I know famous people don't count, but Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton are all closer to 70 and they look cooler than most young artist to me.
I'm a year away, wait not even a year. I'll be 60 next February
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Your Look On Stage
- Thread starter bluewine
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I know famous people don't count, but Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton are all closer to 70 and they look cooler than most young artist to me.
I'm a year away, wait not even a year. I'll be 60 next February
what do I want to wear on stage?
General rule for me, all black. last gig I wore my Resident's t shirt, looked great, black shirt, guy in tux and top hat with eyeball head printed on it, bad idea. So much thick rubber on that shirt (the white ink, high quality!) it stuck to my bass and I couldn't move it around, it was like a non-skid surface, very very annoying. I will never wear it on stage again unless I'm only playing the Stick, which is highly unlikely, I usually have at least 3 different bass instruments with me.
Anyway, seems to me this comes down to 2 principles, on on hand you should never let anyone else tell you what to wear, in a perfect world, I have always felt that was true and important, especially when making art, which I do for freedom of expression. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with dressing up if you want to, whether it's in a tux or a suit of armor. if you wear a black t shirt with a skull on it, with batwings, say, that's fine, it says "I like fantasy", if you dress like Gene Simmons, it says "I AM fantasy". a little more serious.
I spent years clinging to the notion that it should not matter what you look like, or how you dress, and I still hold that to be true, inherently it doesn't matter, if you are choking on some food and a stranger gives you the Heimlich maneuver and saves your life, you are not going to care what they look like, how they are dressed or even how they smell. when it comes down to it, it has no real importance. That said, people do judge you based on your appearance, and at some point I decided I wanted to control how I appeared, and not just wear random clothes, I will dress in clothes I think are cool, and that make me look "cool" according to my standards, so I am putting some thought into my appearance now, however, I still wear what I want, and do not want to be told what to wear.
On stage; when the grunge movement started and musicians had the "no-look" look, this was a rebellion against glam rock, and an understandable one, but whatever you wear makes a statement. My younger self would probably be shocked to hear me say now, you should look like you're in a band, whatever that means, when you're on stage. (unless you don't want to). How one dresses can be influenced by where you are going to be. I play sometimes filling in with a Bowie tribute band, the singer dresses up, in a nice jacket and button shirt, something Bowie might wear, most of the guys just wear t shirts and jeans, for that act, they should really dress up a little bit I think, put on a show, it's Bowie, not a Weezer cover band, but in a biker bar, you don't wanna dress up too much and alienate the crowd, most of whom want the early rock and roll Bowie, and less of the new-wave stuff. These are probably guys who liked Queen in the 70's and had no idea that Freddie swung both ways. Might be hard for kids today to understand what life was like in the 70's, most popular music fans had no idea Elton John was gay. They just accepted that rock stars liked to dress up in showy outfits and put on a show. I wear all black on stage generally. I've taken to wearing a hat, my hair isn't that thin yet, but lights are unflattering and create unfair illusions as to how much light normally bounces off my scalp. Cameras are unkind.
I wish I could get my band to dress up a little more, we play fusion jazz rock. I'll see if I can dig up a couple of stage photos, incidentally last time I saw Stanley Clarke perform live, last year, I recall he was wearing jeans and a t shirt.
In conclusion, wear whatever the hell you want, don't let anyone tell you what to do, but understand the consequences of your choices and live with them. you might find it's fun to dress up a bit. the businessman in his suit and tie, is in as much of a costume as the punk with the green mohawk.
live at the Middle East the belt is for the Chapman Stick. the boots are for show. very comfy too. Earth Wind & Fire t shirt.
live outside in Harvard sq, years ago busking for bucks, pays too look poor I guess, not that it helped. tough to wear all black outside in the summer :/
I would never wear that much colour anymore on stage.
General rule for me, all black. last gig I wore my Resident's t shirt, looked great, black shirt, guy in tux and top hat with eyeball head printed on it, bad idea. So much thick rubber on that shirt (the white ink, high quality!) it stuck to my bass and I couldn't move it around, it was like a non-skid surface, very very annoying. I will never wear it on stage again unless I'm only playing the Stick, which is highly unlikely, I usually have at least 3 different bass instruments with me.
Anyway, seems to me this comes down to 2 principles, on on hand you should never let anyone else tell you what to wear, in a perfect world, I have always felt that was true and important, especially when making art, which I do for freedom of expression. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with dressing up if you want to, whether it's in a tux or a suit of armor. if you wear a black t shirt with a skull on it, with batwings, say, that's fine, it says "I like fantasy", if you dress like Gene Simmons, it says "I AM fantasy". a little more serious.
I spent years clinging to the notion that it should not matter what you look like, or how you dress, and I still hold that to be true, inherently it doesn't matter, if you are choking on some food and a stranger gives you the Heimlich maneuver and saves your life, you are not going to care what they look like, how they are dressed or even how they smell. when it comes down to it, it has no real importance. That said, people do judge you based on your appearance, and at some point I decided I wanted to control how I appeared, and not just wear random clothes, I will dress in clothes I think are cool, and that make me look "cool" according to my standards, so I am putting some thought into my appearance now, however, I still wear what I want, and do not want to be told what to wear.
On stage; when the grunge movement started and musicians had the "no-look" look, this was a rebellion against glam rock, and an understandable one, but whatever you wear makes a statement. My younger self would probably be shocked to hear me say now, you should look like you're in a band, whatever that means, when you're on stage. (unless you don't want to). How one dresses can be influenced by where you are going to be. I play sometimes filling in with a Bowie tribute band, the singer dresses up, in a nice jacket and button shirt, something Bowie might wear, most of the guys just wear t shirts and jeans, for that act, they should really dress up a little bit I think, put on a show, it's Bowie, not a Weezer cover band, but in a biker bar, you don't wanna dress up too much and alienate the crowd, most of whom want the early rock and roll Bowie, and less of the new-wave stuff. These are probably guys who liked Queen in the 70's and had no idea that Freddie swung both ways. Might be hard for kids today to understand what life was like in the 70's, most popular music fans had no idea Elton John was gay. They just accepted that rock stars liked to dress up in showy outfits and put on a show. I wear all black on stage generally. I've taken to wearing a hat, my hair isn't that thin yet, but lights are unflattering and create unfair illusions as to how much light normally bounces off my scalp. Cameras are unkind.
I wish I could get my band to dress up a little more, we play fusion jazz rock. I'll see if I can dig up a couple of stage photos, incidentally last time I saw Stanley Clarke perform live, last year, I recall he was wearing jeans and a t shirt.
In conclusion, wear whatever the hell you want, don't let anyone tell you what to do, but understand the consequences of your choices and live with them. you might find it's fun to dress up a bit. the businessman in his suit and tie, is in as much of a costume as the punk with the green mohawk.
live at the Middle East the belt is for the Chapman Stick. the boots are for show. very comfy too. Earth Wind & Fire t shirt.
live outside in Harvard sq, years ago busking for bucks, pays too look poor I guess, not that it helped. tough to wear all black outside in the summer :/
I would never wear that much colour anymore on stage.
James Mobius, great post. I share that philosophy. I would post gig pics if I actually had a band and did gigs at the moment. For me it would be one of my nicer shirts, probably v-neck and nice jeans, and I would also probably accessorize more than I normally do with bracelets, necklace, etc. And of course, Chuck Taylors or Vans. 
A few years ago I was playing mandolin in a bluegrass band, for which there was a dress code. Suits and ties. It was fun but I hated the (cheap and unflattering) suit.
A few years ago I was playing mandolin in a bluegrass band, for which there was a dress code. Suits and ties. It was fun but I hated the (cheap and unflattering) suit.
butchblack
Life is short. Do good. Find and do what you love.
Thanks James
We're starting to discuss dressing like you're in a band more in my band. The BL wants no blue jeans which is ok, I tend to wear all black myself. We're a blues/bluesy rock band all in our 50's+. The hardest thing to do is convince the BL that he looks like an accountant when he wears a shirt & tie. Most of the time we can get him to wear a subtle Hawaiian shirt.
We're starting to discuss dressing like you're in a band more in my band. The BL wants no blue jeans which is ok, I tend to wear all black myself. We're a blues/bluesy rock band all in our 50's+. The hardest thing to do is convince the BL that he looks like an accountant when he wears a shirt & tie. Most of the time we can get him to wear a subtle Hawaiian shirt.
No jeans in a blues band?? Somebody need prosaic on their corn flakes. Has he ever heard of the Allman Brothers? Or actually just about any blues band.
In the cover band that I play in, we try to split the fine line between d-bag and club-guy-fashion according to the venue.. We want to stick out in the club, but not like a sore thumb.
For some clubs, that's designer jeans and a flashy-but-not-tacky button down shirt.. Somewhere south of affliction, but north of the gap. Other clubs may warrant similar style t-shirts..
Chuck Taylors are pretty common, but usually nice shoes/boots.
For parties/weddings, it's usually fitted suits.
In the original band that I occasionally fill in.. in... It's always jeans and t-shirt.. Or plaid, as in the photo.. They're more alt/hipster than the cover band, who is mostly adult club fashion.. That being said, we had one cover band member show up one week in an under armour turtle neck, motorcycle jacket and baret, and the next in a designer shirt that we could only describe as "grandma's table cloth". He's toned it down since then.
Being in Texas, weather usually dictates, but unless it's outdoors, and over 100, we always wear long pants..
For some clubs, that's designer jeans and a flashy-but-not-tacky button down shirt.. Somewhere south of affliction, but north of the gap. Other clubs may warrant similar style t-shirts..
Chuck Taylors are pretty common, but usually nice shoes/boots.
For parties/weddings, it's usually fitted suits.
In the original band that I occasionally fill in.. in... It's always jeans and t-shirt.. Or plaid, as in the photo.. They're more alt/hipster than the cover band, who is mostly adult club fashion.. That being said, we had one cover band member show up one week in an under armour turtle neck, motorcycle jacket and baret, and the next in a designer shirt that we could only describe as "grandma's table cloth". He's toned it down since then.
Being in Texas, weather usually dictates, but unless it's outdoors, and over 100, we always wear long pants..
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Considering the amount of touring I've been doing, my stage clothes are typically the same thing I've been wearing for the past week. It's either skinny jeans, cutoff skinnies, or gym shorts. Whatever shirt or tank I've been wearing goes in there too. The only constant really is my black Vans shoes.
LOL. 80% of the people in this thread would benefit greatly if they let their wives or girlfriends select their wardrobe (including making new purchases).
Some guys just wear clothes better than others.
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And what looked good when I was a thin 20 year old doesn't have the same appeal at 56.
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And what looked good when I was a thin 20 year old doesn't have the same appeal at 56.
I agree. I never used to think it matters, but now I think it's important. It's important to look professional as well as play and act professional. It's all part of the package, all depending on the particular gig, of course.
Often times I will wear grey or black slacks with a black t shirt. But in all honestly, I'm not entirely happy with my attire. I'd like to find something as comfortable to wear as jeans and a t shirt but that distinguishes me as part of the band rather than the audience.
white shirt with black vest & tie, black jeans, and black doc martins for more decent occasions. yes, i realize fat guys shouldn't wear vests, but this one looks okay....at least that's what the wife told me.
Workshirt embroidered with band logo above left pocket, black t-shirt, black jeans, and black doc martins for redneck joints.
Workshirt embroidered with band logo above left pocket, black t-shirt, black jeans, and black doc martins for redneck joints.
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Example :
I saw an awesome led Zeppelin tribute band last night at summerfest.
They nailed everything. The drummer, lead vocalist, guitaristsnd bass player all gifted.
However they looked awful, lead guitarist looked like he had just walked off a corn field, corn seed logo baseball cap and all.
I'm not saying they should look 70s silly, but they could do something.
I saw an awesome led Zeppelin tribute band last night at summerfest.
They nailed everything. The drummer, lead vocalist, guitaristsnd bass player all gifted.
However they looked awful, lead guitarist looked like he had just walked off a corn field, corn seed logo baseball cap and all.
I'm not saying they should look 70s silly, but they could do something.
black jeans, black leather boots, black leather belt, black band t shirt or plain black t shirt.
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