For some reason, people tend to think it’s lame to wear a band’s shirt while attending said band’s concert. I will never understand this train of thought. When going into battle, the North didn’t wear the South’s colors. American soldiers didn’t sport swastikas when fighting the Germans and The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t wear the Green Bay Packers uniform when playing them in the Super Bowl. So if these are all known, stated facts, why is it lame to wear a Megadeth shirt to a Megadeth concert or wear a Holy Grail shirt to a Holy Grail show? When I was a kid, especially for concerts that had multiple bands on the bill, it was expected that you would wear the shirt of the band that you were there to support and root on. It didn’t necessarily mean that you didn’t like the other bands. It just meant that there was a particular band you were rooting for.
I can remember attending the Clash of the Titans tour back in 1990. My friends and I looked like friends divided. I sported my Anthrax shirt proudly while one of my other buddies sported his Slayer shirt with another guy wearing an old school Megadeth shirt. In some cases such as these traveling festivals such as Clash of the Titans and Operation: Rock N’ Roll, you could actually buy a shirt that had ALL the bands on one shirt promoting the festival. These shirts were to be worn later as a way of bragging that you saw one of the coolest shows that year. I mean, how bad ass was it to go to school and wear a shirt that had Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Dangerous Toys and Metal Church on it? Wearing a band’s t-shirt to their performance in many cases is also a bragging right as to your longevity as a fan. For instance, if you go see Iron Maiden on a recent tour and you wear your “World Slavery Tour” shirt from ‘85, you are showing off the fact that not only are you a fan but you were there way back when to see them in their earlier days. This made you really awesome as you struck awe into the younger fans who would say, “Whoa, that dude saw them back in ‘85. Let’s go talk to him.”
These days, at 38 years old, I find myself representing my favorite bands on a bill. Whenever I go to a Holy Grail show, no matter who they are opening for or touring with, a Holy Grail shirt gets worn. This is because they are one of my favorites and they will always get the support in battle from me. Sometimes it’s even fun to mix it up a little bit by wearing an associated band’s shirt to another band’s performance. For instance, if I go tow a GWAR show, I always wear my X-Cops shirt. X-Cops was a GWAR side project that only did one tour and album. Wearing this shirt usually scores me some extra points both from audience members and even from Dave Brockie (GWAR singer) himself. I remember interviewing him while wearing my X-Cops shirt and he goes, “Man, that’s fucking old school dude. That’s awesome.”
In some cases, wearing a specific band’s t-shirt to another band’s show can be a good thing. Especially if said band is a smaller, unknown band that you want to show off. Wearing a particular band’s t-shirt to their performance is far from lame. It is a powerful statement that shows your allegiance and your pride as a fan of a specific band. For instance, I don’t need to wear a Megadeth shirt to EVERY Megadeth show. For a big show like that, maybe I’ll wear my Holy Grail or Gypsyhawk shirt and someone will say, “Man, that’s a cool shirt. Who are they?” Then from there I can spread the word of a great band this person may have never heard of. Mission accomplished.
When you go see your favorite band in concert, wear their shirt proudly. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s a lame gesture. In a recent interview with Holy Grail, lead singer James Paul Luna said, “Man, it’s awesome to come back to a town and see more and more Holy Grail shirts in the crowd. It makes us feel good.” There you have it people. This act is more than a gesture, it’s the fuel of inspiration for these bands to continue on making the music and putting on the concerts that melt your face and make you feel awesome! Wear your colors loud and proud boys and girls. Wear them proud.
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