Rolling Stones Tour Rider Isn’t As Over-The-Top As It Used To Be
The Rolling Stones are the most iconic band that’s still active today. While they’re incredible legends, they’ve apparently mellowed in recent years, especially when it comes to their tour rider….
The Rolling Stones are the most iconic band that's still active today. While they're incredible legends, they've apparently mellowed in recent years, especially when it comes to their tour rider.
Bassist Darryl Jones touched on this with the U.K.'s Daily Star (via BANG Showbiz). Years ago, the Stones required a gaming room with a snooker table and various video game cabinets. However, the band has scaled back their backstage setup quite a bit, but Jones said the important things are still there.
"Keith [Richards] still has what he loves, shepherd's pie," said Jones. "There's so much food backstage, me and the keyboard player have our own rider."
Of course, there are still other tour requests from the band that still might raise some eyebrows. Keep scrolling to find out what Mick Jagger reportedly must have in every hotel room.
Rolling Stones on the Road in 2024
The Rolling Stones have a busy schedule ahead of them for 2024. Their tour kicks off on April 28 in Houston and is currently set to wrap on July 17 in Santa Clara, Calif. Their full list of shows is as follows:
4/28 - Houston, TX - NRG Stadium
5/2 - New Orleans, LA - Jazz Fest
5/7 - Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium
5/11 - Las Vegas NV - Allegiant Stadium
5/15 - Seattle, WA - Lumen Field
5/23 - East Rutherford, NJ (near NYC) - Metlife Stadium
5/30 - Foxboro, MA (Near Boston) - Gillette Stadium
6/3 - Orlando, FL - Camping World Stadium
6/7 - Atlanta, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
6/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field
6/15 - Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Browns Stadium
6/27 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
7/5 - Vancouver, BC - BC Place
7/10 - Los Angeles, CA - SOFI Stadium
7/17 - Santa Clara, CA - Levi's Stadium
Additionally, they were recently announced as headliners of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Taking place April 25-28 and May 2-5, other acts booked include Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Killers, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Hozier, Jon Batiste, Queen Latifah, Vampire Weekend, Greta Van Fleet, Heart, Bonnie Rait and more.
Tour riders are often some of the most interesting parts of any artist or band's tour. They often offer an inside look into just how high-maintenance some artists can be. This is often exemplified by how specific their requests might be.
Some rock stars require specific kinds of food and drink, while others clearly want a dressing room that sets a certain mood. Some tour riders feature requests so outrageous they must be a joke. Other tour riders -- like one infamous one at the very end of our list -- feature details that are actually requests to see if you read the rider at all.
And then there are rock stars like Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, who likes to see just what he can get away with. He shared in a recent interview, " ... As the years have gone on, and we had access to more and more outrageous requests being honored, it starts to make you ask for strange things." Homme also claims that asking for strange things is a sign of having a good sense of humor, which he says, "other than injections," keeps you young.
So, what strange things have Homme asked for on his rider? Apparently, it has included chocolate-covered ants and a map of Ireland on his dressing room wall.
Homme said, "People would ask me, ‘Josh, why do you have chocolate-covered ants and a framed map of Ireland?’ and I would say, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know, mind your damn business.'"
Our list below highlights eight tour riders. The first from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made headlines back in 2023. (Make no mistake: When a tour rider is leaked, it almost always makes headlines. There are at least a few items on it that leave you asking, "Umm...really?!")
Without further ado, keep scrolling and find out which of your favorite rock stars have interesting requests on their tour riders.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Brian Ach/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff FoundationThe tour rider for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that leaked in October 2023 is a whopping 37 pages. It features a wide range of requests. For starters, did you know that The Boss' pre-show meal is chicken soup "with lots of broth"? You do now! Also, his dressing room must have two 99-cent bags of Rold Gold pretzel ("no substitutions"). Interestingly, there needs to be a manicurist on stand-by to "do a man's and a woman's acrylic nail" at every venue. Additionally, there needs to be a massage therapist on stand-by who can perform a "deep tissue/sports massage" if need be.
Mick Jagger
Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesMick Jagger has a very unique request when it comes to the mattress in his hotel. According to a report from 'The Daily Mail,' Jagger "asks for a new mattress in his room, no matter how posh the hotel. But he insists the plastic wrapping stays on while someone sleeps for one night on the mattress to break it in."
Prince
Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesSpeaking of plastic wrap, Prince had on his 2004 tour rider that “all items in dressing room must be covered by clear plastic wrap until uncovered by main artist. This is absolutely necessary.” This feels a little extra, but honestly, this request wasn't terribly shocking considering how particular the late music icon was.
Paul McCartney
Gustavo Caballero/Getty ImagesPaul McCartney's past tour riders have been lengthy, but considering his legend, they seem rather tame. Many of his requests have to do with his vegan lifestyle, so no furniture backstage made from animal skin (leather) nor is faux leather or animal prints are allowed.
Jack White
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesJack White got a lot of attention for his tour rider when he was out supporting his album 'Lazeretto,' because it included a request for a bowl of "fresh home-made guacamole" and included a very specific recipe that included directions on how to cut the avocado. (FYI: It's "3 or 4 slits down, 3 or 4 slits across.)
Iggy Pop
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesIggy Pop's 2006 tour rider was 18 pages, but it clearly wasn't taking itself too seriously. Some of his requests included "somebody dressed as Bob Hope" and "a copy of 'USA Today' that's got a story about morbidly obese people in it." What a legend!
Foo Fighters
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesFoo Fighters have taken joke tour riders to another level. In 2011, their tour rider had a coloring book theme complete with a word search and a maze. It also included a list of non-permitted items in the venue which included "light sabers" and "garden gnomes." However, maybe we're wrong. Perhaps, there was a bizarre incident at a past show involving light sabers and garden gnomes.
Van Halen
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesAh, yes...how could there be a tour rider list without mentioning Van Halen and the whole "no brown M&M's" request? Believe it or not, the band wasn't really being divas back then. The legend of the M&M's has since been cleared up. The reason why that detail was included was to see if promoters actually read the band's performance contract. David Lee Roth said in a 2012 interview, "Van Halen was the first to take 850 par lamp lights — huge lights — around the country. At the time, it was the biggest production ever. If I came backstage, having been one of the architects of this lighting and staging design, and I saw brown M&Ms on the catering table, then I guarantee the promoter had not read the contract rider, and we would have to do a serious line check."
