff I would never wear at a gig. The other guys, except for one guy who wore a jacket over his normal t-shirt, wore regular gig clothes. We don't look like we're in the same band.



This is a pic showing where 3 more black t-shirts would have made a big difference. IMO.
Click to expand...


I agree. I just don't think the difference would be better.
 
#197
Pacman said:
I agree. I just don't think the difference would be better.
Click to expand...
Opinions differ.:D
WI Short Scaler said:
Cell phones in front pockets are more annoying a stage look then whatever a musician is wearing.
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Who puts their cell phone in their front pocket?

Rip Van Dan said:
You mean like in this pic of The Young Century's from late 1971 or early '72 when I was touring with them and still had my '65 Jazz bass and Standel amp (peeking out behind guitarist and female vocalist)?
View attachment 5320086
Click to expand...
THis pic should be in the "Would you date your lead singer?" thread. And...yes.
 
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