Ray Bayles:

>The Tucson Symphony started something important several years before
>other orchestras.  You didn't have to dress up.  So you go to the
>symphone...  some people are in black tie, while others are in Jeans.
>Nobody cares, but it took the phoniness out of the evening.

After I left college, I never dressed up for a concert.  The conservatory
insisted that males wear a coat and tie to attend concerts (this is about
forty years ago) "as a mark of respect to the performer." My argument
was always, "My wearing a coat and tie doesn't mean I respect you." Since
then, I wear whatever I happen to have dressed in for the day.  So it
amazes me that these inhibitions and shibboleths still linger.

Steve Schwartz