Back in the 70’s you often went to gigs and there was no, or very little, merchandise to buy. I got a ‘No Reason To Cry’ poster at an Eric Clapton gig of the album cover and tour dates and a badge of a circular section of the New England album at Wishbone Ash (drunkenly). We used to take down posters off the walls advertising the new album at the City Hall, but I don’t think I ever bought a t-shirt. My Live Dates shirt was bought off a stall in Stockton market.
It changed over the years, of course, but it seems incredible now how indifferent they often were to merchandise, at least in this country. I did get a Joe Satriani ‘The Extremist’ shirt from the NEC and a massive Van Halen one there too. They only came in a big black XL I think. Same with Bon Jovi’s ‘Keep The Faith.
Anyway, like I said, they often had something but not much. What was the oddest thing you ever bought at a gig? My contender for the award must go to a 1988 gig by Susanne Vega, who I really liked. This was her first tour. I recall, promoting her debut album.
She was regarded as quite a serious singer-songwriter at the time. More intelligent than usual. So I presume the management thought she'd be popular with students and other aesthetes. Maybe she was.
So to appeal to that demographic, they didn’t have t-shirts, they had an embroidered long black cardigan! I don’t know about you but I don’t go to gigs for the knitwear. Needless to say, it wasn’t popular and I think it was replaced later in the tour. They’re probably collectible.
Didn’t SAHB sell stripey long sleeve t-shirts like Alex’s? Or did I imagine that? I’m sure I remember black satin bomber jackets that were on sale and were expensive on Bad Company’s Desolation Angels tour. Dawn had a Genesis shirt from the Duke tour which was just black with the band name over the breast.
And I’m sure I once went to a gig at the City Hall by a CBS signed band, not Aerosmith, who didn’t even chart in the UK until 1987, but with an Aerosmith EP was on each seat to promote the band. I still have one.
I knew lads who assiduously collected a programme at every gig they went to. I never did, simply because they were often expensive and almost always terrible with a short biography of the band and a page with 300 words about the support with a black and white photo plus fullpage ads for John Player Special fags.
Where did I get a floppy disc with excerpts of the new album on? Can’t remember now. I don’t think it was someone big. It may have been the band Arbre (the British Eagles was the sales pitch) supporting Fairport Convention in 1976 at Newcastle City Hall or was it Judie Tzuke at the Poly? I’m also sure someone, possibly Hawkwind, had endorsed and sold branded drug paraphernalia at the City Hall. Someone sold leather jackets at extortionate prices, don’t remember who. Was it The Who in ‘81?
In some ways, I miss those days when bands or their management tried to flog something odd. It all seemed rather amateur and haphazard and far less important than it is now.
Merchandise...
