Posted by April MacIntyre Aug 15, 2010, 18:02 GMT
Never let it be said that Green warrior types like Sheryl Crow aren't any fun, they like their hooch as much as the next rock n rolla.
Green Queen with a side of Ketel One - Sheryl Crow - "The Early Show" Summer Concert Series - July 23, 2010 - Sheryl Crow in Concert - CBS Plaza - New York City, NY, USA © Janet Mayer / PR Photos
Concert riders are the addended lists of needs that bands present to promoters, usually sent out with their contracts from the issuing agency that booked the act.
Riders famously have included demands for flowers in dressing rooms, specific foods and a litany of booze requirements - mostly hijacked by the roadies for the tour bus to keep their stocks up.
My first encounter with a pesky rider was on November 19, 1982, for Joe Jackson's 'Stepping Out' tour, and I was part of the Student Programming Council at University of Houston, which booked live acts for the campus.
We bought Joe's act for two performances at Cullen Auditorium at University of Houston for $6000, all in, Pretty good deal for a 1600 seat venue.
Joe was not happy; it was his birthday; he was sick and scowled at us all. Despite the fact we decorated his dressing room with birthday balloons, an awesome birthday cake and all the required crap he demanded in his concert rider, the English tour manager pulled me aside and threatened me directly that Joe would not perform unless Bailey's Irish Cream, three bottles, were immediately brought to his room.
Bailey's Irish Cream was a relatively new product, introduced in 1974 to the general retail market, but not heavily promoted in the USA until the 1980s. I wasn't a big drinker, and none of us knew what it was.
I presented the rider we were sent for Joe, and on the long list of wine and alcohol brands, were three bottles of Bailey's Whiskey, not Bailey's Irish Cream.
I bought the booze (a ton of it) except for Bailey's Whiskey, a brand I could not find anywhere. The tour manager told me he didn't care that some lackey at ICM (the agency that booked Joe in New York) had made a mistake typing the rider out.
"Joe is NOT going on stage until you bring this here immediately."
The main University of Houston campus is practically in the Fifth Ward of Houston, at the time a crime-ridden stretch of misery, not a fun place. Plus rain was coming down in sheets and it was pitch black outside. I managed to find a package store and returned, soaking wet, with three bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream to a turd blossom tour manager who grabbed it and promptly slammed the door of the tour bus.
Why do I tell you this story? So you get the full flavor of just how annoying concert riders (and fulfilling them) are. They put promoters through ridiculous hoops because they CAN.
Now Sheryl Crow is making a bunch of promoters cuckoo with her recycled toilet paper demands.
Touring the United States and Europe this year, Crow's assortment of environmental demands are making the news, and website The Smoking Gun got hold of her crazy rider.
From thesmokinggun.com:
The document, excerpted here, actually has a 2-1/2 page “environmental portion” to be “strictly followed and policed.” Seeking to “minimize the overall environmental impact of our tour,” Crow demands that only biodegradable cups and dinnerware be used by the caterer. Produce should be “organic and purchased from local suppliers as much as possible.” And for the five backstage “watering stations,” water “must be sourced from a local spring water vendor.”
According to Crow’s rider, her tour party travels between gigs in two 45-foot buses, while her equipment is packed into two tractor-trailers.
Crow, 48, also offers promoters “venue greening suggestions.” She wants “traditional light bulbs” swapped out for compact fluorescent bulbs in “all offices, dressing rooms and common areas.” “Eco-friendly cleaning and bathroom products” and “post-consumer recycled toilet paper and paper towel” should also be used. Crow’s rider also notes that, “We strongly encourage you to use renewable sources and/or to buy sustainable energy credits where possible. Many local utilities offer ‘green power’ as an option--please check with yours and opt in.”
The document also details how Crow’s backstage hospitality room is to be stocked. The singer needs an assortment of “biodegradable non-petroleum cups” and 24 “disposable napkins made of 100% recycled fiber.” Crow’s rider also lists a wide variety of drinks and snacks that she needs, including organic coconut water and two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon (“Sheryl’s Favorite” is Stag’s Leap Artemis). Two “good quality, dark, organic chocolate bars” are described as “***VERY IMPORTANT***”
As in a prior Crow rider, the current version includes her specific liquor schedule. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, she needs a small bottle of Ketel One vodka that will be mixed with a half-gallon of organic cranberry juice. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, Crow requires a bottle of Patron tequila that will be mixed with a half-gallon of organic grapefruit juice.
The entire rider can be viewed here: here
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