The year was 2014. Mosher Clothing was less that a year old, but we already had some variety in items - and that included our popular "Vulgar Display of Mosher" t-shirt.
We were basically broke, reinvesting most of our income in ordering more stock, so we hacked our way into merch stands at festivals by splitting costs with other stores (Metalhead, Bunker Store, etc). That's exactly what we did at Resurrection Fest 2014. Although we didn't have a merch booth, Bunker Store was reselling our stuff.
We obviously knew Down was going to headline one of the days, and we were going to do anything to hand Philip Anselmo the "Vulgar" shirt we did to pay homage to Pantera. He'd already kind of approved the design at Hellfest, when a friend of ours went to a signing session wearing our shirt, so...
( This has to be pointed out: we can't afford to pay artists to wear our stuff; and we don't want to, either. That's not the point of this brand. We're hustlers; we believe there's another way to make things happen, other than traditional capitalism. )
As soon as Down hit the stage, we headed to the Bunker Store stand, grabbed the shirt, and grinded our way to the first few rows. Now, this operation had to be perfect, with surgical precision. We had to wait for a slot in between songs, and we needed Phil's attention (he was on fire, that night).
We eventually found the perfect timing, and we lifted one of us above the crowd. Eye contact was made. The thrower had already faked the "shirt tossing" movement, and Anselmo made a sign of approval. So, this is what NFL players feel at the Superbowl...
Shirt was thrown, and the rest can be seen below. We had successfully hacked our way into a festival's main stage, in front of thousands of metalheads, with a legendary rockstar validating our stuff.
Why? Because we tried. Believe in yourself and follow your dreams. The worst that can happen is readjusting - knowing that you've tried - and moving on to other stuff.
1 comment
Moments like this one will be always immortal