Do you always buy merch at shows?

[scoots]

I was thinking about this last night at the Free Throw show - they were putting in a very concerted effort to get folks to buy merch, which I understand and appreciate. At the same time, even though I enjoyed the show, the likelihood of me listening to any of these bands again is kind of slim, and I don't want to walk around with a shirt that says "CAMP TRASH" on it. If I like the band I generally try to buy something, but that's contributed to several ugly shirts that I'll never wear again.

Anyway, what considerations go into you buying merch at shows?

[mookie]

I have too many band shirts as it is, and I go to too many shows to buy one all the time. If they have a very cool shirt and I liked the show enough, I'll get one though.

[claypoolfan]

I'm a mix of "Only if I love the band" and "If the shirts look incredible".

The latter has a lot to do with "Do these shirts seem long enough where if I buy a large it's not going to look like a crop top on me after one wash".

[kb]

the scoots i used to know would jump at the chance to rep CAMP TRASH.

[Kamera]

If there’s a poster, definitely.

[venom]

i rarely buy merch these days. 1) i bike to a lot of shows and just don't have a place to put a shirt, record, or poster; 2) i don't buy black or white t-shirts anymore, so that eliminates a lot of bands; 3) i already have a lot of band shirts and posters, so it has to be a good show and a cool design.

[krentist]

My black t drawer is currently in overflow mode so that's a nonstarter at this point for me. But I'm open to buying most other merch if it looks cool and they don't price it like assholes.

[scoots]

Jan 27, 2022 14:12:43 GMT -6 Kamera said:

If there’s a poster, definitely.

There's a run on the merch tent before every Red Rocks show if they have posters. Only venue I've been to where that happens. 

[fivehole]

I rarely buy shirts but I will be a (silk-screened) poster. I've gotten a lot pickier about posters too though because I can only have so many posters that will never got hung.

[teekoh]

I've cut down on the shirts I buy, though I will still pick one up if they're cool and I like the band. Mostly I try to buy vinyl if bands have it, or a poster. I get more use out of the records than I do shirts at this point.

[llamaoftime]

I have gotten to where I buy less and less, but if they have a really cool shirt I do.

I have a hard time resisting show specific merch too, like if they have a show specific poster or shirt instead of one for the whole tour. But I've been trying to get myself to spend less

[monasterymonochrome]

Yea, I used to get shirts so often that I instituted a rule a few years ago where I can only get one new t-shirt a month. And twice a year I cull through the ones I have and try to give at least 6-8 away. So the shirt has to be really cool for me to want to get it.

[zircona1]

I'll buy a shirt if the design is cool, but I've already got a drawer full of band/festival shirts, so I don't do it often. I have a box of X-large old concert shirts in the garage, I went down a shirt size over a decade ago.

[venom]

Jan 27, 2022 14:55:15 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

And twice a year I cull through the ones I have and try to give at least 6-8 away.

i've known a few people who've made quilts out of their old band t-shirts. they usually look pretty cool.

[dij22]

I probably buy like 10 band shirts a year at shows, and I try to have a one in/one out policy so I don't have hundreds of shirts.

[alady]

These days I usually only buy one if it's show-specific, long sleeve, or women's cut. Far too many dude-cut shirts taking up space in my house.

[thebosma]

Have to like the artist quite a bit to pick one up at this point, but I do buy them with some frequency. Attempt to limit to one a month but that’s not always going to be the case. If I’m on the lot, however, all bets are off but that doesn’t really count.

[fiveiron83321]

Jan 27, 2022 14:08:14 GMT -6 claypoolfan said:

I'm a mix of "Only if I love the band" and "If the shirts look incredible".

The latter has a lot to do with "Do these shirts seem long enough where if I buy a large it's not going to look like a crop top on me after one wash".

this is my opinion verbatim 

[doso]

I sometimes feel relieved if I don't like the t-shirts/posters because I have too much in both categories. Bands often don't offer big daddy sizes, so that is also a factor. I am a sucker for show-specific merch, though. And I ordered a fair amount of DBT and Hideout merch during the pre-vax months of the pandemic thinking it would help them out.

[ultravisitor]

I had slowed down on buying concert tees because I had acquired so many, but now that I've lost so much weight, I hardly have any that fit, so I'm buying them again.

I really hope that Tool has this shirt in my size next week: