Given some of the rubbish foisted on an impressionable public these days, that reads like good advice.

Maybe because you don't have to be a fan to go to an artist's gig?
Maybe you are thinking of becoming a fan?
Maybe to see if any of an artist's other songs are any good?
You are with a fan?
You got a free ticket?
You like pop music generally rather than being a fan of a particular artist.
You are open to new things....
Use your imagination, there are lots of reasons.

I would say where the t-shirt has a good design on it.

E.g. Anyone could wear the Pink Floyd 'Dark Side of the Moon' t-shirt or The Clash 'London Calling' or Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures', The Velvet Underground's 'Banana album', they look good irrespective of whether you are fan.

But how will you become a fan if you talk through the songs you don't know or spend half the gig in the bar? That's what I don't understand. Fair enough, some people see gigs as a social occasion, but often they're very expensive so it baffles me that people might pay £50, or even £100, just to hear a couple of tunes they like played live.

I don't get the problem really, unless said 'non-fan' is actively ruining the gig you're at somehow. But then again, I've been to gigs that uber-fans have ruined because they're so busily fawning over the act and trying to get their attention that they're blocking my view, and screaming along so loudly they're all I can hear

I know it's easy to be protective of something you're a fan of, and to look down on people who claim to be a fan of something but don't put in as much effort as you, but really, why would you not welcome another person being interested in the same musical act you love, even if they are just a casual fan and only know a few songs? Don't you want your favourite act to get plenty of support? The only crime I can see is if the casual fan goes around stating incorrect information or something.

I don't know. I find it a tad snobbish, personally. I love it when people I know tell me they're a fan of an act I love, especially if it's quite an obscure act. I want the acts I love to have widespread support, even if it's only for a song or two. It might mean they're successful for longer!

The only time I have a problem with this though is if for example the gig is sold out and maybe someone who loves the band has missed out on tickets yet there's a bunch of people there who chat through most of the gig and have just gone for one song.


Especially nowadays, it's so easy to listen to music online that if you're thinking of becoming a fan or want to check out other songs it's far easier online than to go to a gig.

I go to a lot of gigs and I always make an effort to find out who the support bands are and I'll Google them, do a bit of research and listen to their material.

I can't imagine going to a gig and not knowing any of the tunes. It can be bad enough when a band you like start playing brand new songs at a gig, if it's someone I totally love then I generally like everything they do and it's great but if it's someone I just quite like then sometimes it can be a bit crap not knowing new stuff.


I guess it's down to personal preference, I would never wear anything from a band I didn't like. I think if you're walking round with a shirt with the "Velvet Underground and Nico" cover then the least you can do is give the album a listen.

I usually say.. "That's cool, I've go those albums on vinyl so never bothered downloading them..."



As a long time Elbow fan I would agree. As for people talking at gigs... That's a discussion on it's own these days. It is so common now.


I preferred him in Marillion but his last album is very good.

I'm not one of the 'cool kids' who are into Muse and the like(I am more pop/soul type of person), but I would never pass myself off as a fan of them because I like or know one track.

It is true about music being everywhere. With the likes of YouTube and Spotify about, you can at least research the performers other songs/albums.

I'd probably be branded a music snob by many but of course couldn't care less and probably wouldn't be taking notice of what people with no commonality of taste with me think about music anyway. That wouldn't make sense to me. I prefer to interact with those who share some taste or are showing interest in something I could help them out with.

I don't really think this thread is about snobbery. I see it as being concerned with minimal expectations.

Of course a hit or two will bring casual listeners out to a gig but how lame is it to claim to be a fan / have some significant interest in something that ultimately, you barely know about?

It seems a bit desperate to me: people wanting to use things that, perhaps they believe to be cool, to define themselves, or fit in with a peer group when they have nothing invested. That's just bluffing.

When I was at school (and that was a while ago!) there would always be characters who owned the 'band t-shirt' but would ask you to tape the albums for them. Of course we all had differing amounts of money filtering down from our parents, part-time jobs or whatever but I just bought the records; I owned no related t-shirts and saw these kind of kids as fakes. You don't have to have all the right albums but what sort of music fan buys a t-shirt to be seen in when they don't even possess a record?!

The situation certainly hasn't improved with all the Motorhead and Ramones t-shirts being sold by boutiques to people who haven't the first clue what 'Motorhead' or 'Ramones' is. No wonder people find it irritating.

It comes down to this: people need to leave shit alone when they don't understand or won't invest any effort. Applies to corporations too! As Osiris Marsh would say, "War on the Bullshit".

I think some people need to get a grip...a T shirt is first and foremost a piece of clothing, what the hell does it matter what is on the the t-shirt, and who seriously gives a sh*t if it is a band the person wearing likes or not, invested time in or not.

I saw the Bezerker a few years ago, one of the highlights is a few young lasses were at the front and clearly had no clue how the band sounded. Needless to say, they were seen in the few opening moments running from the crowd to escape the madness. Aussie metal bands party hard haha.

I do. When they first became 'trendy', there was a fashion article on them, saying it's now cool to wear t-shirts of "naff rock bands like Kiss, Motorhead and AC/DC".

Why would you wear, for example, an Iron Maiden shirt if you don't like the band and/or only know one or two songs.

I think The Ramones t-shirts are the ones I see the most. Next time I'll stop and ask the wearer if they prefer Rockaway Beach or The KKK Took My Baby Away.

Indeed, a few days after Tommy died a customer wearing a Ramones t-shirt came in the shop and whilst I was serving him I commented on Tommy's passing and the fact that all four original members were now dead and he obviously didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

I think we all know how clothing works, thanks. When you have a band or singer or organisation or icon emblazoned on your clothing I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect the wearer to have some interest in or knowledge of what it actually is that they are walking around acting as a mobile billboard for.


Oh. You think everyone shares your indifferent view? Seems they don't. Some people can't be bothered with vacuous or superficial types who want to make statements of cool without even knowing what they are promoting.

Live music is a different experience from recorded music. Artists need space to experiment and try new things from time to time. Who wants to hear a slavish reproduction of the records?

I've been to many gigs in the past when I haven't known the songs, often because it is a new artist.


Some images like this have a cultural significance apart from the artists' music.

Well that's their own insecurities they need to deal with.

Who said anything about that? Experimenting is great but it's still the same song they're experimenting with and fans will know the song. Even die hard fans go to hear songs they know (it's just they'll be more happy to hear random album tracks and not just the big singles). Different strokes for different folks but as I said, I will always listen to a bands material before going to see them. I've seen new bands as support acts before that have only had one or two songs online but I'll make myself familiar with those songs.
Generally when a band play new stuff you get half the audience chatting through it. I've been to a few gigs of artists that I pretty much love everything they've ever done (Jarvis Cocker, Frank Turner, The Cribs and Arctic Monkeys spring straight to mind) where they've played brand new stuff and I've loved it but as a rule too much new stuff isn't good.

I'm never going to agree with you on the T-Shirt thing. People who wear band T-Shirts and have no idea of the band are superficial sheep who are wearing it to look cool, usually because some "celebrity" has worn it and because they've no style of their own so have to copy others.

Maybe and just a maybe...they actually like the t-shirt, or if it is trendy... so what isn't that what fashion is about for the most part.

Absolutely. Now that is something I agree with

There have been times when I have gone to a gig/concert where I have not been familiar with songs. I remember once Stevie Wonder playing If You Really Love Me when I went to see him in Manchester. This was a song that I heard for the very first time and I loved it So, I ended up doing research when I got back and found out it was on his 1971 album Where I'm coming from.

Another time being when I went to see the late Bobby Womack at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow last year. Despite not being too familiar with his work, I wanted to go and see him live because I was convinced especially with his health problems (Alzheimer's etc) that he might never tour again. I'm glad I did, because he died in the summer

THIS.

I will never, ever understand people talking through a gig they've paid good money to see! And I completely agree on the t-shirt thing, it just seems so bizarre to me.

Agreed Going to gigs/concerts is not cheap.

I discovered similar to what the Original Poster referred to when I attended an Alicia Keys concert in Liverpool in 2013. I've been a massive fan since she first came out and waited a very long time to see her live. In front of us there were a few teenage girls who sat and talked/texted pretty much the whòle way through the show and basically stated they were only there for the song Empire State of Mind (which was the very last song/encore ). I couldn't help but think why people would pay out alot of money to only want to hear a couple of popular songs by the artist as going to their gig you go to experience all the artist has to offer in the show? However obviously people go to concerts to enjoy the music so it doesn't/shouldn't really matter what kind of fan they are really as long as everyone has a good time

Nikki

I go to plenty of shows(mostly pop) i always go for the most expensive tickets/vip packages and i dont own albums from 90% of the acts i go see

I just know all the singles that get radio/video play, never stopped me from having a good time

Except for maybe Madonna they always play most if not all of their hits

Personally I can't imagine I would ever pay to see an act in concert unless I was familiar with a good chunk of their discography beyond singles. I just don't understand it. I also struggle to understand people who claim to be a 'fan' of an artist yet only know a handful of hits. I wouldn't call that snobby, as I wouldn't exactly say my music taste was of the strictly 'worthy' variety. Just take the poster who posted their POV as a Britney fan (no offence intended)!

I'd probably say I could understand and connect with people who liked artists I personally find dire yet actually bothered to get the albums and really know that artist, more than those who just jump on a bandwagon and say they're a 'fan' of someone 'cos they like their latest hit single or a couple of the classics. Those spoof street interview videos where they make up fake names and gossip which people blindly go along with spring to mind.

The point about the T-Shirt thing is that some of these T-shirt designs are works of art.
Motorhead's War-pig was designed by the artist Joe Petagno and The Ramones logo was designed by Arturo Vega. Yes, they are both representative visually of the essence of those bands but they stand up in their own right. And you don't have to know every last Motorhead or Ramones song to know what the logos mean.

Rock and pop music are visual as well as musical mediums. Mick Jagger's lips have a visual significance well beyond the band's music. The same could be said for Marley's Dreads look, Sex Pistols 'Never Mind the Bollocks' paper cuts or Bowie's 'Aladdin Sane' face makeup.

I used to have a Yes T-Shirt because I thought the Roger Dean stuff looked great though the music was naff.