Concert T-Shirts – Let’s Settle this Once and For All

What to wear on concert day. Hard rock and metal fans likely know exactly what band *t-shirt they'll wear to the show on the very day they buy their tickets. Others decide the day of the show, and then there's always that one guy who doesn't even have a band on his shirt at the show.

Here's what it comes down to: IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE SHOW.

The long standing rule is that you can't wear the band of the show you're going to see. Since you're AT that show, it's obvious that you like THAT band. Here's the problem with that rule (and believe me, I was a staunch supporter of this rule for decades.)

Here's my thing. If I'm going to see Foo Fighters, a band I've seen 16 times, I know that there's an unspoken competition happening among the biggest fanatics to see who's got the best Foo attire. So I wear the right Foo shirt for that show. For instance, Foo at Safeco Field. It's a baseball stadium, so I wear my Grohl jersey. And NOBODY else had it on. If you're going to see a band that you've seen a bunch of times, you want the newbies in their latest album t-shirts to see you in your tour shirt from 1984 to silently declare that you win, you're the bigger fan. Why? That's just how concert culture is, if you don't get it, move to the back please.

So you're going to see a band you only kind of like, or you're just going to support a friend or your spouse. You still need to be in a t-shirt of a band you do like. "But I don't have any band shirts." Move to the back, please.

What if you're at a festival? You want to show your support for the band you're there to see, right? So again, the long standing rule does not apply.

"What if I run into the band, or what if they can see me from the stage and can appreciate that I'm wearing the shirt of a band who inspired them?" Not likely, but still, do it, go for it, this is the right shirt!

If you're going to see a local or lesser known band, DO wear their t-shirt, outside of selling a  good amount of tickets, nothing could make them happier.

WTF do I know about fashion? Not a gotdamn thing, you've seen my sorry wardrobe. But I have purchased and worn a shit ton of concert t-shirts. And I'm just telling you what I know from attending hundreds of rock and alt concerts, I have no clue how these rules work for country, pop or bluegrass shows. And you know what, some people don't give a shit about these silly rules and they just want to wear what makes their boobs look great or what they feel comfortable in. That's totally fine, the Rock Concert T-Shirt Rules aren't for everyone.

There is one absolute act that really, really is NOT OK - putting on the shirt that you just bought at the merch booth. "But I don't want to lose it in the pit" you say. That's what your concert cargo pockets are for, dummy. Putting on the shirt you just bought is only acceptable if you cover it with the hoodie you wore to the show. Or, if you're freezing to death.

Shall we leave it at that, or get into people who buy band t-shirts at Target and don't own any of the albums. Naw, that's a whole separate rant.

*Disclaimer: although I refer to "t-shirts" through this article, the same goes for hoodies.