Rock bands have developed a reputation for their extravagance over the years, leaving a trail of bizarre performances, wrecked hotel rooms, and trashed venues behind them.
One of the less remarked upon areas of rock and roll extravagance is the riders that some of the bands send to their venues before the show. If you’re not aware, a rider is a list of demands a band or artist makes of their venue that runs from particular food choices to security arrangements.
In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the more extravagant riders and the bands that issued them and how they became the stuff of legends.
Van Halen & Their Famous Brown M&Ms
Van Halen, as a lot of great rock acts, did, started their careers playing in rough back yard gigs that more than once descended into anarchy and had to be shut down by the cops. As a more established band in the 1980s, their 53-page rider famously included a demand for M&Ms with all the brown ones picked out.
Given that this demand for color separated M&Ms came alongside demands for pickled herrings and KY Jelly, it might just seem like typical rock star extravagance. However, according to David Lee Roth, the actual reason was security. If the venues in question weren’t paying enough attention to pick out the brown M&Ms, then they probably weren’t paying attention to the more vital security detail either.
The Foo Fighters & Rider Satire
In a world were Kanye West demands that his dressing room be stocked with a slushy machine that mixed Hennessy and Coke or Grey Goose and lemonade, the Foo Fighters decided to really lean into the ridiculous rider game.
For their 2011 tour, the band put together a 52-page rider that included a maze to complete, a series of puzzles, jokes, and even Taylor Hawkins’ best mixed-salad recipe. The only honest note in the rider seemed to be a demand for unopened condiments that were not leftovers from other artists like Alice Cooper.
The Rolling Stones’ Shepard’s Pie
The world is riddled with odd superstitions, like covering your belly button so the God of Thunder doesn’t eat it and some bands, like Slayer or Marylin Manson, are famous for their more superstitious and occult-heavy riders. But leave it Keith Richards to be the proud owner of both the most ridiculous and yet somehow quintessentially down to earth and British demand of needing to break the crust of a freshly cooked Shepard’s pie before heading on stage.
Apparently, The Rolling Stones’ guitarist is more than happy to delay a show in order to get his favorite freshly cooked treat and. When the band are on the road, the Head of Security is responsible for the pie to make sure it, and the band, arrive on time, and that everything is fresh and smelling nice.
Marilyn Manson & His Love Of Yogurt
One might expect an artist who has put out as many divisive albums as Marilyn Manson to have a list of bizarre demands. However, Manson’s’ riders seem to be most concerned with exactly what snacks the star has access to.
As with all hardcore rock and roll performers, Manson needed Haribo gummy bears and Doritos to fuel up before a show and specifically Danone yogurt and low-fat milk to wind down afterward. We assume the bottle of absinthe was only decorative.
Slayer’s Attempt To Make Everything ‘Metal’
Slayer doesn’t need any help enhancing their heavy metal street cred, but, apparently, their commitment to everything metal extends to every single thing on their rider.
Why have just sweets when you could insist on sweets in a human skull? Of course, the yoga balls need to be black and the sandwiches need to be arranged in a pentagram. And what use would the umbrellas be if they weren’t resistant to blood?
The band even went as far as requiring a pair of plain shoe boxes to hide their Grammy awards in, so as not to look like sell-outs, we assume.
