Do you wear anything different on stage/while playing?

[SFP]

I've been entertaining the idea that if I ever do a show, I'd like to wear a mask. I don't know. I think it might help to loosen up. It's like hiding, but not hiding. So I can play without being nervous.

Do you guys do anything like that? Anything at all?
I know He Who Cannot Be Named does ( http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Dwarves.jpeg ) But he also plays naked, so it's a tradeoff. :D

[scarecrowX52]

I usually wear shorts and a basketball jersey on stage......unless it's really cold, but I like to keep it somewhat minimal.

[Fritz Hell]

When playing at home I usually remove my belt or suspenders to avoid scratching the back of my guitar.... boring. I also like to make sure I have socks on when I play.

[cubby]

Well, in the early ninties I used to wear a plaid buttom shirt, torn jeans, and converse all-stars. Considering it was the age of grunge and this is what I would have worn anyway - no.

The guitarist in our band usually wore a gold lamé shirt - a la Morrissey. I used to joke it was actually just gold lame (no accent) just because I hated Morrissey at that time.

[garyfanclub]

I wear a rapelling harness, so that i can hang upside and my band members can swing me around while I play (make my guitar feedback).

I'm in the hospital a lot.

[sleewell]

last show i played in my ENGL shirt and shorts. i was too busy learning the setlist to think of anything to wear, we were rehearsing right up untill we left for the venue. although, at the bar, my friend hooked it up with a cool oldskool detriot pistons wristband.



next show i want to dress up. sounds lame but, all black w/ white tie - see "my guitar" link in sig to understand why...




bill

[legend]

I'm pretty dull. Just jeans and t-shirts normally. 9/10 times i just stick to black T's as sweat and all the other junk that kicks around at gigs doesn't show up as badly. I don't like long sleeved tops when i play guitar as i think they can get in the way a bit. I have always entertained the notion of playing in a suit, but i think i'd be so hot, i'd die before i reached the end of the set!

I always kind of like it when a band makes an effort. I like a band to look like a band (whatever that may mean). Even if it's an image like The Strokes - "i look like crap, but it's expensive designer crap", i think it's cool for a band to look like a "unit".

[Nameless]

My band never dresses up for gigs. Never have and probably never will, thats just not the type of guys we are. In fact one of the other guys in the band nearly had an argument with a presenter when he was being interviewed for a local radio programme. The presenter wouldn't get off his case about image and how important it was whilst my mate was saying how it was the last thing on his mind, he just wanted to concentrate on making good music. The presenter wouldn't have it and my mate wouldn't back down, and as it was a live interview you could sense the tension. Don't think they'll be asking us back anytime soon. :rolleyes:

[skip tracer]

A few years ago I would wear this black shirt/black pants/red tie thing, but that's the new rock'n'roll uniform, so I just wear regular clothes now.

[wren]

Sometimes I wear whatever I'm wearing that day, sometimes I pick what I wear at the beginning of the day knowing I'm going to be on stage later, and sometimes I just dress up right before the gig. Depends on my mood.

[Welladjusted]

i make a point of wearing my stranger in the land t-shirt.

and usually my old blue shorts because they're comfortabe

[boyscout]

IT depends on the gig. I like to wear Metallica shirts to gigs for some reason. Either that or a plain black Tshirt. I also ussually wear a "fishman's"/bucket hat that I picked up at the Niagra falls Hard Rock Cafe about 6 or 7 years ago.

EDIT: Once we (my old band and I) were playing the Talent show at our highschool. I wore a Metallica "Kill 'em All" shirt, and Walked right into the middle of the auditorium (wireless at the time) and played the star spangled banner to kick off the whole deal. That's right, a conservative as hell highschool, and a metallica shirt with Kill 'em All in big red letters on the front. It was wonderful.

[james teh OG]

my PSYCH WARD button up shirt, black socks i cut into arm warmers, black lipstick and nailpolish, black slacks and occasionally a tie tucked into the shirt itself so it doesn't get in the way. i usually wear my street shoes, which are Adidas, i feel weird working my pedals with something else (sandals, bare foot, etc). and because i usually work up a sweat, i usually go commando.

occasionally i wear other stuff, like a boa or my rubber Yugi-Oh wig. i REALLY want to get a catholic school girl's uniform, but it'd probably roast like a chicken. i of course wouldn't shave my legs (working the hobbit legs baby)

[Welladjusted]

i have a tuxedo. i should wear it for my bands first gig

[theripper]

i wear a blue sparkle suit and a white ruffled shirt. im thinking of getting a silver suit tho.

[thisfall]

Brown/tan western shirt, boot cut jeans, beatle boots.

[devankdevank]

My band really likes to all wear different stuff kind of representing different genres. At our prom the other guitarist wore basically what was like a punk outfit and mohawk'd hair. The singer had the whole black clean pressed emo/screamo look. I guess I would fit in with rock-revival stuff (faded blue jeans, polka dot blue button shirt with a sport coat) and our drummer, well I dont know where he fit in but he had a t-shirt, tie, shorts, and tevas.

Our last gig we dressed a lot more normal except our drummer who grabbed a bunch of weird golf looking clothes like this big hat and those giant sunglasses that wrap around your head.

I'm all for dressing up for the show as long as your not like KISS or something where it becomes the show.

[BluesPlaya]

-Dark faded worn boot cut jeans
-Worn brown leather boots
-Well fitted t-shirt. If its cold I'll wear a well fitted western shirt
-Usually through gel in my hair but make sure its pretty messy.
-Really comfortable thick socks
-No jewelery, sometimes maybe a leather bracelet or something thats not metal on my right hand.

Alot of times too I change after the gig if I'm goin to be hanging out afterwards.

[KE4NYV]

In the words of the great Jim Gaffigan:

"I would do that, but that would probaly require pants."

[Nameless]

Pardon me for saying so , but you all seem a tad vain. Do you "dress up" because you think it adds to your performance? I was always of the belief that if your music was good enough then people would watch and enjoy; so I've never really thought that a touch of mascara or a "psych ward" t-shirt (which has been done to death by the way, and it wasn't big clever or funny the first time) would make much difference.

[Fritz Hell]

Well, I had a hairtie which was black and has two pink cubes attached to it and I wore that hairtie at all times. But now it's gone back to where I found it (the infinite abyss we refer to as, "the floor") but I now have a Green Lantern ring which I will wear at all times. It helps my guitar playing.

[sorre]

i dress completly normal. a t-shirt, a pair of jeans and some kind of etnies/stan smiths or maybe onitsuka. nothing particular, just like i do everyday...

[wren]

Originally posted by Nameless
Pardon me for saying so , but you all seem a tad vain. Do you "dress up" because you think it adds to your performance? I was always of the belief that if your music was good enough then people would watch and enjoy; so I've never really thought that a touch of mascara or a "psych ward" t-shirt (which has been done to death by the way, and it wasn't big clever or funny the first time) would make much difference. "...duty is vain, and vanity is a duty."
-Gavin Bradbury

Do I dress up before I go onstage? Usually. Or, at the very least, I choose what to wear that morning carefully. But this is also the way I live my life: I usually wear different clothing at home than I do when I go out. Am I vain? Totally. :) And I freely admit that.

When I play my music, I play my music, but when I'm on stage, I'm on stage, and there is a definite difference between the two. I've been involved in drama for over a decade, and I don't see the two as being that different. When you're playing music, you can choose to just stand there and play, and when you're acting in a play you can choose to just stand there and recite your lines, but that's boring for both the audience and the performer. I want to put on a show, one way or the other, and dressing up is an effective way of doing that. I don't dress up all the time, but usually I do, and I don't consider it a gimmick because I do it for me. My entertainment. If the audience digs it, great. If they don't, that's fine; I don't give a ****. And IMO, not giving a **** is less gimmick-y than making sure that your performance is just the music and only the music.

Remember, if you try not to have an image, that's your image.

[Nameless]

Originally posted by wren
"...duty is vain, and vanity is a duty."
-Gavin Bradbury

Do I dress up before I go onstage? Usually. Or, at the very least, I choose what to wear that morning carefully. But this is also the way I live my life: I usually wear different clothing at home than I do when I go out. Am I vain? Totally. :) And I freely admit that.

When I play my music, I play my music, but when I'm on stage, I'm on stage, and there is a definite difference between the two. I've been involved in drama for over a decade, and I don't see the two as being that different. When you're playing music, you can choose to just stand there and play, and when you're acting in a play you can choose to just stand there and recite your lines, but that's boring for both the audience and the performer. I want to put on a show, one way or the other, and dressing up is an effective way of doing that. I don't dress up all the time, but usually I do, and I don't consider it a gimmick because I do it for me. My entertainment. If the audience digs it, great. If they don't, that's fine; I don't give a ****. And IMO, not giving a **** is less gimmick-y than making sure that your performance is just the music and only the music.

Remember, if you try not to have an image, that's your image.

Nice....spunky even.

I don't dress up, but I don't stay motionless on stage either I get into and enjoy the "performance" side. I'd just feel an absolute twat wearing make up and all kinds of daft gear that I normally wouldn't. I'm also well aware that no image is an image.

To me there is not much difference between rehearsing writing and recording. Your comments imply that you give more of yourself when you're on stage. Often the writing process is more cathartic, emotional and enjoyable for me.When something comes together in a rehearsal it can often be more magical than the some of our best gigs. This is not to say that we're sh1t live and give crap performances - far from it. Jeff Buckley once said that the thing he liked best about music was the chase, where you had the beginnings of something and at that moment there was endless possibilities. That moment is the magic for me, and I crave that more than jumping around onstage wearing half of my sisters wardrobe and three quarters of Boots' cosmetics counter.

[wren]

Originally posted by Nameless
Nice....spunky even.

I don't dress up, but I don't stay motionless on stage either I get into and enjoy the "performance" side. I'd just feel an absolute twat wearing make up and all kinds of daft gear that I normally wouldn't. I'm also well aware that no image is an image.

To me there is not much difference between rehearsing writing and recording. Your comments imply that you give more of yourself when you're on stage. Often the writing process is more cathartic, emotional and enjoyable for me.When something comes together in a rehearsal it can often be more magical than the some of our best gigs. This is not to say that we're sh1t live and give crap performances - far from it. Jeff Buckley once said that the thing he liked best about music was the chase, where you had the beginnings of something and at that moment there was endless possibilities. That moment is the magic for me, and I crave that more than jumping around onstage wearing half of my sisters wardrobe and three quarters of Boots' cosmetics counter. See, I'm probably unusual in that I don't just wear women's clothing and makeup onstage; I have my own little makeup shelf above the sink that I use fairly often, and I used to own skirts because I find them very comfortable (I really need to get some more). I dress up because I enjoy it. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm on stage, or going to be on stage. Obviously I don't put makeup on every day, but I do on occasion (i.e. whenever I feel like it), and sometimes I choose to when I go onstage. Same with anything else that I wear.

I think we're on the same page though; I too despise people who wear things out of the ordinary (for them) just because they're going to be on stage.

[Nameless]

Originally posted by wren
I dress up because I enjoy it. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm on stage, or going to be on stage.

I think we're on the same page though; I too despise people who wear things out of the ordinary (for them) just because they're going to be on stage.

Agreed. You've certainly got a lot of bottle though.

[wren]

Originally posted by Nameless
You've certainly got a lot of bottle though. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with this expression. Am I being complimented or insulted? ;)

[Nameless]

Sorry,it means to show courage or nerve. "He's got a lot of bottle wearing that dress onstage" etc would mean, he's got a lot guts to be doing that. You yanks use "guts" don't you?

[wren]

Originally posted by Nameless
Sorry,it means to show courage or nerve. "He's got a lot of bottle wearing that dress onstage" etc would mean, he's got a lot guts to be doing that. You yanks use "guts" don't you? We do have "guts", but we usually say "balls", which is kind of ironic in this case.

And I love your title. :) I have no idea if that was there before or not, but I'm definitely digging it.

[thisfall]

Originally posted by Nameless
Pardon me for saying so , but you all seem a tad vain. Do you "dress up" because you think it adds to your performance? I was always of the belief that if your music was good enough then people would watch and enjoy; so I've never really thought that a touch of mascara or a "psych ward" t-shirt (which has been done to death by the way, and it wasn't big clever or funny the first time) would make much difference.

Nah, man. I wear cowboy clothes anyhow, on "stage" or not. And you know what? I don't even play live shows! I just usually jam with friends when I'm not making space noises in my basement.

:p

[tak]

when in my old band we used to all wear dress shoes, slacks and nicer shirts.

in the rest of our lives we were nothing but Tshirts, jeans sneakers guys, like the lazy looking guys, so it was fun mixing it up onstage.

[DJ LBP]

when I was in music school, I had to wear black shoes, black socks, black pants, black collared shirt for performances.

Now, when I jam, I usually wear my G Unit headband so im not dripping sweat into my face. that's the only staple really.

[airfall]

Originally posted by thisfall
And you know what? I don't even play live shows! I just usually jam with friends when I'm not making space noises in my basement.

:p hahaha... same here - i spend so much time making weird noises in my bedroom that my parents asked if there was something wrong with my guitar

when i jam at school i try to just dress comfortably. i usually wear collared shirts and old jeans/courderoys/khakis. i'm guessing that's what i would wear on stage too.