The Opening Act The first true band merch sold at a venue can be traced all the way back to Elvis. Elvis’ music was schismatic at the time. Older folks thought it was just a bunch of loud noise, while teenage girls actually fainted during concerts. His manager saw the opportunity to capitalize on his controversial music and sold both “I Love Elvis” pins and “I Hate Elvis” pins outside of the venues where he was performing. And this was just the start of band merch as we know it. In the following years, as Rock ‘n Roll found its footing, concert merch naturally followed along. After all, why wouldn’t you want to show off the fact that you got to see your favorite band or musician perform live? The concert shirt is like a badge of honor - I was here. I saw them. Before the days of the internet and retailers like Hot Topic in 1989, the only way to get merch from your favorite band was to see them at a concert or make it yourself. 1956 I Hate Elvis Buttons The most expensive band shirt ever sold at auction was a 1967 Grateful Dead shirt from one of their first shows for over $17 K. Source: loudewire.com
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