Another day, another handful of tour shirts that I once owned, but now have only photos of. These photos were the actual files used to sell them off to new homes in the “wild west” days of eBay. When all the platform hosted was your code and no images.
COCTEAU TWINS: Heaven Or Las Vegas 1990
As I was seeing Cocteau Twins after six years of fervent fandom, I went a little hog wild at the merch table on tour shirts. The clear winner was the blue shirt in part 3 of this thread, but I also got this black shirt with an abstract framing of the colored lights that were part of the album artwork.
Not in evidence here was the third such shirt I bought; a black number with the Cocteau Twins logo on it. I remember the colors as green and red, but that short went to the great merch table in the sky as it was worn to rag status. Or I seem to recall that a washing machine mishap shredded the shirt as I can’t recall wearing it that often!
WEBB WILDER: Town + Country 1996
It was either the second or third Webb Wilder gig at Orlando’s Sapphire Suffer Club where I got this little number. WW was touring on the godlike “Town + Country” covers album. The idea was he’d pick his favorite Country and Rock + Roll songs on it; hence the title.
Cover albums were a disease in the 90s, and most of them, even from my favorites at the time, were pure toxic musical waste! For the most part. But not this one! This is my possibly favorite Webb Wilder album since it’s a mission statement of sorts. Hearing Webb’s baritone on those Country songs covered here was just shy of Hillbilly Heaven. And the man can rock it, for sure. Almost the best part of the album were Webb’s little extemporized raps, possibly done late at night after a few beers. “Hissy Fit” is exceptionally hilarious.
ZUZU’s PETALS: Velocity Girl Tour 1994
You know how it is when seeing a band. The opening act can be a spin of the roulette wheel. There’s often the time that I attend a gig [sometimes at great cost] to just see the opening act! Other times, the opening act manages to ace the headliner that brought you there in the first place. I liked Velocity Girl, but I ended up liking ZuZu’s Petals even more. I bought their 7″ of “Star Baby” and their fabbo tour shirt with the colorful atom age graphics.
Now this was a t-shirt that I [and my wife] wore until it was relegated to rag status. And when in the bowels of Amoeba Records that first time in 2014, my wife saw the one ZuZu’s Petals CD we have in the Record Cell and put it in my stack to buy.
MAZZY STAR: She Hangs Brightly – 1990
Here was another all-time great opening act! We bought those first Cocteau Twins tickets without knowing the opening act. Fortunately for us, it was Mazzy Star; a band we were previously unaware of. They put on a riveting set! Hope Sandoval said maybe three words all night, apart from singing. But by the end of it we had to buy the t-shirt!
The very next day we went to Tower Atlanta [r.i.p.] and bought their album, “She Hangs Brightly.” I played the hell out of that album as it had a organic, Bluesy, late night vibe that would not quit. I was thrilled to see the band a second time in 1993 in Tampa at The Ritz, opening up for Jesus + Mary Chain. I was so primed to buy another tour shirt, but when I got to the merch table I was flabbergasted to see that they were selling the exact same shirt design for “So Tonight That I Might See,” album number two!
FRANK SINATRA: Chairman Of The Board – 1990
I had already seen Frank Sinatra once before, in 1987 as he played a benefit at the USF ScumDome for the USF School of Nursing. I went with my parents and my friend Jayne. That was as perfunctory a music event as any concert that I saw at that misbegotten venue! At least Funnyman Jan Murray® was the opening act!
Round two with Frank Sinatra was a far more enjoyable event. My friend Jayne and I went with her mother this time. We bought primo seats and the show was night and day [pun intended] superior; a classic program of “saloon songs” with the only false note being the de riguer closer of “New York, New York.” Frank was in top form and since it was the 90s, we hit the merch table for this tour shirt and the program book.
THE SELECTER: Pressure ’92 – 1994
This one is a ringer! I didn’t actually ever see The Selector! I don’t think I ever had the opportunity; even during the surprising early 90s Third Wave of Ska. So why? How? This was down to the night I saw Man Or AstroMan? at The Covered Dish in Gainesville. I drove the 150 minutes to see the gig and after it was over, didn’t feel like driving home to arrive at my apartment around 2 a.m., so I found a hotel room.
The next day I went to Schoolkids Records and wanted a fresh shirt to wear since I had not packed for an overnighter. This was the shirt in the store that won my hard-earned dollars. Since if I had the chance to see The Selecter, I would have bought the shirt anyway!
DURAN DURAN: Dialate Your Mind Tour – 1993
This was another of the many Double Duran shirts I bought while seeing the first of three legs of the seemingly endless “Ordinary World Tour” that lasted at least 18 months. This one featured more of the photo booth band shots in a multi-color layout. I liked the earlier, similar shirt in black and white with full coverage a lot more. But at that time I was all about the Duran Duran phase, and the band were re-peaking commercially, so we leaned into it.
Next: …Favourite Shirts
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Post-Punk Monk 
That The Selector shirt is cool! Am looking forward to your faves….
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So you saw Zuzu Petals and Mazzy Star. That’s what I’m hearing. You’re pretty darned cool
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steveforrhedeaf – ZuZu’s Petals are known in Britain? I thought they were pretty far under the radar everywhere!
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There was a mixtape. With NME I think. Can’t remember the song
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steveforthedeaf – And here I thought it might have been down to vocalist Laurie Lindeen [r.i.p.] having been the former Mrs. Westerberg!
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I did not know that
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