ever played live indoors with sunglasses on?

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axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
It occurred to me how weird it was that Joe Satriani has played live for a great many years always with sunglasses on. I would have thought that it would make it more difficult to play? 

His reason: 
"The sunglasses thing happened as a joke. I surprised my band one tour by showing up with my head shaved. And they were so horrified that they said I had to wear a hat and glasses or they wouldn’t stop laughing on stage. Then I realized that having that curtain to hide behind allowed me to be more creative and feel less self-conscious. My buddy Sammy Hagar feels the same way. He says he can't go on stage without sunglasses because he's so embarrassed to be a singer. He's the last person you’d expect to think that way."

Slash is another wearer:
"I rarely look out at the crowd. It makes me very uncomfortable to look directly into the face of the crowd. I'm in my own little world, playing my guitar. I play from the heart - but it's very insular. I think it was just a hangover thing that turns into an everyday thing. Now, wherever you go, everybody's got camera phones, taking your picture, and you just end up never taking the shades off."

I don't play live myself, but I hate situations in life when I'm the centre of attention and people look at me (eg my wedding!), so I think if I ever played live I would have to get some sunglasses and get practicing with them!
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Comments

  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    I always play gigs with a pair of Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses


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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Joe Bonamassa wears sunglasses live and I've read dozens of comments slagging him off for this but he says he's sensitive to bright lights and can't really play live without them. 

    I think I've done it once but now I'd need varifocal prescription sunglasses otherwise it would effectively root me to the spot. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • steven70steven70 Frets: 1262
    edited May 2019
    Yeah I used to do it all the time, and yes honestly, tried to practice with them on, dimly lit room etc. I found cheap ones often worked better. The reasons were same as above, eye contact etc Only downside it can create some psychological distance between you and other band members. Rare occasions I gig these days, have a pair on my head - I know they are there and can slip them on if a meltdown is imminent. Crazy really... 
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    Yes I do it sometimes, mostly because I'm that cool but also allows you to zone out
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    Joe Bonamassa wears sunglasses live and I've read dozens of comments slagging him off for this but he says he's sensitive to bright lights and can't really play live without them. 

    I think I've done it once but now I'd need varifocal prescription sunglasses otherwise it would effectively root me to the spot. 
    I have no issue with JoBl wearing sunglasses. I just wish he wore sunglasses that looked good.

    I wear glasses all the time which is more my “thing”, I guess. That said, I rarely step outside in daylight without sunglasses, so I would be fairly happy to indoors as well if it felt appropriate to a specific band
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    Yes.



    Stage lights can be really bright.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    That's a lovely waist coat as well @ICBM ;
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • fastonebazfastonebaz Frets: 4065
    I wore sunglasses on stage when I was the guitarist in Rock if Ages.    I felt like the coolest dude in the world.

    I've never worn them for a gig though.  Think I'd sweat too much and wouldn't be able to see
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    Sunglasses in a pub gig are in the grey ponytail bracket for me, sorry. 
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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    My specs have reactive lenses, so I possibly do for a short while
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  • GassageGassage Frets: 30826
    edited May 2019
    So, on the last Gilmour tour, the band wore sunnies for Run Like Hell (see clip) as the lighting was giving them headaches (I know the clip below is outdoors, but it made no odds in or out)

    First night of the tour, Guy Pratt told me that I shouldn't watch Run Like Hell on two shows consecutively without wearing sunnies due to the intensity of the coloured strobes. The glasses also allowed the players to see their instruments better. I laughed.

    I saw the first 3 shows (yes, I saw 16 shows in all) and by day 3, I had a migraine of epic proportions. It was ridiculous. So it's not always to look cool.






    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

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  • drwiddlydrwiddly Frets: 911
    I wore sunglasses for an indoor gig once years ago. I thought I looked very cool but with hindsight, I probably looked a bit of a nob.
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    Once also with accompanying cowboy hat...was for a specific gig though, the singer wore a wizard hat, the bassist had a robe and the drummer had a jesters hat.
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    I would do it if i didn't feel like a bell end wearing sunglasses to an indoor wedding haha. I wore them for a metal gig once and it helped me feel less self-conscious.

    Gregory Porter is another person who does this! 

     
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  • OssyrocksOssyrocks Frets: 1673
    Once.

    Years ago my band played a gig in a marquee in a farmers field for some kind of family occasion. It had been a warm sunny day, so I wore my sunglasses (prescription) to get there and setup. Come the evening I couldn't find my actual glasses in the car so I had no choice but to wear my sunglasses all evening.

    Driving home at 1am in the dark was......interesting!

    I found my specs the following day under a seat in the car.

    Duh!
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    hassleham said:
    I would do it if i didn't feel like a bell end wearing sunglasses to an indoor wedding haha. I wore them for a metal gig once and it helped me feel less self-conscious.

    Gregory Porter is another person who does this! 

     


    IIRC Gregory has scarring which he chooses to cover up. I saw him live a couple of years ago, tremendous stuff but it was an outdoor gig on a hot day so I kept thinking about how sweaty his head was. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    drwiddly said:
    I wore sunglasses for an indoor gig once years ago. I thought I looked very cool but with hindsight, I probably looked a bit of a nob.
    Yes, that's what I heard. ;-)
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  • GassageGassage Frets: 30826

    I always make a point of assuming that anyone wearing sunglasses indoors is a professional TIG Welder.

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

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  • Dave_VaderDave_Vader Frets: 358
    Sometimes the lights are so bright I have to
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  • FatPeteFatPete Frets: 683
    I did, back in the late eighties when I played in one of those goth/country and western bands - and a hat - and, sometimes, a scarf thing over my nose and mouth. It didn't make operating a non-backlit lcd drum machine any easier.

    I'm second from the right, just in case any of you were wondering what I look like.


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