The rider is a staple of rockstar excess. How can you say you’ve made it unless you're rolling up to a dressing room laden with incredibly specific refreshments provided to your exact standards? Have they got you Coke Zero instead of Diet Coke? Start the bus, the show’s cancelled.
The thing with incredibly outlandish riders is, much like trashing hotel rooms, you’re only robbing yourself. The tour promoter will cover the cost of all those fresh flowers, but that money’s coming from somewhere, and promoters aren’t in the business of throwing money away.
That said, you can’t expect Axl Rose to make his own packed lunches.
The Smoking Gun – a site that primarily deals in investigative reporting and freedom of information reports – has amassed a collection of band riders that, if you ever want to lose about six days of your life, you can dive into and it’s full of incredibly minor, but really compelling revelations. Like, did you know that Zack de La Rocha eats Starburst after Rage Against The Machine shows? Now you do.
Alternatively, here are some of the highlights from the rock world.