• Armin Van Buuren, Du Arena, Friday. For someone responsible for playing music at deafeningly high levels, the dutch trance DJ admits to having a pretty low-key tour rider. He recently told dance-music website Inthemix that his backstage food and drink is consumed by his entourage. “Most of my rider usually gets taken by people who are with me,” he said. He says his most important request is for a reliable high-speed internet connection so that he can keep in touch with his wife. “I’m very lucky to have a very sweet wife,” he said. “She’s very understanding. We call each other five or six times a day.” Courtesy FLASH Entertainment
    Armin Van Buuren, Du Arena, Friday. For someone responsible for playing music at deafeningly high levels, the dutch trance DJ admits to having a pretty low-key tour rider. He recently told dance-music website Inthemix that his backstage food and drink is consumed by his entourage. “Most of my rider usually gets taken by people who are with me,” he said. He says his most important request is for a reliable high-speed internet connection so that he can keep in touch with his wife. “I’m very lucky to have a very sweet wife,” he said. “She’s very understanding. We call each other five or six times a day.” Courtesy FLASH Entertainment
  • Rita Ora, Beats on The Beach, Saturday. According to the British radio station Capital FM, the English pop star’s culinary demands are as colourful as her outfits. As well as an assortment of Green and Black chocolate bars, Ora has also requested ripe bananas, chicken sandwiches and a bottle of Nandos hot sauce. Alex Huckle / Getty Images and David Lee / REX
    Rita Ora, Beats on The Beach, Saturday. According to the British radio station Capital FM, the English pop star’s culinary demands are as colourful as her outfits. As well as an assortment of Green and Black chocolate bars, Ora has also requested ripe bananas, chicken sandwiches and a bottle of Nandos hot sauce. Alex Huckle / Getty Images and David Lee / REX
  • Jason Derulo, Beats on The Beach, Friday. When Derulo arrived for a performance in Ohio in October, the local newspaper, The Dayton Daily News, reported that the Wiggle singer had asked for a “small to medium-breed dog” to play with for the day. According to the paper, he also wanted freshly squeezed orange juice, a love seat, a vanity mirror with lights, his tour poster and some men’s fitness magazines. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National and iStockphoto.com
    Jason Derulo, Beats on The Beach, Friday. When Derulo arrived for a performance in Ohio in October, the local newspaper, The Dayton Daily News, reported that the Wiggle singer had asked for a “small to medium-breed dog” to play with for the day. According to the paper, he also wanted freshly squeezed orange juice, a love seat, a vanity mirror with lights, his tour poster and some men’s fitness magazines. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National and iStockphoto.com
  • T-Pain, One Yas Island, Saturday. According to a 2008 tour document found on The Smoking Gun, even at the height of his midlevel fame T-Pain’s demands were pretty reasonable by rap-music standards. They included an assortment of herbal teas, cheese-and-meat platters – with no pork – and five large bottles of premium spring water. He also asked for a “professional-quality steamer” for his clothes. Isaac Brekken / Getty Images and iStockphoto.com
    T-Pain, One Yas Island, Saturday. According to a 2008 tour document found on The Smoking Gun, even at the height of his midlevel fame T-Pain’s demands were pretty reasonable by rap-music standards. They included an assortment of herbal teas, cheese-and-meat platters – with no pork – and five large bottles of premium spring water. He also asked for a “professional-quality steamer” for his clothes. Isaac Brekken / Getty Images and iStockphoto.com
  • The Who, du Arena, Sunday. Legendary British rockers The Who have spent decades on the road, so in addition to asking for private lounges and dressing rooms, a rider for their 1996 North American tour reveals that they really just yearn for some simple home comforts. Singer Roger Daltrey’s list included vanilla ice cream, while guitarist Pete Townshend asked for real milk, “not half and half”. The band’s now deceased bass player, John Entwistle, asked for decaf coffee served in a cocktail glass. L Busacca / Getty Images and iStockphoto.com
    The Who, du Arena, Sunday. Legendary British rockers The Who have spent decades on the road, so in addition to asking for private lounges and dressing rooms, a rider for their 1996 North American tour reveals that they really just yearn for some simple home comforts. Singer Roger Daltrey’s list included vanilla ice cream, while guitarist Pete Townshend asked for real milk, “not half and half”. The band’s now deceased bass player, John Entwistle, asked for decaf coffee served in a cocktail glass. L Busacca / Getty Images and iStockphoto.com
  • Future, VIP Room Radisson Blue, Yas Island, Friday. At the beginning of the year, Future’s tour rider was built around ensuring the comfort of his on-and-off partner Ciara, who was pregnant. According to TMZ, Future “called for a clean backstage environment whenever Ciara travelled with him – no smoking, healthy foods and nothing that could be detrimental to her pregnancy”. Larry Busacca / Getty Images for NARAS / AFP and iStockphoto.com
    Future, VIP Room Radisson Blue, Yas Island, Friday. At the beginning of the year, Future’s tour rider was built around ensuring the comfort of his on-and-off partner Ciara, who was pregnant. According to TMZ, Future “called for a clean backstage environment whenever Ciara travelled with him – no smoking, healthy foods and nothing that could be detrimental to her pregnancy”. Larry Busacca / Getty Images for NARAS / AFP and iStockphoto.com
  • The Boxtones, Beats on The Beach, Friday. And then there are the local bands, whose requests are a little more down-to-earth. “To be honest with you, if they provide us some chairs in the back in order for us to sit, we are happy,” said The Boxtones guitarist and vocalist Gary Tierney. “But our biggest challenge is ensuring our technical rider is met. That means making sure all the gear we need and that is agreed upon on is there on stage. We don’t want a situation where there is a drum-kit missing on stage.” While he doesn’t envisage the band ever making diva demands such as “only blue M& Ms or bottles of Evian water”, Tiernney says he understands the reasons behind the more outlandish requests. “When you are on tour you are kind of isolated,” he says. “You are constantly performing, doing interviews and speaking to managers. The only downtime you have is in your backstage room. That’s the musician’s world, so I guess they want to make it as comfortable as they can.” Courtesy The Boxtones and iStockphoto.com
    The Boxtones, Beats on The Beach, Friday. And then there are the local bands, whose requests are a little more down-to-earth. “To be honest with you, if they provide us some chairs in the back in order for us to sit, we are happy,” said The Boxtones guitarist and vocalist Gary Tierney. “But our biggest challenge is ensuring our technical rider is met. That means making sure all the gear we need and that is agreed upon on is there on stage. We don’t want a situation where there is a drum-kit missing on stage.” While he doesn’t envisage the band ever making diva demands such as “only blue M& Ms or bottles of Evian water”, Tiernney says he understands the reasons behind the more outlandish requests. “When you are on tour you are kind of isolated,” he says. “You are constantly performing, doing interviews and speaking to managers. The only downtime you have is in your backstage room. That’s the musician’s world, so I guess they want to make it as comfortable as they can.” Courtesy The Boxtones and iStockphoto.com

Weird and wonderful F1 celeb demands – in pictures

Saeed Saeed
Saeed Saeed
Abu Dhabi

November 19, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

It is one of the music industry’s not-so-hidden secrets: the concert rider. This contract, part of an overall legal agreement a concert promoter enters into with a touring artist, is often rich in telling details about the artist’s tastes – not to mention ego.

They can become the stuff of legend – remember J-Lo’s demand for an all-white dressing room?

Although they are supposed to be confidential – Flash Entertainment did not respond to our requests for information about this year’s batch – the details are often leaked.

• www.viproom-dubai.com

• www.yasalam.ae

• www.o1neyasisland.com

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