Throughout my youth I had a tumultuous relationship with T-shirts. I occasionally wore them [never with printing] as a child in the 1970s. But as I grew older, I came to associate them with Physical Education class in secondary and high school. So much so, that when my requirement for physical education class was met in 11th grade, in 1980, I swore off wearing T-shirts [and shorts, for that matter] for good.
It also helped that my favorite new band of 1980 were Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, who had a defiantly normal “bank clerk image” of thin ties [the only kind I wear] and simple dress shirts. It was a crisp look and I joined the club. Moving to add ties once I joined the professional world. I would attend concerts looking like this during the lean times in the 80s where they were not really a regular event for me in sleepy Central Florida. And not once did I ever buy a tour shirt from the merch table. If I bought anything, it was the [very] occasional tour book.
But let me testify for you; Central Florida weather is very hot and humid! I would perform physical work dressed like that. One day I was silk-screening [ironically] some T-shirts on the porch in 90+ degree weather and sweating like a rancid chunk of pork [R.I.P. Brother Theodore!] It was then, some time in 1990, that I snapped. I went to Marshalls department store and bought some shorts, sneakers, athletic socks, and some casual shirts. The next time friends saw me they were surprised at the vast change in style to something far more casual.
And with that sea change, came the notion of actually buying the Tour Shirts that I would now actually wear. I think the earliest of them might have been the Pet Shop Boys shirt from the US debut of their first tour in Miami in 1991. After that I was pretty liberal with buying tour shirts. If I really liked a band, I would buy more than one at the merch table. And if anyone saw me back then, off the work clock, I was dressed for casual comfort. Usually sporting a Tour Shirt of some sort.
It was some time by 2007 when I was seriously running out of space in my T-shirt cabinet, so the notion occurred to maybe sell some of them off to thin the herd. If I had multiple shirts for an artist, I might narrow things down to just one. Certain other artists were too much part of my “Core Collection” and I would never get rid of them, but that was a pretty small club. So I sold off the shirts on eVilbay. Some of them netted a pretty penny with a select few scraping close to three figures. It’s nearly 20 years later, and though I’ve tried to moderate the intake of shirts from 2007 to the present, the same old problem has once again reared its head. I may have to do another culling. Soon.
With that in mind, I came across the folder of sold eBay images on my network drive the other day and thought I’d take a look at what I’ve already gotten rid of shirt-wise and try to cobble a posting [or six] out of it! Images are the actual photos used to sell the shirts on eBay, so that’s why they are small. Back then I had to host the images personally for any auctions on my own web space! But eBay look a lot less than 30% of the sale and shipping, too. If I can link to the setlist.fm page for the date, the header tour/year text will contain it. So without further ado.
ADAM ANT: Persuasion 1993
I always loved long-sleeved T-shirts since in the mild Florida winters, this might be the only sartorial difference from wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt during the summer, which was nine months out of the year! This shirt also fed other T-shirt fetishes I had. It had printing on the sleeves – both of them! It had the tour dates, on the sleeve as well! And the show itself [at Fern Park Station] was a rip roaring thrill with a stripped down band featuring Boz Borer and Marco Pirroni with Adam playing a perfect selection of old and new material that was, dare I say, Peak Adam!
Since I loved this shirt an awful lot, I was happy to see this sell for over eighty dollars as I recall. I actually have spreadsheets for all of my eBay sales, but I’m not at home right now. As for the “Persuasion” album, it was the album of Adam’s that got shelved. making this shirt one of the few physical manifestations of that period.
PET SHOP BOYS: Performance 1991
This was a beautiful portrait of Neil Tennant and was probably designed by their top design artist Mark Farrow. It had their clean, minimal look. The logo treatment was of the era as they debuted on the “Where The Streets Have No Name” single, which dropped after the tour started.
It was 1990 and when they launched into it on stage, no one had a clue they were going to transform the U2 hit in quite the way that they did! At first, we were just stunned. There was no internet or social media for any spoilers. This date was the US debut of the band in full concert, so believe me when I say that no-one had any suspicions that they were going to pull this rabbit out of their hats.
FLAT DUO JETS: 1996
We tended to see Flat Duo Jets at least three times a year in their active mid-90s period. This was a buff colored T-shirt with a cartoon image of Dexter Romweber [R.I.P.] that I’m sure I bought at the Go Lounge where they played a lot.
DURAN DURAN: Medazzaland 1997
I used to own a lot of Duran Duran shirts, but this one was not from a concert that I had attended. I saw three legs of the “Wedding Album” tour, and we’ll get to those shirts eventually, but the last time I saw the band was on the “Pop Trash” tour in 1998?
This was from the year before when the hull of the good ship Duran was barely afloat. Their new album “Medazzaland” had only gotten released in Japan and the US as EMI passed on it for pretty much every other territory! The tour was attended by my Durannie friend Sandra and she got this for me as a gift.
FRONT 242: Tyranny >FOR YOU< 1991
I had memorably seen Front 242 on their “Front By Front” tour in 1988 and the impact was about as high as it got! That gig had a vibe and atmosphere that was brilliant, so when they released the even better “Tyranny >For You<” album on the majors – Epic Records in America, I was primed for overkill. Though the album was great, the show itself was a notch or two down from the intensity of the earlier show.
CHRIS ISAAK: Heart Shaped World 1991
At the time it seemed like I had waited forever to see Chris Isaak! He tended to tour mostly in California. And it took until album number three before he ventured into the Southeast. I went to the “Heart Shaped World” tour in Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg with good friend The RAHB and my colorful friend John.
We were all Isaak fans and the show was a total winner! Deep cuts from all three albums along with select covers, and material that would figure on his future albums filled the set. Along with his patented wiseguy sense of humor. It was one of the best concerts I had seen by that point. Hitting on cylinders that most other artists didn’t deign to touch.
Mainstream success was still about six months into the future for Chris. “Wicked Game” only became a hit when an Altanta DJ saw David Lynch’s “Wild At Heart” and thought to add it to his playlist after hearing it there. Then the song took off like wildfire as the world world came to know Chris Isaak. But in 1991 he was at his lean and hungry peak. Lead guitar was still by James Calvin Wilsey [R.I.P.] and we didn’t know then that he only had one more album with Isaak before he was off the bus for good. I should have kept this shirt. But instead I kept another Isaak shirt that the artist himself had signed and even included a caricature of himself on.
Next: …Monk Loses His Shirt[s]!
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Post-Punk Monk 
PPM – you have hit a nerve for me, here – first, I love that Adam Ant T-shirt with the dates on the sleeve!!!! So Cool. Second, I *love* Chris Isaak and he is like OMD live – awesomely professional. I have one t-shirt of his that is the most comfortable t-shirt – it has the Woody Wagon on it with the surfboard (so SoCAL!). They were selling the shirt in Tucson – but alas, no Tucson date on the shirt, That’s OK – I still love it. OMD shirt – I really don’t like the Bauhaus one (their latest) – so I spiffed it up a bit with some lace on the bottom and sleeves – will be wearing it at one of the Greek Theater gigs. Lastly, I was at the Plaza in Orlando for Hooky’s show. They had the most beautiful poster made for the Janus gig (just gorgeous) but no t-shirt of that?!?!?! I did not buy a t-shirt for the merch for that as I did not like the shirts…sigh. He would have made a *mint* if he had taken that Janus graphic and used it for the shirt – all the ladies were swooning over it. It’s like the OMD Maid of Orleans graphic t-shirt (I have two of those and *love* them)….as for Hooky, enjoyed the show although only knew the last 13 songs or so. Did get an autograph on the set of buttons/badges I bought instead of a shirt….I gave away my Sting t-shirt (stupid me, I know) years ago. I have the Midge Ure in the Box t-shirt and the latest Kraftwerk one as well. Plus all the *damn* latest OMD t-shirts….gotta stop that ;-)
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Deserat – I’ve got to admit… most of the T-shirts I have bought in the years since this 2007 shirt cull have been OMD shirts!! So I have to be “on the wagon” from here on out. I passed on Hook and The Light locally. Just couldn’t find it in me to go. When I saw Midge Ure [both times] his merch did not arrive so there’s that issue. I should buy some sort of Ultravox shirt while there are still ones out there.
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Some of these tour shirts lately are seriously just bad…they are boring…that Japanese Duran Duran one and the “Flat Duo” (some of the bands you write about are really obscure to me!) show some type of graphic design chops…like they actually tried to make something appealing.
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Deserat – Maybe you haven’t been paying attention but Nick Rhodes loves himself some ugly art and he IS Duran Duran. The shirt looked better than the album!! The days of gorgeous Duran Duran sleeves are back with Malcolm Garrett in the mists of time! And buying any Flat Duo Jets merch put gas in their tank! Guaranteed!
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I have that Pet Shop Boys shirt but bought it from a store (reduced price bin) and not on the tour. The gigs I attended were usually by smaller acts that did not have tour shirts, just shirts for the current album, or more generic ones with band name and/or logo.
Were there any tour or band shirts that you wore so often that they eventually came apart?
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strange_idol – The PSB shirt, since it was an early one for me, was starting to get slightly ragged on the neck. A They Might Be Giants shirt actually end up as rags. I have a bootleg poly-cotton “English Beat” beat girl shirt that I’ve worn so much all the cotton might be gone. It’s now very thin but I wear it around the house in the heat of summer. The Chris Isaak shirt I kept has scanty gas left in its tank.
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Here’s my funny Chris Isaak anecdote dating back thirty-one years. Went to a Chris Isaak concert on Tuesday, March 1, 1994 at The Oasis, San José, California. Did the meet-and-greet, and asked him to sign one of the German EP/CD import picture cards for the single “Can’t Do A Thing To Stop Me” of the previous year. He asked me who it was for, I said, René, and he wrote: “Rene, You Slay Me!” When I broke it to him soon-after that ‘René’ was me, he let out a hilarious groan, and in a grin said, “get out of here!” Years later, we would run into each other at the old Downtown Rehearsal Studios in San Francisco (near the former Candlestick Park) where we rehearsed with our respective bands. I’d say, “hey, Chris,” and he’d only say “hey,” passing each other in the stairwell, but never had the heart to remind him of his autograph to me! 😆
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