In theater (as well as musical performance) a rider is a set of requests or demands that a performer will set as criteria for performance.
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Hospitality Rider
The hospitality rider is a list of requests for the comfort of the artist on the day of the show. Sometimes this document is provided along with the technical rider; other times, it is provided much closer to the performance date. Some common requests are:
- Specific foods
- Particular beverages (sometimes alcoholic)
- Towels
- Transportation and hotels
- A runner
- A number of 'comp tickets' (free tickets for friends and family)
- Security and/or locking rooms.
- Ice
Technical Rider
A document which is sometimes separate is provided in advance for a show, defining the types of equipment to be used, the staff to be provided, and various business arrangements. It will also define the amount of power that needs to be available, the weight that the structure will need to support for trusses.
Notable Rider Requests
- Van Halen requested in the technical rider that a bowl of M&M's be provided in their dressing room with the brown ones removed. The objective of this was 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&M's 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. David Lee Roth stated in his autobiography that this request was done as a result of faulty workmanship at a venue on an earlier tour which nearly cost the life of a member of Van Halen's road crew, as well as damage to their equipment.[1]
- Eric Clapton's rider required a space for his foosball table. [2]
- Frank Sinatra's rider included an ear, nose, and throat specialist with Decadron as well as an assortment of alcohol. [3]
- Johnny Cash required an American flag on stage. [4]
- Paul McCartney requested a sweep of the venue by bomb-sniffing dogs before the show. [5]
- Elton John requires that his dressing room be kept at "60 degrees in summer and 70 in winter." [6]
- Razorlight request a plate of corn bread and an assortment of NME magazines that include themselves." [7]
Sources
- ^ http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/vanhalen.htm
- ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/ericclapton/ericclapton1.html
- ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/franksinatra/franksinatra1.html
- ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/johnnycash/johnnycash2.html
- ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/mccartney/mccartney2.html
- ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/elton/elton2.html
- ^ http://razorlight.co.uk/
External links
- http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html A list of original concert riders.
