What to Wear to a Rock Concert
December 16, 2009 | Lauren Van Mullem
Remember ladies, vinyl doesn't breath.
Last Saturday I went to my first rock concert ever. I’m 25 and fairly ashamed to admit that I’m a concert newbie. I’m just not cool like that. So what does a “not cool like that” girl wear when she wants to look, well, cool?
My style icon is Bree on Desperate Housewives, but I knew pearls and a cashmere sweater wouldn’t work – not the way I wear them anyways. So, willing to leave my everyday tastes behind, I went online to find some answers.
I typed in the search: “What to wear to a rock concert,” and discovered that I am not the only one to wonder. Answers flooded the browser page, some good, some bad, and… you guessed it, some definitely ugly.
The Wisdom of Wiki
What to wear depends on the venue: Is it indoor or outdoor? Is it in a bar or a stadium? How many people will be there, and do you plan to be in the mosh pit if there is one? What are the odds of crowd surfing (if high, do NOT wear a skirt). For larger, sweatier venues, casual clothes and comfortable footwear are a must. But the concert I was going to would be a smaller one in the large back room of a bar – no crowd surfing, probably no mosh pit either, so my clothing options were unfortunately endless.
The standard answer to the “what to wear?” question is jeans and a t-shirt. That look works really well for men, but for me it’s not quite enough. So I asked my friends, who, after repeating the “jeans and a t-shirt” answer, advised me of this cardinal rule of concert-wear: “Do NOT wear the T-shirt of the band you’re seeing. You don’t want to be that girl.” This is, incidentally, a paraphrased line from a relatively obscure mid-‘90s movie, PCU. But that one line seems to have impacted the last 15 years of concert fashion. So FYI, don’t be that girl, or guy.
What Would Serena Do?
Ok, I had to wear something casual, but cool. I vetoed the jeans ‘n t-shirt idea, but maybe if I just went trendy. My guide to all things trendy and fabulous is, of course, Gossip Girl. From the last couple episodes I gleaned that very blonde hair is good, leggings are good, and wide waist-cinching belts over long, butt-covering tunics or sweaters are good, with tall boots. Clothing items that sparkle or shine are also good in moderation.
Here is what I put together:
- Black leggings (or, the bottom of a black long winter underwear set from Target – I’m cheap).
- Black clingy tank top with gold sparkles throughout.
- Royal blue swimsuit cover, long enough to cover my bum. (Hey, it looks like a short dress and I’m cheap.)
- Wide, black, waist-cinching belt.
- Tall black leather boots.
- Very blonde hair (ok, I had that already).
I went to the concert feeling like a supermodel rock goddess. And isn’t that really the most important thing? But just to make sure I was on the right track, I asked the band’s hawt drummer what, in his professional opinion, should people wear to a rock concert:
“Wear the same thing you would wear to meet your friends at a bar.”
So simple. And I had been making it so very complex. Would I wear my rock concert outfit out to meet my friends at a bar? Well, I will now.
I typically have much disdain for women like you. You really put too much thought into something that is meaningless. No one there is looking at you, they’re watching the show.
However, I must say that you managed to keep my interest for the entire article. You’re a great writer, but stop thinking about yourself so much. It’s unattractive.
First of all, tights are not pants, so knock it off.
Second, there is no such thing as a “rock concert” in the back room of a bar. It sounds like you were at a show. When U2 plays the Meadowlands, it’s a concert. When the shitty prog rock band — who more than likely claims they’re from Brooklyn even though they all grew up in Connecticut or Baltimore or some such place — who you went to see because you think the drummer is “hawt,” has shows.
People like you have no place at shows like this. People go to appreciate the music, not because they want the d-bag in girls jeans an ironic t-shirt behind the drum kit to notice you.
My best advice: Next time just wait near the bar for when your drummer crush comes up to get another can of $5 PBR.***Leave space in front of the stage for those of us who are there to listen to the music.
***comment censored by moderator.
You are doing it all wrong. No one was there to look at you and no one cares what you were wearing. The only reason I would change before going to a show is if I am over dressed (work clothing I dont want to get dirty) or I am already wearing something dirty. Just be yourself and enjoy the show.
Sounds like a cute outfit!
It’s always good to rock the best look you can….no matter where you go. Aside from the confidence boost a killer outfit gives you – you never know who is checking you out!!
People who drone on about how “it’s all about the music” are no better then the people they so cleverly think they’re bashing. These are also the people who probably spend an hour and half trying to look like they spent three minutes getting ready.
Your article was a great read and it sounds like you had a really cute outfit going on. Some of us can appreciate how much effort you put in.
Ohhh…so YOU’RE the girl who makes other girls think it’s OK to wear something like that. I wondered where that started. You other girls who responded are obviousy delusional. NO ONE is going to that show to look at you in a sparkly tank top. They’re there to see the band.
I am by no means a tom boy, but I would NEVER in a million years wear what you wore to that show. And yes, it was a show. A Jonas Brothers concert will never be classified as a rock show. I can only assume that’s the show you went to because only stupid hipster girls would put together an outfit like that and consider it “cute” or “hip”.
Word of advice: don’t wear something sparkly if you don’t want beer spilled on it. Unless of course, that would make your night because then you were in a “rough” situation and can text about it your friends later. Lame.
Wow… some of you are just about the most insecure people I could have ever seen.
Seriously? You guys can’t handle that she decided to dress up for a night out at a show? Where does that train of thought even begin?
She wasn’t making a stance for women, she wasn’t trying to portray a sect of society, she was just dressing up for what some could argue is worth a night to get dressed up over.
Get over yourself and allow her to enjoy her first rock concert.
IT WASN’T A ROCK CONCERT.
Geoff and J, your comments made me laugh. Thanks for that.
Ladies, you made me smile – it was a cute outfit.
Gents – you made me grin, because at the rate you’re going, I might get that bonus for Most Page Views yet! Keep up the good work fellas, and tell your friends what a horrible person I am.
And for the record, I have never claimed to know anything about music, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it – in a pair of tall leather boots.
I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, but don’t be fooled: concerts cost in excess of $100 per ticket. Shows are anywhere from free to the cover at the bar, to gas money for the band. You saw a show.
I understand that fashion is very important to you, and it’s great that you’re so enthusiastic about embracing new things, but beware of going to an event like that again, looking like you did. It’s a dead give-away that you’re not into music, or the band in question, and the only attention you’ll get will be negative. “Trendy and fabulous” was the absolute wrong move. Wearing that, you should maybe have gone to a martini bar for a Jazz trio. Nobody wearing leggings should see a band that has a drummer.
The people who are there to see the band will think you’re a hipster, or a poser. The band will not necessarily appreciate that your there, if it’s not specifically to check them out. Most will assume you’re only there to be seen and get picked up, and they’ll act accordingly, either with disdain, or by picking you up and using you. The story they’ll tell their friends later will not be flattering, or mention your clothes, except to say that they were how they knew you were easy pickings. And all they had to mention was how they loved your boots and thought it was cool you were into Pearl Jam and Green Day.
To get a positive reaction, for the next show you check out, I’d recommend comfortable jeans and a tshirt. It can be mildly cool or ironic if you REALLY want, fine, but no concert and/or band tshirts, especially not depicting the band you’re going to see. That sends an “I’m clueless and only want to be seen as someone who knows about music” message. No boots, no heels, wedges, sandals, etc. The area in front of the stage is crowded and can be awkward enough without you stepping on someone with those, or getting stepped on. Try some comfortable flats. Nothing too stylish, and no Converse. That gets you pegged as a poser as well. For an outer layer, wear a hoodie or a denim or leather jacket with all the pockets you’d need to fit the essentials. Go ahead and pick one up from a vintage clothing store if you have to, but don’t TRY to be trendy or cute: the musical crowd will hate you. If the venue is a bar, DO NOT carry a purse. ID, credit card, mobile, cash and lip gloss in your pocket is all you need.
Bottom line though, if you’re not interested in the show, go find a different bar. Don’t be THAT girl.
Really, critics, really? You can’t be interested in both being fashionable and in listening to a live band at a small rock show? Funny, I wasn’t aware that the two were mutually exclusive. I must have missed the memo that said ‘if you want to go to a rock show, you MUST dress as if you don’t care about what you’re wearing.’
Frankly, those of you dissing the author for being too fashion-conscious are being every bit as fashion conscious as she is, if not moreso. The only difference I can see is that you’re ascribing far more importance and meaning to how one dresses than the author did in the first place. I don’t see her talking about how a certain fashion is a requirement to go to a show, enjoy music and be ‘taken seriously,’ whereas the rest of you who are prescribing a set uniform of ‘jeans-and-tshirt’ are pretty snobby about it how only people who don’t care about fashion can ‘appreciate’ music.
Geeze. Where what you want. If you want to dress up, dress up. If you want to schlep around, schlep around. Stop caring about what other people are wearing.
er, wear, not where.
Your article was a lot of fun to read. The comments are hilarious.
But I don’t understand what people are complaining about when they say “you’re there for the show, not the outfit.”
Hello?! This is NOT an article about the show. It made no mention of who was playing or the type of music they were playing. What’s with all the assumptions?
Anyway, I agree with Charles. Wear what you want.
I never realized how judgmental “show” enthusiasts are. Never in a million years would I have realized i’m only allowed to wear jeans and a t-shirt and bring only what fits in my back pocket. haha.wow. Those of you out there who are so enlightened about enjoying music need to live (and let live) a little!
Lauren, keep on trucking: go to shows to hear amazing music and look fabulous at the same time. I cannot believe that people would be so standoffish and immature as to razz you for having an ounce of self-esteem and enjoying the art of fashion. Your blog made me think I could be creative with clothes I already have and look like a hot tamale, too.
I agree with Charles – the guys who are being Dusty Downers on this article are equally as fashion-deliberate as Lauren was. Only the sad truth is their harsh critiquing implies they aren’t comfortable with themselves, and thus dump on others to in order to feel better. Which makes me wear sadpants for these folks.
Are sadpants okay guys? I don’t want to get mauled for what I wear while I post comments…