I am a long-time veteran of going to rock shows to see live bands play. I'm one of those types who don't even need to know much about the band to go see them play, because I just love rock and roll that much. I have turned my love of rock into a career by writing magazine reviews of local shows. Since I've been going to shows for a long time, I know all of the ins and outs...and what is "in" right now, are cool tshirts.
There is one thing that has never been acceptable through the years of rock music's growth and evolution. By no means is it ever socially acceptable to wear the t-shirt of the band you are there to see. Since t-shirts are the most comfortable thing you can wear to a hot, packed rock show, cool tees were an inevitability.
The way these kids are competing against one another is disheartening and pretty ridiculous. I've never seen young people quite so engaged in finding the best cool Apparel to outdo one another. Offensive shirts, funny shirts, artful shirts: all of them make an appearance as these kids jockey for position.
It's nothing new, though. Way back in the day when I was just getting into the local concert scene, I was no better. When I went to a jam band show, I would dress out like your typical hippy kid. When I went to metal shows, you would never be able to tell that I wasn't a metal head like all the others. If the thing was wearing cool tees back then, I probably would have jumped on the bandwagon just as quickly.
I grew up and matured, of course. I learned that it's the depth of your character that is important, and not the clothes you wear. I wonder if these kids will grow up to realize that the cool t-shirts they cultivated so fervently don't mean quite as much as they thought. I also wonder if they will judge the generation that comes after them as severely as I've judged them. I surely hope not.
There is one thing that has never been acceptable through the years of rock music's growth and evolution. By no means is it ever socially acceptable to wear the t-shirt of the band you are there to see. Since t-shirts are the most comfortable thing you can wear to a hot, packed rock show, cool tees were an inevitability.
The way these kids are competing against one another is disheartening and pretty ridiculous. I've never seen young people quite so engaged in finding the best cool Apparel to outdo one another. Offensive shirts, funny shirts, artful shirts: all of them make an appearance as these kids jockey for position.
It's nothing new, though. Way back in the day when I was just getting into the local concert scene, I was no better. When I went to a jam band show, I would dress out like your typical hippy kid. When I went to metal shows, you would never be able to tell that I wasn't a metal head like all the others. If the thing was wearing cool tees back then, I probably would have jumped on the bandwagon just as quickly.
I grew up and matured, of course. I learned that it's the depth of your character that is important, and not the clothes you wear. I wonder if these kids will grow up to realize that the cool t-shirts they cultivated so fervently don't mean quite as much as they thought. I also wonder if they will judge the generation that comes after them as severely as I've judged them. I surely hope not.
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