Washington Post Disparages Concert T-Shirts

Please Explain to Me ... Concert T-Shirts

So I'm with birthday boy Klimek outside the Coldplay show last night, and we see a guy at Chipotle wearing a Viva La Vida T-shirt, presumably purchased (for $35) at an earlier stop on the tour.

Fancy that.

I've never been a concert-tee guy myself, having purchased exactly one in my life: A bootleg Tom Petty shirt after a SoCal show on the Full Moon Fever tour. I think it cost me $5 or $10, which was $5 or $10 too much, given that the silk screen broke up in the wash. I never actually wore the thing.

Now, I don't begrudge anybody who flies the flag for their favorite bands. I just don't get it - particularly when the flag is being flown among friendlies, as with wearing a Coldplay shirt at a Coldplay concert.

Yes, it's a brand and an identifier. But it's not like wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey to Dodger Stadium, where there are two distinct sides and an obvious need to state your allegiance.

At a concert, you're surrounded by your own tribe. I mean, nobody figures you for a Coldplay-hating Boredoms fan if you're in or around the building. So what's the point?

Please explain.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
A bootleg Tom Petty shirt after a SoCal show on the Full Moon Fever tour.

Hey! I was at that show. Lenny Kravitz opened. I sat right behind Ricky Schroeder and Carlton, who back then I referred to as Alfonso and who's real name I haven't the slightest clue. Ricky had a broken arm, but that didn't stop him from making out with the chick he brought to the show the whole time….

What would be a cool t-shirt to wear at a particular gig?

For example

Smiths t-shirt at a Modest Mouse show.

Smashing Pumpkins @ Malkmus or vice versa.

I was always fond of wearing polar opposite shirts. I used to always wear a Bjork shirt to metal/heavier shows. Not sure why I got such of kick out of it, but it did humor me.

Still, I think your example below is still pushing it, but I'm also a jaded hipster.

Originally posted by Ever Circling Skeletal Family:
What would be a cool t-shirt to wear at a particular gig?

For example

Smiths t-shirt at a Modest Mouse show.

i dont wear concert tshirts as much as i used to, but guided by voices shirts get awesome questions always

<img src="http://www.latexas.com/commerce/images/MAS_0006_01_300.jpg" alt=" - " />

you could wear this.

"What's this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy."

<img src="http://img180.exs.cx/img180/4097/20050320shirts73ic.jpg" alt=" - " />

or these . . . in all the colours of the gay rainbow.

Which one is you?

I'm guessing third from the right.

Originally posted by walkonby:
&lt;img src="http://img180.exs.cx/img180/4097/20050320shirts73ic.jpg" alt=" - " /&gt;

or these . . . in all the colours of the gay rainbow.

why, because that kid is smiling? i don't smile. it makes my face hurt.

I used to wear a Man Utd team jersey to go see Oasis but you'd need a Brit footie education to understand why, and I'm sure you all have less interest in learning than I do in educating.

BTW, when did teachers suddenly become educators?

dont oasis support both shitty and celtic? shit aint right

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
i dont wear concert tshirts as much as i used to, but guided by voices shirts get awesome questions always

"is that a christian band?"

"which voices are you guided by?"

I like wearing my "Jesus Is A Shitty Scientist" shirt to just about everything.

For the life of me I've never understood why this bothers people so much.

Please Explain to Me … bands wearing their own concert t-shirt at their concert. I've seen a few.
<img src="http://hardrockhideout.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/bretmichaels2.jpg" alt=" - " />

I think the acceptability of wearing a band's shirt to their show is directly proportional to how obscure they are. To whit: I wore my DMBQ show when they played the Hosiery, and the guys were visibly thrilled to see someone with their shirt, came over and talked to me, and offered to give me one of the new ones.

I've had a long-standing theory that wearing your own shirt is only acceptable for two types of people:

Rock Stars (see your image below), and

Pro Wrestlers

<img src="http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper971/stills/3bf3fc37a25e1-3-1.jpg" alt=" - " />

Originally posted by 6949:
Please Explain to Me … bands wearing their own concert t-shirt at their concert. I've seen a few.
&lt;img src="http://hardrockhideout.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/bretmichaels2.jpg" alt=" - " /&gt;