In one sense, I can already see that I'm going to regret this, but here goes...

For most of my solo gigs (usually weddings) I will usually wear a dress suit (DJ and trousers - pants, Tom!), dress shirt and bow tie.

However, just recently I've been wondering if this is starting to look a bit staid and, well, square. Certainly, here in the UK, guests' dress for weddings has become ever more informal, with very few neckties in evidence, for example.

Also, while DJ and bow tie sits OK with classics and dinner jazz, it feels a little less right for contemporary pop material, somehow.

For evening band gigs, I just wear a black, open-neck collared shirt with plain black pants, so wondering whether it's time to revisit my daytime wear. I don't want to go down the route of glitter-encrusted stagewear but maybe I could switch to a more casual jacket/open-neck shirt combo, perhaps even suit with t-shirt.

Oh, and to add to the difficulties, it's gotta be available in my size and look reasonably OK on a fairly rotund, middle-aged guy. What does everyone else here wear on stage?

Serious suggestions welcomed. Serious mockery expected. Hit it.

I think it's fine for you to eliminate the bow tie.

What I wear depends on the gig. If playing indoors, I ALWAYS wear long pants, usually a nice pair of jeans (we are a blues band after all), and brown leather shoes. Shirts can vary from some funky t-shirts to some crazy patterned bowling-type shirts.

If playing a more formal gig (I've played some of these in the past and hate them), I'll wear dress pants and a button up shirt, but usually no tie.

If outdoors, I MIGHT wear shorts if everyone else is doing so, but I will sometimes just wear jeans like I do in the indoor places. WILL always wear a hat and sunglasses outside, and often I wear both inside too. I played one gig where I brought 12 baseball hats of mine and switched to a different hat every song. Just for fun of course.

A while back, I considered starting a thread about attire in general.

The dress code is certain changing. I see it across the board i.e. business, public, functions, etc.

Obviously, it makes sense to dress for the occasion. When it comes to formal events, they will definitely let you know.

Personally, I'd rather not wear suits, ties, slacks, etc. So, for most situations, I can get away with a more casual jacket/open-neck shirt combo.

Of course, it is a step up from jeans and t-shirts. At the same time, it moves away from the baby tuxedo that makes a muso look like wait-staff.

The jacket/shirt works for middle-aged, rotund cats too.

Stating the obvious, but it really depends on your sense of cool and whether you are a good dresser. If you know how to dress, you can look good in something less formal and nobody will complain.

If you don't know how to dress, stick with a nice suit, shirt and tie. I know a lot of musicians who -if given a chance- would totally come to the gig in faded corduroys and button-downs that are either too small or too big, but certainly the wrong size.

There's this drummer we play with, and whenever he is on the gig, the singer/bandleader categorically tells the band that the dresscode is tuxedo. When he is not there, she relaxes and tells us to just look 'smart'.

Another common thing is to just wear plain black everything.



Mike, really...

I think we need to consult brother ERIC when it comes to haberdashery!

Mike T.

There's no question that people are dressing more casually these days, but I like to keep in mind that great Steve Martin line from 'Leap of Faith': "Always dress better than they do, kid!"

Best opinion would come from your employers, wouldn't it?
They set the standards.

Definitely loose the bow tie! Many tuxedos have dropped the bow tie in favour of a nice large regular neck tie. Personnaly, it has been my experience that no matter how formal the event, if you're on stage you could and should be a little less formal. Jacket with open collar shirt always works well. If you have the physique for it, just a nice fitted buttoned-down shirt with the top few buttons open, untucked works very well, especially for singers and guitar/bass players who stand and usually dance around the stage. For us keyboard players, dress-code is less important because we're either sitting or standing behind a stack of keyboards. And don't worry, no matter how good-looking you are, chicks never look at keyboard players:(

The thing with being stylish, is that there are no rules, because the secret to looking good is finding something that works with your body type, skin tone, hair style, and overall look. In the end, just look carefully in the mirror and ask yourself am I pulling this off? Or do I look like I'm in a mid-life crisis and trying to reclaim my youth?

Aidan,
Good question, I posted it a few years back here. I took a beating on that one.

I try to remember a tip that I picked up around here a while ago, and that is to dress better than the patrons whenever possible. For my band doing bar-rock gigs, this is not difficult! Usually, dark dress shirt and dark jeans.

Regards,
Joe

Dude.. bow tie went out of fashion quite a while ago!

My suggestion for more laid back stuff: black/white sneakers, khakis, graphic tee, and blazer. You will look studly.

If you need to go more formal upgrade to a button down shirt and dress shoes. Or you can go for the all black look with no blazer and look quite classy as well. For me going further than that means a tux!

Wait.

I knew that one, Aidan. Well, the trousers part anyway. But why are you doing wearing a DJ? Isn't he supposed to be spinning records, er - vinyl? Could that be Dinner Jacket? or Dress Jeans?

Frankly, depending on the gig I try to wear something black. A lightweight jacket is also good. Black pants. Black shoes... Black boxers (just in case my black belt breaks... briefly).

Thanks Tom, you didn't let me down!

I know, I know. I start thinking that I'll raise my standards a bit, and then I go and do something like that...

I always wear clothes to integrate myself visually with my keyboard
to get perception as a single unit. Same with bench.

Because the gigs I play are much more casual these days, I'll go with Florida Formal. Khaki cargo shorts, a musical motif t-shirt, straw hat, and flip-flops. Or Bluejeans, tennis shoes, and a Fedora in place of the shorts, flip-flops, and straw hat. But, if the gig warrants it, I'll go with dress pants and a nice Polo shirt, possibly a blazer.

LOL -- You're the real deal Florida-wise, Mr. N.

Several years ago I attended a wedding, where the dress was specified as "formal". I saw one couple in there dressed in "Florida Formal". My wife and I couldn't stop laughing.

BTW Mike, I see from your site that you'll be in my general neighborhood Sunday.

Make up your mind, Tom... is it boxers or is it briefs?

Personally, I wear both, just in case. Momma always said to wear clean underwear in case I was ever in an accident...

But, if you're in an accident, they're no longer clean. First you say it, then you do it.

Aha, but that's the brilliance! By wearing both, the outer pair is still clean while the inner pair is carrying the holy excrement.

Of course this only has a chance of working if the boxers are UNDER the briefs, and are of sufficiently high thread count to be somewhat ... ummm ... waterproof.

Urgh.

For my style of music and type of gigs, whatever I woke up in that morning will do just fine onstage.

That open-collar silk shirt with the blazer will work really well if you add some gold necklaces and a pinky ring.

Especially for Rotund-Americans.

Or you can go with this.

That I will. Come on out if you're an early riser kinda guy

Ronnie, for real, thanks for checking out my site. I remember looking at one that you had with one of your previous bands. Are you in a group again?

Sorry for going OT, fellas. Back to boxers and briefs!

If possible I'd recommend checking out what other musicians in your area are wearing to similar gigs.

As was already said, different circumstances call for different dress.

For bell choir at my church I usually wear white open-collar dress shirt, black dress pants and black dress shoes. This is what I'm asked to wear. Sometimes I'm asked to wear a necktie and/or suit (2-piece). Very conservative (obviously).

For the country band the guys wear open-collar long-sleeve button-down shirts (tucked in). I broke ranks at one outdoor festival and wore a short-sleeve. Blue jeans. Black boots. A dab of hair product.

For the rock band (see avatar) I wear some sort of short-sleeve shirt, untucked. If I wear a T it's like brand new. Blue jeans. Black-and-white gym shoes. Lots of hair product.

When the rock band played NYE last year we started out in suits and ties. After the first set we retired our jackets and ties. I wore a louder tie than I would normally wear in public. I found a button-down shirt in the young men's department at Kohl's (good stuff here) with graphics and a Fender decal on the back for this show. For fun I wore suspenders. Dress shoes. (Didn't do the Kiss thing.) Still lots of hair product.

You can do the same thing and "casualize" yourself later in the night when you break into more popular fare. You could start by taking off your jacket and flipping your necktie (no bowtie) over one shoulder; make it look like you're having fun!

I won "knobbiest knees" on a cruise; I don't wear shorts to shows. (They're comfortable, but I haven't seen a guy on stage yet who looks good in shorts.)

As long as I have hair I don't choose to wear hats. YMMV.

A common complaint from venues, booking agents, and even audience members is that some bands don't look any different from their audiences. That doesn't mean everyone feels that way, but some do want to see the band do something just a little special with their look. For me that means contacts instead of glasses, styled hair and a shirt that's "special" in some way. (I don't prefer the loud/obnoxious shirts, but they work for others.) The first time one of our booking agents saw me on a non-show night he didn't even recognize me! (True story.)

Wearing a hat is the easiest way for a guy to look different from his audience. They're also great for covering thinning hair.

I understand the whole "black makes you look thinner" thing, but it can also mean that on a dark stage you look like two hands and a head floating in space. Try a specialty store for musicians (if your area has one), a big and tall store, etc. Check out fashion magazines and websites for guys your size. Maybe get a woman's opinion. In properly tailored/fitted clothes, big guys look every bit as good as the skinny runts!

Finally, it could be that your clientele are hiring you for their weddings based on your current look. So maybe there's no reason to fix something that isn't broken?

Standard LA gig clothing is black on black.

Either Black suit with tie or Black sport coat with black dress tee shirt and black dress or pseudo dress pants. I usually can get by with black Brooks Addiction running shoes has I'm sitting. Dress shoes aggravate my arthritic big toe joints.

This is standard fare for most private gigs and higher end clubs--it obviously doesn't include rock bars or $50-75 jazz gigs.

I see a lot of this around here as well (Chicago area). Nice thing about this rig is that you can always lose the sport coat and/or tie depending on whether it's a casual or more formal gig.

When in doubt, it seems a general rule of thumb may be that it is better to be slightly more formal at a casual gig than to be casual at a formal gig.

It depends on the gig. If it's a formal thing ... the guys do tuxes and our female vocalist something shimmery... When I do the tux thing - it's a white wing tip shirt with red bow tie and red vest. (Think of a pudgier Leslie Nielsen from "Dead and Loving It".) I play seated, behind a two tiered rig with an 88 key board on each level. I lose the jacket as soon as I sit down - and hope the white of the shirt and the red of the vest and tie help me not blend into my rig soo much.

If it's a casual gig...I try to go "snappy casual" ... dress pants, sport shirt sorta thing. (Never a jacket ... I sweat too much to wear 'em on stage.

If it's a casual casual gig ...it's khakis and black Polo shirt.

If it's "who gives a shit casual"....khakis and a black "T"

If it's "who gives a shit casual" ... and hot and humid....khaki shorts and a black "t".