A question for the ones who play live gigs here:
Do(es) you(r band) dress in a special way for it? I mean, I'm sure nowadays nobody does any overdressing unless they're a Kiss tribute band
But do you put on any particular style? Even better: do you have any "lucky" boots or sneakers, or hat, or anything of that kind?
My band plays an eclectic mix, & sometimes we'll do "themed" gigs, so yes, we will dress accordingly. For instance, if it's a dance gig I might ask the guys "slacks (no jeans, basically) & a shirt w/a collar on it". If it's just a rock/blues set I probably won't say anything. I hire guys that know how to dress, lolOriginally Posted by de Melo
A question for the ones who play live gigs here:
Do(es) you(r band) dress in a special way for it? I mean, I'm sure nowadays nobody does any overdressing unless they're a Kiss tribute band
But do you put on any particular style? Even better: do you have any "lucky" boots or sneakers, or hat, or anything of that kind?
The only rule is NO SHORTS
Odd that you ask...
As a matter of safety to prevent/minimize electrical shock I always wore rubber soled shoes/boots. Safety first!
I never wore a belt with a metal buckle. And if I did, I'd turn it a bit to have the buckle off to the side. My guitars thanked me afterward.
Some bands I was in were shooting for a particular theme. Like early rock stuff and we wore suits. Yes, we wore suits! OK??? Get over it....Another was strictly a super casual thing. Blue jeans, T Shirts, sneakers... You know, what I usually wear all the time!
I do recall one band I played in as a substitute guitarist, or more often, a drummer. It was a Waylon and Willie style country/rock/blues type band. Something resembling a cowboy hat, boots, sunglasses, and such were the uniform of the day. A beard was optional, but encouraged. Hey, it was the late '70's and folks were trying to avoid the disco look real bad! If you showed up for a gig wearing a polyester leisure suit you were subject to being shot on sight!
I forgot what I was going to say...
Yeah, I think we do more or less the same thing...
The "no shorts" rule made me laugh, as one of my bandmates loves to show in shorts and flip flops. Not a particularly cool look for band photography.
As for me I usually go with blue Levi's, the good old black chuck taylor all stars (I've worn them so much I don't even know how they're stil in one piece), and a white or black tee, sometimes a flanel lumberjack shirt.
Ranger, I always use insulation units when I jam or gig, but I do wear them rubber soled shoes all the time, you can never be too sure... And even so, I once touched the other guitarist's forearm and it wasn't nice...
I dress appropriately for the venue. Usually a sports shirt and slacks, sometimes a jacket. When I'm playing with a cowboy band I dress in a studded shirt and jeans. I haven't worn a full formal evening suit in years, but if Tony Bennett calls, I've got one.
;>)/
About the Converse Chucks, sometimes I do get myself thinking if I should ditch them and wear something more like boots or cool sneakers, being in my late 30s... But truth is, I've been wearing chucks since my childhood, I can't let go of them
The band should dress in a style similar to but a bit nicer than the people they're playing for.
+1
Considering my usual venues, this is generally it for me......
For a wedding or a bar mitzvah, I'll add a silver-and-turquoise-conch band to my SRV hat and (mebbe) polish my boots.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Yeah... If your crowd is in jeans, you dress like them, but the vest and/or hat give you the flash that pluses it. If they're in evening gowns, you wear a tux.
I like to wear crazy stuff--nightgowns, African shirts, pjs, whatever fits the show. Once I dyed my beard blue. If it's a gig not suited for that, then I go with a good looking button up shirt.
A woman told me that was the best way not to get laid. She said that women like guys in tees and jeans. But I like to look good for the show and to make that actually a part of the show.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Willie, that pic reminded me of Kurt Cobain's "sick" stage outfit, cool
Roger, I dig the fringes and the Les Paul!
Haven't got any gig pics, this one is from a studio session. I play mostly in this outfit whether it's jamming or gigging...
Black shirt and jeans--perfect rock star wear.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
E-Gads! I remember what was often worn in the later '60's! Those weird puffy sleeved shirts, bell bottoms and earlier, those striped pants and pointy toed boots and crap! Some guys wore feather boas and fake fur and junk. Goofy hats and granny glasses. It was nutty times!
Thank goodness being reservation raised I wasn't into that junk. Had fun laughing at the "white-eyes" playing dress-up though! Some of those outfits looked like they raided their mom's closet!
I forgot what I was going to say...
I did that too until I developed plantar fasciitis (sp?) - and Chucks provide no arch support. I got some better, more supportive (but still cool) shoes and now I don't have any more discomfort. Then again I'm 10 years older than you, Vince. I suspect that you'll keep the Chucks until you're forced to give 'em up.About the Converse Chucks, sometimes I do get myself thinking if I should ditch them and wear something more like boots or cool sneakers, being in my late 30s... But truth is, I've been wearing chucks since my childhood, I can't let go of them
As for me and my band? I try to discourage shorts - generally we like jeans and a tee-shirt with a button-down over it, unbuttoned, or a vest...and we avoid shorts like the plague unless it's a backyard BBQ/Pool Party and everyone's chillaxin with beers...
But If you think (like I do) of your band as your product, then it stands to reason that appearance of the band members on a gig is important...
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
Chucks kill my feet. Besides, I feel like they look funny now that I'm middle aged. Sneakers, jeans and t-shirts most of the time. We've got some hot summer outdoor bbq gigs where I will wear shorts.
Usually this
but sometimes something more formal - like this -
If I am sitting in on drums though - this
In all seriousness - if it isnt' a formal gig - this
or this would be typical
Last edited by FrankJohnson; 05-27-2015 at 10:59 AM.
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
I dig Hawaiian shirts, Kenny!
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Does Batman play a Bat-Keytar??
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
A Bat-Caster?
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I want to perform John Lennon's Imagine album, but dressed as Yoko Ono.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
I never thought my thread would unleash such wild fantasies
I think I'm goin' back to the reservation. You guys are freakin' me out!
I forgot what I was going to say...
I just ordered a fresh pair of harness cowboy boots just like these:
I like those for gigging. Looking back, I think most, if not all my gigs I played in Converse Chucks or Boots. I think these cowboy ones will match a black strat
Last edited by S. Cane; 12-03-2020 at 11:46 AM.
I've always wanted cowboy boots but dayum, my feet would literally raise a stink to high heavens
"Live and learn and flip the burns"
I've thought about this a lot lately. When I go to a club or restaurant, I always put on the spiff, sometimes even a sports coat, sometimes even a tie. It's just how I feel comfortable. I don't feel comfortable on stage wearing street clothes. The last band pressured me to wear jeans and a black t-shirt. I wear those casually, but not for going out. I don't know if I'll ever play live again, but if so, I'll wear a dress shirt and a suit (no tie). I was always impressed by the way Robert Palmer and Bryan Ferry dressed, Bowie at times. I'll wear a suit and still rock as hard as anybody.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
There are no rules, I've played in a suit n' tie outfit and in jeans/chucks...
I agree that anything goes. I have to be comfortable. On the other hand, I've worn pjs and a long fock with Dalmatians on it. Younger days. Now, I'd keep it a bit classy.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Over the years my dress on stage has changed with the times.
In my days playing with blues great, Bryan Lee (and earlier), we dressed in matching sport coats, ties etc, or tuxedos as a way to set us apart from the audience we played for. We even would show up at a club in sport coats to shlep our equipment in...we were a class act.
In my years of playing since those early days my bands have always dressed appropriate for the gig. When I had my variety bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s we still did the matching tuxedos at times or some form of “dress” clothing.
Since those days it has always been “dress appropriate for the gig” so sometimes it’s sport coats and sometimes it’s jeans and t-shirts.
That.
I don't know about you guys but to me the most fun gigs are the Motorcycle Club gatherings. Not just the 1%er ones. Most bikers will really appreciate the gig and enjoy themselves to your music, either with their brethren in closed parties or with their families. That's the best public for rock n roll bands.
Sergio, as a former “patch-holder” in an MC I can understand your thoughts about club gigs. I remember the night my “brothers” and I were sitting around a campfire after working through the day to get ready for our annual party. After duct-taping the throttle wide open, we fired a little Kawasaki dirt bike up and sat there drinking beer as we watched the exhaust pipe glow cherry red with sparks flying out of it as the motor imploded. We then threw it in the fire to watch it dissolve so I guess it was fun for us as we drank ourselves into oblivion.
I have played biker gigs since that were really disgusting as I watched a bunch of wanna-be Hells Angels drink to the point that, one-by-one they would stumble to the outskirts of the bonfire where they would upchuck the last hour of beer consumption so they could return to fill the tank for a second trip. I think I grew up in an era of real bikers, we weren’t pukers.
Scully shirt, jeans and Blundstones. Fashionable (of a sort) and functional.
Sergio, those are called "Dingo Boots" and it was part of our uniform in the day. They were popular with bikers and we all bought them.
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Beat me to it. I lived in a pair of Dingos for a long time
Here people call those "chicken foot boots" the harness being the foot (each strap a toe)
Yep, might have to drag mine out of the attic.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
If I MUST wear clothes...
SPARKLE SPANDEX !!!
Of course, there are good days and bad days in most everything... Clubhouse gigs can be a PITA, yes.
But so far my own experiences have been mostly good, even when there are 1% clubs around. These guys really like rock and blues music!
There was an actual brand with that name and people started calling harness cowboy boots dingo boots, right?
Yep, Dingo boots are still made. Besides the classic harness boot, they make regular cowboy boots too.
One nice thing, is that Dingo now makes the Harness Boot in a mid-height with a zipper on the side. Much easier for us in the over 60 crowd.
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
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