What do you wear when you play gigs?

[thewildest]

Some combination of cotton, jeans, leather but, no exceptions, no underwear.

 

[pingvuiini]

 

[220_Hz]

Always long sleeves and pants for me

 

[Neil Folkard]

Some combination of cotton, jeans, leather but, no exceptions, no underwear.

Well, I seem to remember reading that Chris Squire didn't wear underwear playing live, and he seemed to do okay.

 

[thewildest]

Well, I seem to remember reading that Chris Squire didn't wear underwear playing live, and he seemed to do okay.

Owner of a lonely heart gives many hints about that:

….You, lose yourself
No not for pity's sake….

…..Be yourself
Give your free will a chance….

All there

 

[Hevy T]

 

[socialleper]

I have your sister Limited edition Spector in the second pic. Mine is #1 of 7. What is yours?

I think it is 5 or 6.

 

[BassAndCigars]

What to wear is a massively subjective question and what type of gig and what type of music being presented is going to be a HUGE factor in the question.
I was tempted to go further and make broad and unkind statements on personal style in general and the rather large percentage of people in society who have none but it won't help anything.
Too big a topic to want to dive into although it is one I'm keenly interested in overall.

 

[Pauly 4001]

Mostly black

 

[Shalto]

Ah

All black, all the time. Black shirt, black jeans, black belt, black shoes, black socks.

Probably the best default.

 

[Shalto]

I have a bunch of Wornstar clothes

Interesting, this is from what I've seen a specialist stagewear brand. It also seems to me to be very much in the rock/hard rock/metal genre. How do you like it on stage?

 

[_Tay_]

Wear what's comfortable. I sweat a lot as I like to move about and nowadays take comfort over cool looks anyday of the week.

 

[lunarpollen]

Specific style and outfit combination will depend on the weather (and HVAC situation, if an indoor gig) and the musical style of the band I am playing with, but it always has to be at least a step up from what an ordinary guy on the street outside the venue would be wearing. We're the band, we're in show business, so it's important to look the part. Especially if the musical style is part of a broader subculture where fashion plays a part, as wearing something that looks good can be a sign of respect for the target audience, and dressing like a schlub can be taken as the opposite.

 

[Rib 13]

Interesting, this is from what I've seen a specialist stagewear brand. It also seems to me to be very much in the rock/hard rock/metal genre. How do you like it on stage?

I wear it in my current variety/dance band. I figure its 2024 so a lot of folks can relate to this type of look in any situation....Each year (including this past one) I shop their after Christmas specials. Not a great pic below but it was cold that night lol

 

[Wyrdlow]

All black, all the time. Black shirt, black jeans, black belt, black shoes, black socks.

Same. Can't go wrong. And if it was good enough for Johnny Cash and Lemmy, it's good enough for me!

 

[Wyrdlow]

Owner of a lonely heart gives many hints about that:

….You, lose yourself
No not for pity's sake….

…..Be yourself
Give your free will a chance….

All there

 

[Joe Olson]

The band has a theme: Jeans, red flannel, and the band t-shirt. Accessorize as the spirit moves.

 

[Rojd]

Van Halen in 2015 didn't dress like Van Halen in 1985.

Probably a good thing.....

 

[Winton]

I wear it in my current variety/dance band. I figure its 2024 so a lot of folks can relate to this type of look in any situation....Each year (including this past one) I shop their after Christmas specials. Not a great pic below but it was cold that night lol

Nice! I got the same bass as well!

 

[hrodbert696]

I was thinking about musicians' relationship to black clothes...

There's the institution of "concert blacks" in formal settings, orchestras and things. There it's really about anonymity, or emphasizing the group image; a musician in the pit of a Broadway show is not supposed to draw attention to themselves. Likewise for wallpaper gigs. There's also the black suit for jazz and blues clubs, for blues especially if it's rumpled and you slept in it on a bench at the bus station.

For other genres, I feel like it's different. Back when Johnny Cash was playing, to wear all black was striking, people commented on it and he wrote a whole song about being The Man in Black. I'm not entirely sure when it became a thing for rock bands - maybe with Judas Priest in the early 80s? Punk bands? At any rate, it seems like since then it's become standard issue uniform for rockers to wear black. The upshot is that it's become the opposite of Cash's Man In Black statement; black is the new khaki or beige, as bland and anonymous as a pit musician's concert blacks.

Black is an important part of the wardrobe - it's neutral, which makes it a platform for other things, and its being dark does still complement heavier music and all. It probably wouldn't make sense to perform some metal subgenres without a lot of black clothing. But in a genre that's supposed to be loud and brash and expressive, defaulting to the all-black uniform seems like it's at cross purposes to me. I still do some shows in blue jeans and a black t-shirt (that fit, and wearing a decent pair of boots). But I generally think it's best, if you're playing rock/pop/country, to get a burst of color in there and make a splash visually.