Today we finally put the seemingly endless thread of tour shirts we used to own to bed. And just in time, as we’ll see tomorrow [?]. There are a few surprises in this last batch. As in “I can’t believe that The Monk sold off that one!”
BRYAN FERRY: Mamouna [Orlando] 1995
I’d first heard Roxy Music in 1975. I was hooked from the first time I heard “Love Is The Drug.” I started buying their albums with “Flesh + Blood” and quickly burned through the entire oeuvre. Then moved to the Ferrysphere. I had begun to think that I would never see The Maestro. But that changed in 1994/1995 as his Mamouna tour first came to Atlanta in November of 1994, and later, after a world tour jaunt in early 1995 throughout Asia/Australasia, he came to touch down in Central Florida for three dates!
As I’d just met my loved one, and we bonded over a mutual admiration for Bryan Ferry [among other things] we mad sure to hit the Tampa gig [along with longtime friends The RAHB and chasinvictoria] as well as the Orlando show with Mr. Ware and his loved one. A rare triple header for an artist’s tour with three dates attended. I think I only ever did that for Double Duran. I already had this design [but with the dates from the leg with Atlanta the year earlier] but my future wife got this shirt. Now she just roots through my cabinet O’shirts if she want’s to wear anything, so we flipped this one!
It does look a little strange seeing those three Florida dates after locales halfway around the world predominated. As in “Bryan Ferry, you just completed your Mamouna World Tour…what are you going to do next?”
Bryan Ferry – “What else? I’m going to Disney World.”
ROXY MUSIC: Pirate US Tour 2001 [New Jersey]
We eventually got to see Roxy Music when the band surprisingly reformed for a valedictory world tour in 2001. This was especially surprising in that Ferry had not yet divorced his wife, but maybe he was banking on the need for upcoming alimony? He usually rallies the troops when his love life hits the rocky shores. And I’m here to say, “yes, please!”
The Tweeter Center in New Jersey was the first date in America and we were visiting the family in Akron so driving to New Jersey was six hours and worth it to the max! Of course I bought the requisite sumptuous tour book and the official shirt, with Susie Bick [soon-to-be Susie Cave] on the artwork, from the 2001 greatest hits compilation put together to capitalize on the tour. But we were in such an expansive mood, that when confronted by street youths selling pirate shirts on the walk back to the car, we said, “suuuure!” In the cold light of day, we probably didn’t need this one.
FRANK SINATRA: Diamond Jubilee Tour 1991
This was my third Sinatra gig and it was spectacular! I went with my parents again and a couple of friends who were celebrating their anniversary as my gift to them. Frank delivered another top form show a year since the last one in the same venue. He was 75 and compiled a set list for this one that just gave me chills when I looked at it a moment ago. This was Peak Frank, to be sure. Belting the upbeat songs with verve and giving equal spotlight to the “saloon songs” that cement his reputation as an interpreter without peer. I liked the “Three Faces Of Frank” design. Notice the ad for Chivas Regal, the sponsor!
NITZER EBB: Showtime 1990
The second time I saw Nitzer Ebb, I was into the t-shirt lifestyle, so I made sure to grab one of these beauties with “Showtime” branding and colors. I loved how the design was reversed on the back! Looking at this shirt now, I regret my decision to sell this off. In 2025, I don’t have much enthusiasm for…let’s say, Cocteau Twins but I still treasure [pun intended!] the Nitzer Ebb canon. And this shirt did look sharp.
They were in Orlando Arena [18,000 cap.] for this show as Depeche Mode’s opening act. Good thing too, as they were far more interesting. And I say that while agreeing that “Violator” was a great album. But Depeche Mode were never live firebrands. The same can’t be said for The Ebb. Douglas McCarthy [r.i.p.] was never anything but riveting onstage.
I do see that the Ebb webstore has a riff on this original shirt design still available. Hmmmmmm. I’ll never have tats, though!
THE COCTAILS: Mid 90ss Tour?
I remember everyone being up in arms over Chicago indie band The Coctails coming to the Sapphire Supper [suffer] Club in Orlando. Our local heavies The Hate Bombs were thrilled to be opening, and good thing! As it turned out, The Coctails were a fairly bloodless Jazz Band, in spite of the canny, indierok branding. I bought their 1993 CD, “The Long Sound,” and it didn’t last too long in the Record Cell. The T-shirt fared a little better. Looking backk now, it’s indie-by-rote and no wonder it failed to move me musically.
THE CRAMPS: Look Mom, No Head Tour
Where did I get this long-sleeved Cramps shirt sporting “Look Mom, No Head!” graphics? The Back of the shirt had Poison Ivy giving her tribute to The Girl In Gold Boots, I guess! The Cramps! Long sleeved shirt! Why did I get rid of this? The bigger question was, I never saw that tour so how did I get a shirt from it? I’ll guess that it was extra stock that made its way into a record store t-shirt rack. But I usually never look at anything but music. Hmmmmm.
COCTEAU TWINS: Some Early 90s show?
This one is blurrier than my memories! I remember thinking at the time “was the screen printing that off-register or was it a deliberate part of the 4AD aesthetic?” It’s hard to remember all of my Cocteau Twins shows. There was 1990/Heaven Or Las Vegas in Atlanta . That’s highly memorable. The second was a slippery show in Tampa/St. Pete where Liz Frazier was ill and they stopped the performance partially through as the audience was beseeching her not to sing. That might have been the St. Pete show at the Mahaffey Theater and I swear that chasinvictoria was at such a show with me. And for some reason, I think of the show as being during daylight hours? This may be a shirt from that show. The third show was in Tampa at The Ritz on the “Four Calendar Cafe” tour and we’ve already seen those shirts in earlier parts of this thread.
From not wearing t-shirts for a decade to owning too many of them, it seems that I’m a creature of extremes. I need to perform another cull as the cabinet is filled to bursting again. And I’ve probably gotten seven OMD shirts [off the top of my head] since they’ve been back together for a little more excess. And since every t-shirt has a story, maybe covering the ones that I’ve kept might be just as interesting. Or maybe not. But if I do another cull, I’ll make sure to mention it here and possibly revise this thread for another time.
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Post-Punk Monk 
I have really been enjoying your t-shirt posts :-)
Best one to me here is that Coctails one – never heard of the band but love the graphic of the four very skinny men…reminds me of some of the cartoons we had when young.
Bryan could have done something a little more creative in my estimation – one of my fave songs of his is “Kiss and Tell” which I read somewhere (your blog?) was his riposte to Jerry Hall, originally from Texas and former spouse of Mick Jagger, dumping him…Ferry has sure morphed over his career style and music-wise…talented guy.
I tried to listen to NitzerEbb – wow – just intense hard rock energy – too much for me.
I prefer some other lounge singers to Frank, but hey, he is one of the best for a reason. Bing Crosby, Roger Miller (love his songs), Johnny Horton (great stories in his songs)….I think it’s my parents’ influence as they played that music when I was much younger – not too much Frank.
I’m going to see Chris Isaak next Sunday – wonder what the t-shirts look like. I’ve gotten very picky about merch now….gotta love the shirt and want to wear it – otherwise it just ends up in a stack that I see in my closet and causes me to swear at myself for the waste of money….
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Deserat – Growing up, The Rat Pack were like the fun-loving, carousing ne’er-do-well uncles that I only saw on TV. I agree about the Cocktails shirt! If only I liked their album/sound I might still have it. Next Sunday I’ll be seeing China Crisis and Peter Godwin for the first time at Lost 80s Live and I truly hope there will be T-shirts!!!
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