Looks like all that was lifted from The Smoking Gun's backstage pass section. So much for the author being original.

Bathia_Mapes: Looks like all that was lifted from The Smoking Gun's backstage pass section. So much for the author being original.

Wouldn't surprise me, TSG is great. Not having to page through a bunch of scanned photocopies is kinda nice, though.

I've always wondered, do these venues keep on hand a group of people whose job it is just to buy this crap? Like, some guy who has to go from supermarket to supermarket just to find that last six pack of Shasta black cherry cola?

If I were a rocker I would demand Mountain Dew from some country that still uses sugar instead of corn syrup... like Mexico does with Sprite. Mexican Sprite rules.

dbirchall: If I were a rocker I would demand Mountain Dew from some country that still uses sugar instead of corn syrup... like Mexico does with Sprite. Mexican Sprite rules.

So does Mexican bottled Coca Cola. Made with cane sugar & it comes in a glass bottle too. Tastes like Coke used to taste back before they started using HFCS. The taste & mouth feel of the Mexico bottled Coke is quite different from its U.S. counterpart. Most Costco stores carry it.

JerseyTim: I've always wondered, do these venues keep on hand a group of people whose job it is just to buy this crap? Like, some guy who has to go from supermarket to supermarket just to find that last six pack of Shasta black cherry cola?

I suspect they use a local catering company for the backstage requirements.

Ha ha. Ted Nugent eats low fat Yoplait. Wuss.

coco ebert: Ha ha. Ted Nugent eats low fat Yoplait. Wuss.

I bet that's Yoplait's low-fat venison flavor.

dbirchall: coco ebert: Ha ha. Ted Nugent eats low fat Yoplait. Wuss.

I bet that's Yoplait's low-fat venison flavor.

That he eats with an arrow-shaped spoon.

that was fascinating.

I like the Goo Goo Dolls, six new pairs of tube socks, white.

JerseyTim: do these venues keep on hand a group of people whose job it is just to buy this crap

It's actually the promoter's job to provide the stuff. Back when there were tons of promoters, some little more than a dude in an office, literally, they prided themselves on what they could get. Also they'd provide stuff not specified. And the extras, were always understood to be at their own expense.

When BOSTON appears

Boston still appears?

dbirchall: If I were a rocker I would demand Mountain Dew from some country that still uses sugar instead of corn syrup

Readily available in my area.

Those riders are there to ensure quality. If they can give the band brown M&Ms in a crystal bowl then they probably won't have lighting that will set the stage on fire.

Dancin_In_Anson: dbirchall: If I were a rocker I would demand Mountain Dew from some country that still uses sugar instead of corn syrup

Readily available in my area.

For values of "Mountain Dew" that equal "Dr. Pepper," I guess?

What's the deal with so many of them specifying "no Evian". What's the difference?

That's some quality journalism there. Copy and paste tour riders stolen from The Smoking Gun (who stole them from promoters in the first place) and a bucket of FAIL masquerading as an "article" on Judas Priest.

This guys skills are obviously being wasted in music journalism. He needs a job at Fox news!

When REO SPEEDWAGON play, their dressing room will likely be stocked with "a bowl of chilled tuna salad


You can tune a piano...

Reminded me of this old article:

Lemmy loves the Kinder's surprise (rock and pop)

That's because Kinder's Surprise rocks. Just like Lemmy.

eddyatwork
Those riders are there to ensure quality. If they can give the band brown M&Ms in a crystal bowl then they probably won't have lighting that will set the stage on fire.

Isn't that Van Halen's blurb from their stage contract? To remove all the brown M&M's from the bowl?

On the radio this morning they were talking about Madona's latest tour rider. 100 pairs of black fishnet stockings and 100 pairs of kneepads.

Also, what is the hate with Evian water? Does it contain more lead than all the other bottled water coming out of a city's water main?

dbirchall: For values of "Mountain Dew" that equal "Dr. Pepper," I guess?

I was going more with "drinks made with sugar" equals "drinks made with cane sugar".

Not a big Dew fanboi.

I larfed.

trunkwontopen: eddyatwork
Those riders are there to ensure quality. If they can give the band brown M&Ms in a crystal bowl then they probably won't have lighting that will set the stage on fire.

Isn't that Van Halen's blurb from their stage contract? To remove all the brown M&M's from the bowl?

Exacta-mundo; according to Diamond Dave himself, that level of detail in their contract riders was based on venue negligence. They had played a show for which they contracted that the stage could support a certain (large) weight of equipment.

The venue/promoter failed to read the contract and supplied the lowest-bidder stage... which collapsed before the show. VH, always one to deliver for their audience, was enraged and figured out a way to prevent that from ever happening.

They didn't care about the M&Ms... they did care about the contract and didn't let the promoters have any leeway in what they felt was adequate. TMYK!

Not to sound racist, but did anyone else notice that every rapper on the list demands a bucket of fried chicken? Way to shatter stereotypes there fellas. Although, I didn't see any requests for watermelon or overweight white girls. So,I guess they're making some progress.

justhart23: Not to sound racist, but did anyone else notice that every rapper on the list demands a bucket of fried chicken? Way to shatter stereotypes there fellas. Although, I didn't see any requests for watermelon or overweight white girls. So,I guess they're making some progress.

Stereotype or not, fried chicken is really good. One has to wonder how a long-touring act can really keep up eating fried chicken every day, though. I think it goes very smoothly with the preponderance of "Budweiser and Heineken" requirements among the beer listings. These are people of musical taste, not food critics!

If I could come up with a tour rider... I'd definitely stipulate:
1 electric golf cart, fully charged, with canopy
1 ghetto-blaster boom box, with cassette single of "It's Tricky"
No fluorescent lighting in the dressing room
12-piece of the Colonel's original recipe, plus biscuits

That is what is important to me.

Wow - I always suspected these people had too much of their own glory filling their heads, but this stuff is just nuts.

You want chips and homemade salsa? Here is a blender and some produce - knock yourself out, asshat.

GA Chick: Wow - I always suspected these people had too much of their own glory filling their heads, but this stuff is just nuts.

You want chips and homemade salsa? Here is a blender and some produce - knock yourself out, asshat.

OR... you treat it as a business transaction. The promoter gets a significant take from the gate on each show. If the musician is made to feel welcome and comfortable, they play better and give a better show to the audience. The audience, all jazzed up, buys more overpriced beer, t-shirts, and other swag that drives the promoter's take upwards.

The artist, satisfied with the setting, decides that the next time they play in Peoria they'll go with the same promoter and venue.

Believe it or not, touring musicians don't know all the good places in town to get food, booze, you name it. They also don't have time to assemble their own dressing room when they're only in town one night.

So you can treat your business associate like a jackass or you can coddle them as an investment.

When my band played the Mohegan Sun last year, our rider simply asked for:
1 case of Bud Light
1 case of Amstel Light
1 fifth of good Scotch
1 fifth of good bourbon

and we'll gladly eat whatever catering offers up.

They won't let you smoke butts in the dressing room area unless you go the loading area, but smoking ganj was cool as long as you did it in the dressing room bathrooms, which we did...

bass555: that's so cool; the Mohegan Sun.

Tell me more about your band - do you have a website or myspace page?

It's OK to post, it's not AW because I'm asking. If you're not comfy doing that, I respect that.

Anyway, best of luck, etc. with your music!

JerseyTim: I've always wondered, do these venues keep on hand a group of people whose job it is just to buy this crap? Like, some guy who has to go from supermarket to supermarket just to find that last six pack of Shasta black cherry cola?

I knew a guy whose brother worked on the event production company that produced the first Metallica show around these parts in '93. The guy had to fullfill Metallica's penchant for having McDonald's at hand at all times:

Him: "I need a hundred big macs"
McD's emplyee: "LOL WUT?"

sotua: Him: "I need a hundred big macs"
McD's emplyee: "LOL WUT?"

that's some kiddie-school way to handle it. Unless you live in BFE, there are at least 5 McDs within 5 miles of eachother; get 5 guys, have them each order 20 big macs from each store (and maybe call it in first, if you can). Or if you can't get 5 guys, 5 stores, 20 each, call it in ahead, and just drive on thru all 5 of them.


/and yes, I checked the # of McDonalds in Santiago.

bass555: When my band played the Mohegan Sun last year, our rider simply asked for:
1 case of Bud Light
1 case of Amstel Light
1 fifth of good Scotch
1 fifth of good bourbon
1 bourbon, 1 scotch, 1 beer

FTFY.

Step 1 - Go to smoking gun

Step 2 - Read the rider for FOO FIGHTERS

Step 3 - Copy and paste because it's full of WIN!

mekkab: sotua: Him: "I need a hundred big macs"
McD's emplyee: "LOL WUT?"

that's some kiddie-school way to handle it. Unless you live in BFE, there are at least 5 McDs within 5 miles of eachother; get 5 guys, have them each order 20 big macs from each store (and maybe call it in first, if you can). Or if you can't get 5 guys, 5 stores, 20 each, call it in ahead, and just drive on thru all 5 of them.


/and yes, I checked the # of McDonalds in Santiago.

But did you check how many of those exist since before May 1993? ;)

These days you can find a McD's under every rock. Back in 1993, there where one or maybe two.

American fast food chains/franchises are a fairly recent arrival in the chilean scene. I landed here in 1990 and there wasn't _anything_ (except perhaps Pizza Hut, but that's not exactly fast food). McD's arrived sometime in the early 1990's. Burger King a couple of years later, along with KFC. Dunkin' Donuts in the early 00's IIRC. And so on. Right now we're getting the starbucks invasion, we had lines to get the new iPhone a few days ago (just released for local cell operators), etc.

/Metallica played here in 1993 and 1999.
//I feel old.

Crap, forgot the link...

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0513081foo1.html (new window)

Bacon. I call it god's currency.

factoryconnection: GA Chick: Wow - I always suspected these people had too much of their own glory filling their heads, but this stuff is just nuts.

You want chips and homemade salsa? Here is a blender and some produce - knock yourself out, asshat.

OR... you treat it as a business transaction. The promoter gets a significant take from the gate on each show. If the musician is made to feel welcome and comfortable, they play better and give a better show to the audience. The audience, all jazzed up, buys more overpriced beer, t-shirts, and other swag that drives the promoter's take upwards.

The artist, satisfied with the setting, decides that the next time they play in Peoria they'll go with the same promoter and venue.

Believe it or not, touring musicians don't know all the good places in town to get food, booze, you name it. They also don't have time to assemble their own dressing room when they're only in town one night.

So you can treat your business associate like a jackass or you can coddle them as an investment.

Speaking as one who has lived for years on tour buses, you covered it. Be nice to the Artist and their crew. Even if they are jerks. (Which some of them are, but not me.) The fans don't usually get to see the Artist's petty and bad backstage behavior (and abuse of the local stagehands and touring crew) unless the Artist flounces off in a petulant frenzy and refuses to go on because of some imagined slight.

For me, the omelet bar was the high point of the day. (If you were in Minnesota you got pancakes for breakfast. Just pancakes.) The rest was fairly predictable, lunch and dinner were over-spiced and heavy, designed to impress not to sustain. My rider munchies were the only things I could depend on from place to place.

Aerosmith also requires a bomb-sniffing dog and handler to check the stage before their shows.

As a former lighting director at a concert venue, I got to read every band's riders as they came through. The only times I got annoyed with them was when the band was clearly trying to get the promoters to stock their tour buses for them (band with 3 people in it asking for 2 cases of water, 3 boxes of cereal, etc.)

Any promoter worth his salt knows that every rider is negotiable

Best rider ever is iggy pops

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/iggypop/iggypop1.html (new window)

sotua: But did you check how many of those exist since before May 1993? ;)

PWND!!!

BLACKEYED PEAS require an "experienced, professional, English speaking, SOBER monitor engineer who shall attentively remain at the monitor position."

This is so needed, believe me. I can't stress this one enough.

viccellini: BLACKEYED PEAS require an "experienced, professional, English speaking, SOBER monitor engineer who shall attentively remain at the monitor position."

This is so needed, believe me. I can't stress this one enough.

Omg yes.

viccellini: BLACKEYED PEAS require an "experienced, professional, English speaking, SOBER monitor engineer who shall attentively remain at the monitor position."

This is so needed, believe me. I can't stress this one enough.

Clearly a lesson learned:
1. Repeatedly
2. The hard way

Lousy monitors are the ruination of many a show

Public Enemy, I think they're Muslim, Kosher is pretty much the same as Halal. Similar dietary restrictions in each.

valaru: Best rider ever is iggy pops

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/iggypop/iggypop1.html (new window)

Valaru, you win the day. Iggy Pop('s rider) rules. He & the Stooges ain't bad either.