# Wearing a shirt for the band/artist you're about to see: yea or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2019, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981 "2019-08-21T03:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/21 "2019-08-21T12:17:33Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > [If the people on stage have no problem wearing their own shirts](https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/musicians-wearing-their-own-merchandise.837151/), why should the audience behave differently? This is [Ginger Baker](https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/cream-legend-ginger-baker-undergoes-8348095) wearing a shirt commemorating the reunion concert series he’s playing at. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/22 "2019-08-21T12:35:40Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > [If the people on stage have no problem wearing their own shirts](https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/musicians-wearing-their-own-merchandise.837151/), why should the audience behave differently? LOL, I wondered if the Geddy Lee “Rash” shirt would be in there… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/23 "2019-08-21T13:00:56Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > LOL, I wondered if the Geddy Lee “Rash” shirt would be in there… 😃 Did you see the Spinal Tap one? How far down the list does the rule go? What if it’s a local band that I have a shirt of, can I wear it to see them? Cause I’m going to a band that I haven’t seen in 10+ years, really small local band and I’m thinking on wearing their shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/24 "2019-08-21T13:08:55Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Since I view concert shirts as a way to say “I was at this concert, ain’t I cool?”, I’d say a better place is anywhere but the concert where no one is going to be impressed or surprised that you’re at the concert. But wouldn’t they be impressed if the concert tee was like 10 or more years old? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/25 "2019-08-21T13:21:23Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > But wouldn’t they be impressed if the concert tee was like 10 or more years old? Maybe. But you said “at the freakin’ concert” which I parsed as “At the concert the shirt is commemorating”. My mistake if I misunderstood you. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/26 "2019-08-21T13:32:45Z")
“[Don’t be that guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs9XDUDP9VM)”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/27 "2019-08-21T13:36:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > “[Don’t be that guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs9XDUDP9VM)”. Thanks! I was half remembering this all last night and couldn’t remember where it was from, just the “Don’t be that guy” line. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/28 "2019-08-21T13:39:25Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Maybe. But you said “at the freakin’ concert” which I parsed as “At the concert the shirt is commemorating”. My mistake if I misunderstood you. Oh okay. If that is what everybody is talking about, then yeah, lame. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/29 "2019-08-21T13:44:47Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Oh okay. If that is what everybody is talking about, then yeah, lame. I think the OP was referring to any band shirt for that group. I agree with the midpoint that an appropriately vintage and worn shirt can work but a crisp new shirt (especially for that tour) feels a bit lame. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/30 "2019-08-21T15:03:29Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > But if I were to wear one, I can’t think of a better possible time than at the freak’n concert. > > Count me in as another one who has never heard of this rule. And I worked as a ticket scalper for a decade. Yeah, this “rule” is utterly bizarre. There’s no better place to wear a band shirt than when you’re actually seeing that band! If I had to give it any thought at all, which until now it never even crossed my mind, wearing a shirt for a \*different \*band in the same genre comes across as “I like similar music, but I’m not really a big fan of the group playing.” ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/31 "2019-08-21T15:05:32Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > LOL, I wondered if the Geddy Lee “Rash” shirt would be in there… 😃 What’s the story on that? I’m a RUSH fan, but don’t know anything about the RASH shirt. I also didn’t know about not wearing a band’s shirt to one of their concerts. Never heard that “rule”. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/32 "2019-08-21T15:30:53Z")
I’m fine with it, and I’m the guy who haaaaaates is when runners where the race shirt during a 5k or whatever. To me it’s a way of showing off your loyalty. I have an Apocalyptica shirt I got way back in 2008 from one of their shows and wear it to all their current shows because when I see someone else with the shirt on I can talk about the tour. Plus, what better way to prove to the newbies that I was a fan of the band before they were cool?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/33 "2019-08-21T15:32:53Z")
As far as I’m aware, the rule used to be you didn’t wear the shirt of the band you are going to see. But somewhere along the line the rule seems to have changed. I wore a Robert Plant T shirt to a Kings of Leon gig - somebody actually stopped me and told me I was wearing the wrong T shirt. Huh? I do think T shirt for the tour you are at is a bit lame. An old T shirt is way, way cooler. Or something related. This is easier for some artists than others - I’ve worn a Third Man Records T shirt to a Jack White gig, a Jack White T shirt to a Raconteurs gig, and a White Stripes T shirt to a Dead Weather gig. That can be a minefield, too, though. I did shake my head at people wearing a Pink Floyd Division Bell or Pulse T shirt to see Roger Waters… ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/34 "2019-08-21T16:43:33Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > That can be a minefield, too, though. I did shake my head at people wearing a Pink Floyd Division Bell or Pulse T shirt to see Roger Waters… Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/35 "2019-08-21T17:07:00Z")
C’mon, if I was trying to establish a rule for everyone else, I wouldn’t have posted this as a poll; I would have said “Resolved: Thou shalt not wear a band shirt…” I just wanted to know what others thought. **Edward the Head** \*, I agree about wearing the shirt of a lesser-known band. I have a friend who’s the drummer in a band that’s starting to get some notice, and I wear that band’s shirt to their shows, because I want to show that they have a fanbase. **Scougs** , there’s a loophole on shirts for the current tour too. One woman we saw before the show at the restaurant was wearing a shirt from this tour, indicating that she’d already seen Maiden in a nearby city, and was now seeing them _again_. That would go along with the “Why shouldn’t I show my fanship?” reasoning. Just that, when I was in my twenties, I would never have done this, for fear of looking like a fanatic. Of course, back then, I hardly ever got to see the same act twice… \*And does that name reference what I think it does? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/36 "2019-08-21T17:17:07Z")
My philosophy is this: Wear whatever you want and don’t worry about looking cool, because if you have to worry that you’re cool, then you ain’t. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/37 "2019-08-21T17:41:23Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > \*And does that name reference what I think it does? 😉 It does yeah. And I wore a Maiden t-shirt once to their concert, but I was also wearing an Eddie mask so it kinda worked. Now a days I usually just wear a Motorhead shirt, can’t exactly show to one of those shows any more. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/38 "2019-08-21T17:57:05Z")
I just ordered a new Iron Maiden t-shirt on Monday, and it immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title…and then **Rilchiam** was talking about Maiden! 🆒 I definitely remember a time when I would never have worn a (for example) Maiden shirt to a Maiden show, but at some point it seems like that “rule” softened. The last time I saw them I wore my “stealth” Maiden shirt: a black polo with a yellow Eddie-like smiley face on the chest, and a small band logo on one of the sleeves. That was a few years ago, and it was perfect. Unfortunately that was also the last time it fit, but I keep it in my closet for that day when I’ve magically lost weight without trying. 😉 Anyway, these days I think I would wear an artist’s shirt to their show – only, as others have mentioned, not a shirt for the current tour/event. I can’t imagine wearing another band’s shirt to a concert unless there was some kind of connection (e.g., wearing a Dash Rip Rock shirt to a Cowboy Mouth show). But at some point I also stopped buying concert shirts, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/39 "2019-08-21T18:21:44Z")
A _shirt?_ At a Metal show? Pfft! ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981/40 "2019-08-21T18:38:41Z")
I hadn’t heard of this, but it reminds me of a similar trend a few people have demonstrated to me about wearing a different university logo shirt/etc than the one you are attending. Both seem kind of rooted in insecurity and self consciousness. The college one is maybe slightly more absurd, because unless you’ve transferred there probably had to be a lot of planning involved to cultivate an aura of uninvolved. Which seems like trying hard to make it seem like you’re not trying. But the concert one is kind of sad. It’s like sitting still in your chair to prove you’re not enjoying the music too much. So why are you there then? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wearing-a-shirt-for-the-band-artist-youre-about-to-see-yea-or-nay/838981.md?page=3)