Rider (theater)

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In theater (as well as musical performance) a rider is a set of requests or demands that a performer will set as criteria for performance.

1 Hospitality Rider
2 Technical Rider
3 Rider Trivia
4 Sources
5 External links

[edit] Hospitality Rider

The hospitality rider is a list of requests for the comfort of the artist on the day of the show. Sometimes this document is provided along with the technical rider; other times, it is provided much closer to the performance date. Some common requests are:

Specific foods
Particular beverages (sometimes alcoholic)
Towels
Transportation and hotels
A runner
A number of 'comp tickets' (free tickets for friends and family)
Security and/or locking rooms.
Ice

[edit] Technical Rider

A document which is sometimes separate is provided in advance for a show, defining the types of equipment to be used, the staff to be provided, and various business arrangements. It will also define the amount of power that needs to be available, the weight that the structure will need to support for trusses.

[edit] Rider Trivia

Eric Clapton's rider required three brass players as well as a space for his foosball table. ^[1]
Van Halen was rumoured to request, in the technical rider, M&M's with the brown ones removed, with the supposed objective of determining how much attention to detail the crew had.^[2]
Frank Sinatra's rider included a ear, nose, and throat specialist with Decadron as well as an assortment of alcohol. ^[3]
Johnny Cash required an American flag on stage. ^[4]
Paul McCartney requested a sweep of the venue by bomb-sniffing dogs before the show. ^[5]
Elton John requires that his dressing room be kept at "60 degrees in summer and 70 in winter." ^[6]