Tour Manager with a sense of humour – Foo Fighters Rider

A rider is:

A document which is provided in advance of a show, defining the types of equipment to be used, the staff to be provided, and various business arrangements.

I have seen my fair share of riders over the years. They are monotonous and written in solicitor language and are ALWAYS in the most boring typewriter font possible. Except the Foo Fighters’ one for their 2008 tour of the USA and Canada.

Before we all get to giggle over it, lets take a look at some other strange requests that have been seen on riders:

• Van Halen requested in the technical rider that a bowl of M&Ms be provided in their dressing room with the brown ones removed (failure to do so would not only mean that the band would not perform, but the venue would still have to pay the full fee. The objective of this wasn’t due to any excesses on the part of the band, but was a method to determine how much attention to detail the crew at a local venue paid to the requests specified in the rider. Should the bowl be absent, or if brown M&Ms were present, it would give band members reason to suspect other, legitimate, technical and safety issues were also being performed poorly or were outright overlooked.
• Eric Clapton‘s rider required a space for his football table.
• Queen requested a mud wrestling ring and wrestlers outside the dressing room for post-performance entertainment.
• Frank Sinatra‘s rider included an ear, nose, and throat specialist with Decadron as well as an assortment of alcohol.
• Johnny Cash required an American flag on stage.
• Paul McCartney requested a sweep of the venue by bomb-sniffing dogs before the show.
• Elton John requires that his dressing room be kept at “60 °F in summer and 70 °F in winter.”
• Razorlight request a plate of corn bread and an assortment of NME magazines that include themselves
• Jimmy Buffett has the option of refusing to perform if any door is opened to the auditorium during his soundcheck.
• Iggy Pop‘s entire rider was written by Jos Grain, his roadie, in a humorous style that included foolish suggestions for reality television shows, running commentary on past events, and wordplay involving the requests made.
• Bruce Springsteen has the venue caterers prepare finger food for his children, and his saxophone player Clarence Clemons has an entire roasted chicken sent to his dressing room halfway through the performance.

Now, onto the Foo Fighters:

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