Random Most Outrageous Backstage Rider Requests (25 items)

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  (#16) Pharrell Williams

  • Pop, Funk, Hip hop

  Pharrell Williams has acknowleged his love for the late Carl Sagan numerous times, explaining that he's got a deep admiration for the legendary astronomer and cosmologist. Taking his love for Sagan one step further, Williams reportedly requests a photo of Sagan in his dressing room. 

  "I can only aspire to be someone that people learn as much from as they learned from Carl Sagan. Carl Sagan is to me what A Tribe Called Quest was to [N*E*R*D] for music," Williams said in an interview about Sagan's influence on him. 
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  (#12) Van Halen

  • Glam metal, Rock music, Heavy metal, Hard rock

  Perhaps the most notorious and well-known rider demand in the history of rock and roll, Van Halen's brown M&M's stipulation is actually quite practical and done for a sensible reason. (It's still pretty outrageous, though, if you consider the fact that every single venue had to adhere to these exact demands.)

  The story goes that the band, whose shows had intense production and technical specifications that could be immense safety hazards, decided to test production staff at venues in order to gauge whether the technical aspects were up to their standard. If the venue complied with Van Halen's request, and there were indeed no brown M&M's in their candy bowl, the band knew that the production met all their standards for safety and technical specifications.
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  (#14) Beyoncé Knowles

  • R&B, Pop, Hip hop

  Turns out, Beyonce is pretty sensitive to temperature. Or at least that appears to be the case, according to a leaked rider. Among such demands, like all white furniture and two bars of Irish Spring soap, Queen Bey insists that the temperature in her dressing room should be a comfortable 72 degrees at all times. 

  All in all, her rider is pretty tame for one of the most successful pop stars of all time. But it raises the question: What happens if the temperature is a couple degrees off? 
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  (#24) 50 Cent

  • Hip hop music, Gangsta rap

  50 Cent's rider seems pretty standard, with food and beverage requests, though he apparently doesn't like pork at all.

  A leaked rider revealed that the rapper completely banned pork from anywhere in his vicinity at all times. He did, however, welcome a couple boxes of Lifestyles Rough Riders condoms.
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  (#5) Katy Perry

  • Pop, Rock, Disco

  Katy Perry has some pretty specific demands for her floral arrangements backstage - namely, an absolute disdain for carnations. The "Firework" singer apparently asks for "white and purple hydrangeas, pink & white roses and peonies" but makes it clear in all caps (and underlined) that "ABSOLUTELY NO CARNATIONS" are allowed. 

  Aside from that flower request, Perry's rider stipulates that drivers are under no circumstances allowed to talk to her while she's being escorted, nor are they allowed to even look at her in the rearview mirror. 
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  (#19) Cher

  • Hip hop music, Rock music, Dance-pop, Electronic dance music, Rhythm and blues, Country, Electronica, Techno, Adult contemporary music, Disco, Pop music, Folk music, Folk rock, Traditional pop music, Dance music, Contemporary R&B, Pop rock

  It shouldn't be surprising that Cher would have a wig room in her backstage rider. The pop star's hair has become a major part of her performances. That said, imagine being such a big star, with so many wigs, that you require an entire room dedicated to them just for your show.

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