I dare say most of us would turn to the kids and say "back in the old days, these guys wore flashy outfits, and it was that much more of a show."
The visual is another aspect of the performance, not just the audio.
In the Cornell Hurd band, the basic motif is "black", and within that motif, we dress the way we like: full spectrum from t-shirts to extremely fancy custom-made-for-several-hundred-dollars-each western clothing.
When I first came on Johnny Bush's band, we wore matching bib-front western shirts, boots, and hats... by order of the boss,... but everyone dug it anyway because we were playing the music that called for the look we presented. Nowadays, we don't wear the uniform nearly as much, but at least Johnny and I usually wear western jackets, sometimes with ties, and western slacks or new unfaded jeans, sans the Yoakumizing.
Rather than "disrespecting" or "one-upping" the audience, I think dressing appropriately tells the audience that you care enough about them that you want to look your best, right? I mean, would you go to a friend's wedding in cut-offs so as to tell them you're not "better than them?"
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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
