Balloonfest Bands and Their Odd Demands

Whenever a band goes on tour, they have a rider attached to their contract spelling out the things they "need" to perform.

Some star requests are healthy.  John Mayer, for example, wants toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash and breath mints backstage at every show.

Some are just to much.  Beyonce's rider calls for $900 dollars worth of titanium straws, a special alkaline water that must be served at exactly 21 degrees and a bunch of other ridiculous crap including “hand-carved ice balls".

While filming, George Clooney gets a private basketball court, landscaped garden and a hot tub.

Must be nice. My rider probably wouldn't even make up a decent sized paragraph. Coors Light, some beef jerky or chips and Coca Cola.  Seriously, my entire rider could be filled at 7-11.

Rockers are cool like that.  Take Balloonfest for example, one of my jobs  is to handle all the riders.  This year, they were all pretty "a toda madre" about things.  Real people you know? No crystal glasses, designer outfits or any of that crap!

Sully wanted Corona and wine along with some snacks and water.

Tremonti wanted beer, chips, salsa and water, literally.... that's about it.

Young Guns wanted beer and vodka.  They also asked me to send a runner out to buy meat and stuff to barbecue instead of ordering prepared food.  They were having fun at the park and didn't want to leave, just like POD did last year!  We forgot to get tongs though, so they were turning their burgers and steaks with a pair of drumsticks!

Aranda only asked for sodas, water and a big bag of Doritos. Then, their plane made them late so they didn't even get to enjoy that pre-show.  After show though, they did finish Sully’s wine off!  Shhhh, don't tell him.

Halestorm kept it pretty simple, too.  Beer, Crown Royal, snacks and deli trays. Plus we made them a cake to celebrate the end of the tour!

There were some other items requested but all in all, no more than you or I would need to put on a kick ass show in the middle of a water park in the middle of a desert!!

Rock stars are just cooler than other stars. Rock fans are cooler than other fans, too!  \m/