Bootleg T-shirts to be shown at Yetee Gallery in Aurora

Vintage apparel is huge these days. That's what Charlie Zine was banking on when he held on to dozens of T-shirts from the late 1970s that he once sold outside of concert venues.

Zine, of Aurora, traveled all over during his college days selling bootleg shirts at concerts, like those of the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin.

"We'd find out where the shows were, and then we'd have T-shirts printed for them," Zine said.

The job paid some of his way through college, and he's hoping that sales of the T-shirts on eBay will help to get his son through college as well. But before Zine puts the shirts up for sale, he is showing most of his collection in a one-night exhibition beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the Yetee Gallery, 110 Cross St., Aurora.

Zine said the show will include T-shirts from tons of big-name bands that toured in the late '70s through about 1981.

"It was a fun way to get through college, and if it helps two people through college, then that is just great," he said.

Zine's bootleg T-shirt collection will be shown at Yetee Gallery as part of First Fridays in downtown Aurora. Special edition shirts of the evening's poster will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting Communities in Schools. Folk artist Kevin Trudo also will perform a live concert during the evening. The event is free.

The Yetee is an Internet T-shirt company based in downtown Aurora that features new designs every day at theyetee.com. Started in July 2011 by Mike Mancuso and Glen O'Neill, the Yetee accepts submissions of T-shirt designs on its website and has a large fan base due to artist and customer involvement. The Yetee is most well-known for its pop culture designs from television, toys, video games and movies. For information, visit Yetee Gallery on Facebook.