Backstage Rider #1 - Van Halen 1982

The backstage rider is a thing of great interest to us mere mortals. A glimpse into the glamorous and excessive lives of the rock stars and pop divas we regard so highly. The rider is a list of requests (and often demands) given to the promoter by the artist's management. It can often be a lengthy document, describing everything from the sound and lighting setup to the security arrangements. But the section we're always most interested in is the Dressing Room Requests.

We might as well start with the most infamous of them all, Van Halen's 1982 Tour Rider. This notorious 53-page document included the famous stipulation that no brown M&Ms were to be allowed into the band's dressing room. 

Media reports would later state that this was the epitome of rock excess and that the band would often use an oversight of this request as an excuse to go on a destructive backstage rampage. However, lead singer David Lee Roth explains in his autobiography that there was a much more practical reason for the request:

"Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, third-level markets. They would pull up with nine eighteen-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors -- whether it was the girders couldn't support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren't big enough to move the gear through. 

The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function. So just as a little test, in the technical aspect of the rider, it would say "Article 148: There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes . . ." This kind of thing. And article number 126, in the middle of nowhere, was: "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." 

So, when they would walk backstage, if they saw a brown M&M in that bowl . . . well, line-check the entire production. Guaranteed you're going to arrive at a technical error. They didn't read the contract. Guaranteed you'd run into a problem. Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show. Something like, literally, life-threatening."

That's not to say the band weren't excessive. Here's a sample of some of the requests that appeared on the band's rider. (Note the request for no brown M&Ms as well as a request for a large tub of KY Jelly!!). 

This list is for the 4 band members only:

Cold Drinks (on ice)

• 1 x Case of Budweiser (Cans)
• 4 x Cases of Schlitz Malt Liquor
• 1 x Case of Pepsi
• 1 x Case of Coca Cola
• 1 x Case of Country Time Lemonade
• 2 x Cases of 7-Up
• 12 x 1L Bottles of Perrier
• 1 x Gallon of freshly squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 x Gallon of freshly squeezed Grapefruit Juice
• 1 x Carton of Apple Juice
• 1 x Carton of Grape Juice

Drinks (Room Temperature)

• 3 x Bottles of Jack Daniel's Bourbon
• 2 x Bottles of Stolichnaya Vodka
• 1 x Bottle of Southern Comfort
• 2 x Bottles of Blue Nun White Wine

Deli Tray

• Assorted fresh meats, including Turkey (not pressed), Ham, Salami, Roast Beef
• Herring in Sour Cream
• 3 Bean Salad
• Coleslaw
• Baked Potato
• Fresh baked Breads (with knife and cutting board)
• Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Butter

Cheese Tray

• Assorted fresh, natural cheeses, including Jack, Muenster, Cheddar, Brie, Mozzarella and Pepper cheese
• Assorted Crackers

Vegetables

• Fresh, cut vegetable platter, including Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes, Scallions, Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Assorted Dips

Fruit

• Fresh fruit platter including Apples, Oranges, Grapes, Pears, Melons, Kiwi Fruit and Whole Bananas

Hot Drinks

• Hot Coffee (brewed, not instant)
• Hot Water (for tea)
• Lipton Tea Bags
• Natural and Herbal Tea Bags (eg. Celestial Seasonings)
• 1 x Jar of Tupelo Honey
• 12 x Fresh Lemons (with knife and cutting board)
• Cream and Sugar

Munchies

• Potato Chips with Assorted Dips
• Nuts
• Pretzels
• M&Ms (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)
• 12 x Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• 12 x Assorted Dannon Yogurts (on ice)

Supplies

• 48 x Large, bath-size Cloth Towels
• 100 x Cups for cold drinks
• 50 x Styrofoam Cups for hot drinks
• Plates and Bowels (not paper or plastic)
• Forks, Knives and Spoons (metal, not plastic)
• Serving Utensils, Corkscrew, Bottle and Can Openers
• Salt and Pepper (in shakers)
• Tablecloths
• Napkins (paper)
• 2 x Large Bars of Ivory Soap
• 1 x Large Tub of KY Jelly
• 3 x Packets of Marlboro Cigarettes
• Ashtrays and Matches
• Ice (for use in drinks)
• 2 x Large Garbage Cans with Plastic Liners