Riders

Souljacker

Silver Member
What level does a band have to get to before they can start requesting riders?

Anyone here in a band that has the presence to get them?

Seen any ridiculous requests?

Smiths-tour-rider.jpg


Here is the Smiths 1986 USA tour rider as an example, rocking out on booze and cheese sandwiches.
 
Gloryhammer's rider has gin on it. That's the most important thing.
 
Here in Melbourne when I was playing live, it was usually beer and soft drink provided free. Wine or spirits were included in some venues and in others we were just offered a discount. Some pubs included meals, but most did not. Riders would usually last for the entire duration of the night, but they are a goodwill gesture so if a band ever spent more time getting pissed than they did playing, they wouldn't have lasted long.

Suffice it to say that the more punters your band could attract the better the rider. Needless to say that I started seeing better riders when working in cover bands that played in larger venues to bigger crowds.
 
I'm not sure there's any 'levels' involved. You just have to be a big name and management handles the rest. When I was a stage manager for the Angels baseball team, Celene Dion was booked to sing the national anthem, and her rider stated that she had to have certain flora and fauna in her dressing room along with a spread of specific foods. Then she backed out and we got the guy who was playing the part of the Phantom (in the Phantom of the Opera) in L.A. at the time. He was cool - he requested nothing, we gave him a box seat, some Angels jackets and hats for him and his kids, and free flowing hot dogs and cokes. And he sang the national anthem better, I thought.
 
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