RE: RP @ Chateau Ste Michelle

[Kurt Rompf <RompfK@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Original Message
From: Wyatt Brake [mailto:wyattbrake@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 1:50 PM
To: Kurt Rompf
Cc: FBO (zeppelin@xxxxxxxx)
Subject: Re: RP @ Chateau Ste Michelle

Link to close-ups of the Misty Mountain National Park and silhouette
RPSSS shirts:
https://www.box.com/s/gh554l3d0d260jloo0dm

I didn't love all the shirts, but I like the two I bought.  Although
they're both "SoftStyle" (still 100% cotton) and not the Heavy Duty
shirts, I do find them both to be noticeably thicker than the
2010/2011 Band of Joy shirts, which were definitely quite thin.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I sent Nech my pics of all 4 of them and the hanging and the poster for sale.  
He said he would post them when he got a chance.

Of course this is all JUST MY OPINION, which means nothing to anyone but me, so 
please, no one take personal offense if your opinion differs.  Especially you 
Wyatt, who took time out of your day to answer my e-mail asking about the items 
prior to the show to help me with cash, which I greatly appreciated.  You like 
'em and that's great for you.  Awesome.

But I hate these shirts.

I'm sort of 80's & 90's school when it comes to shirts.  They had colors and 
designs and great graphics.  They always had graphics both sides, and many had 
full blown full shirt graphic stuff all over them.  They were exciting and 
unique and took some skill to design and manufacture.  Like tour posters and 
album covers of old, they took thought and effort. Today's style has reverted 
to a much more plain jane thing, almost backwards to like shirts of the 70's, 
but even worse.  I love Dave Matthews but I've only ever bought one of his 
shirts.  Me; I'm much more a Grateful Dead shirt kind of guy.  They have great 
graphics, are totally fun and unique, are made from great quality cotton, their 
tie dyes don't fade, and they last for years and years.  I have Dead shirts I 
bought 10 years ago and still wear on a regular basis.

Look at these RP things.  They are one color and one sided.  There is nothing 
exciting to these shirts.  The Misty Mountain one doesn't even have any 
vignette printing, which means any Joe Blow in the screen print world could 
EASILY print this, even EASILY duplicate and bootleg them and you'd never know. 
  I'm sorry but I think the Misty Mountain one is just utterly lame.  The 
graphics are just juvenile, and they have absolutely nothing to do with Robert 
Plant as a solo artist.  Led Zeppelin yes, Robert Plant solo, no.  Why would 
they sell a generic Zep shirt at a RP concert?  I could have made up these 
graphics when I was in 6th grade.  The other one at least has some style and 
requires vignette printing.  It represents the tour of now.  But it's still one 
color one sided which is not worth the $35 for 2x they were asking.  Once Nech 
posts my pics everyone will be able to see the 2 that did have color, and again 
see just how lame these things were.  There were like bad Robert Plant 4th of 
July shirts; a crappy graffiti flag thing, and a RP Captain America sort of 
thing.  Just awful.  

I ask, where was the shirt that looked like the graphic back drop on the stage? 
  Since there isn't an album out, the closet thing we have is that graphic that 
was officially released for the live show last year.  Not that I'm a huge fan 
of that image, but it would have been far better than what we had offered to us.

And that fabric, ugh!!!   The white graffiti flag one was so thin you could see 
right through it.  And that stretch fabric is so light it always wears out 
fast.  I also just hate the feel of it on.  Since I didn't buy one this time, I 
can't compare it directly to my BOJ one I bought, which sucked so bad fabric 
wise I have never worn it.  I only bought it because at least it had a colorful 
graphic (like the album cover).  I bought it to collect, not to wear.  These 
new ones aren't even worth collecting.

Again, all just my opinion, which means nothing to anyone but me.  Although I 
will say that I saw relatively very few people buying shirts.  They had one 
small booth and there was not even a line.  Perhaps sales volume will help 
change things for future shows.

Gotta run.