At two very different events this weekend, there was one single foundation of fandom: the t-shirt.

At London Stadium for Metallica on Friday night, a sell-out crowd of 80,000 fans proved once again that heavy metal is a community like no other. Immersed in the music, looking out for each other and drinking in the moment (and the beer), they witnessed a spectacular stage-in-the-round production from one of the world’s biggest-selling bands.

The music united them, but so did the t-shirt.

I would estimate, conservatively, that 80 per cent of the crowd were literally rocking a Metallica t-shirt. Some old, some new, some faded from years of wear, but all signalling that they belonged to the culture. The t-shirt wasn’t just merchandise; it was a badge of membership.

The merch stands, and there were plenty of them, were packed with fans looking to add to their collection. At £40 a time, the turnover will keep the band in guitar strings for a few more years. That community of fandom is one of the reasons Metallica sits among the most commercially successful bands in the world, and it’s great for the venue too.

On Saturday it was Silverstone for the Sprint Race and qualifying at the British Grand Prix. Put to one side the fact that this is one of sport’s greatest logistical operations, seeing the scale of what is on that site is believing it, because once again it was the t-shirt that created the most striking piece of venue dressing.

Silverstone has embraced fandom and made it a key part of both its ticketing strategy and its appeal, and with a record of almost 600,000 tickets sold this weekend that is some appeal. There is a stand, expanded again this year, dedicated entirely to the fans of British driver Lando Norris. His fanbase, predominantly female and under 40, wants to be there. They are desperate to be part of that tribe, and the 20,000-per-day Landostand tickets (60,000 across the event) sell out in minutes.

Every ticket holder receives a fluorescent t-shirt as part of the package. It is literally and figuratively brilliant.

The result is a spectacular wall of colour that puts fans at the heart of the event. Motor racing was once associated with a man about my age sitting in a fold-up chair with a flask of tea. Has any British venue embraced and delivered for a new audience as quickly and effectively as Silverstone has since Drive to Survive arrived on Netflix?

We might be living in a digital age, but it is difficult to find anything with the reach, visibility and commercial power of a simple t-shirt.

If you’d like a conversation about all this, I’m happy to chat – contact me!