The rich and famous superstars always get a backstage rider. Before they go out to perform be it on stage or on screen, artists hang out in their dressing rooms or trailers. They have the privilege to demand whatever they want to make their stay backstage more comfortable and enjoyable for them. While most artists requests for normal things like food, juice, or booze, some requests are pretty outrageous. These artists below got away with the craziest demands in their backstage riders. If you were a rich and famous rock star, what crazy thing would you demand in your rider?
1. Elton John
credit: youtube.com/marinabaysands
Apparently, the great Sir Elton John demands that specific furniture be present in his dressing room. He’s into interior decor, it seems as he wants a six-foot sofa, a love seat, easy chairs, table lamps, floor standing lamps, coffee table, 6 food banquet tables (covered with white linen table cloths), large green plants, large arrangement of colored flowers (no chrysanthemums, lilies, carnations, or daisies) in his backstage ‘home’.
2. Slipknot
Slip Knot’s backstage demands are pretty simple: Just 6 cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli, 1 large bag of assorted Starburst fruit chews, 6 assorted cans of Campbell’s chunky soup, a box of baby wipes, and 12 pairs of white tube socks. Looks like they’re pretty content dividing the lot among themselves as well.
3. Axl Rose
Now with Axl Rose’s notorious attitude and short fuse you’d think he will have a long list of insane items on his backstage rider. But really, all the Guns N’ Roses frontman really want is square melon. Yes, not round melon, not rectangular, but square, specifically. The melon HAS to be square or Axl will unleash hell.
4. Van Halen
These crazy backstage demands all started with Van Halen’s rider request for M&Ms, with all the assorted colors EXCEPT the brown ones. Yes, Van Halen demanded that the brown M&Ms be removed from their bag of M&Ms. That’s a lot of picking out to do.
However, the band claims this was just a test to check that venue bosses read right to the bottom of the list.
This crazy demand had become so famous among the rock n’ roll community that the Rolling Stones once requested in a tour rider that they receive all the brown M&Ms that Van Halen asked to be removed!
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ironically, the Red Hot Chili Peppers who are notorious for playing completely naked (or at least save for a sock over their man parts) on stage requested fresh underwear in their backstage rider.
6. Nine Inch Nails
To help Nine Inch Nails’ Doyen of Industrial Trent Reznor take off his super tight and sweaty leather pants after a show, he requests two whole boxes of cornstarch in his rider. It’s the mess that happens after he uses those two boxes of cornstarch that presents a whole new problem.
7. Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe’s rider seems normal at first: a supply of clean ice, 4 self-contained candles, seems pretty harmless. Until you read further and realize that they basically requested the most outrageuos things they could think of including 1 machete, 1 stainless steel double-bladed combat/survival knife (not serrated), 1 fully suppressed Heckler & Koch MP-5 SD sub-machine gun and 500 9mm rounds, a detailed schedule of local AA meetings, and a 12-foot boa constrictor. Yes, a snake.
8. Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters’ requested for 6 Cup O’ Noodles (specifically vegetable, original beef flavor) and it seems like that isn’t too weird. But the weird thing is that they want said noodles ONLY ON WEDNESDAYS and no other day.
9. Prince
Prince was known to ask for a doctor with a vitamin B12 shot to be on call at all times on his tour rider. What’s weird is that asked that his food be not covered with clingfilm or else he wouldn’t go near it, let alone eat it.
10. Marilyn Manson
Prince of Darkness Marilyn Manson is also already one of the craziest performers on stage. And he’s even crazier backstage it seems as he demands on air-conditioning be at freezing temperatures in his dressing room, keeping the room as cold as possible. He also requests a bald-headed toothless hooker and Haribo gummy bears. Only Haribo and no other brand.