If you’re like me, you still have many of your favorite concert shirts still taking up space in your bottom dresser drawer. Let’s face it; these iconic souvenirs from concerts past are like a part of our family. We can’t just throw them away.. or worse.. use them as a wash rag. God Forbid!

Yes, its true. These vintage concert shirts that we shelled out way too many hard earned dollars for are now becoming quit the fashion statement. Thanks to some big screen exposure, Iron Man Tony Stark in a vintage 78 Sabbath T, and a whole generation that is trying to seem like they saw bands that they never actually saw, concert t-shirts have become a hot selling commodity.

Right now your probably trying to think of the last place you saw your cool Iron Maiden Power Slave black ¾ sleeved jersey. Don’t bother. Your wife used it to wax the living room furniture 20 years ago. Yeah, and your Aerosmith t was used by your son to wipe the grease off his bicycle chain back in 96.

If your in a band, you already know that the concert t-shirt is your best money making opportunity at a live gig. They cost around $6 a piece and sell for 8 times that much. You can still make an easy keystone in profit and still sell them for a price fans think is a steal. Many a bands after show dinner bill has been paid for through the nights t-shirt sales.

So, what are the hot shirts these days?

While that sweet Anberlin shirt from their Aragon Ballroom gig last December will certainly earn you some street cred points from the alternative crowd, new band shirts aren’t hip enough yet to become a top seller. You need to be a classic artist with an iconic logo. You know, a band and tour that if you really went to it.. well.. then you must be cool right? And so there it is, classic rock and heavy metal t-shirts rule the register.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at top t-shirt retailer’s hottest selling concert shirts.

01. Black Sabbath - US Tour 78

02. Led Zeppelin - USA 77

03. Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day

04. David Bowie - Smoking

05. Bruce Springsteen - Sand Tour

05. Foo Fighters - Gold logo

06. AC/DC - Angus And Brian

07. Metallica - Skull Explosion

08. Rolling Stones - Union Jack Tongue

09. Beatles - Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

10. Guns N'Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Are you lucky enough to still have some of your vintage concert t-shirts stored away in decent shape? Then you might just have some money in those bins. Today, an authentic vintage concert t-shirt can sell anywhere from $50 to $250, with the very rare and collectible bad boys selling for up to $20,000. Yes, that’s 20 Thousand!

Here are some examples:
The Beatles 1966 Butcher cover t-shirt: $20,000
Woodstock 1969 festival shirt: $10,000
Led Zeppelin 1979 Knebworth concert shirt: $10,000
Iron Maiden 1980 British tour shirt: $1,050
New York Dolls album shirt (1973): $2,500
The Runaways 1977 tour shirt: $2,000

Right now, some poor dude is rummaging like a madman through his basement cardboard boxes looking for that one marked “college”, desperately hoping that it didn’t get ruined in last years flood. Good luck brutha.

All this concert t-shirt talk got you missing your old pot smelling beer stained Def Leppard Pyromania shirt? You’re not alone. The good news is that very respectable modern copies of these old shirts are now available, and they usually only cost around $20. And if they wife says “What on Earth are you wearing?” you can say “$20 worth of high fashion babe”. Then go show it off at the Starbucks with a $10 Mockataichilattecarmelmachiadowhateverthefuckinthingy.

By
Patrick Capone

http://patcapone.com