The rider is always a measure of how much of a rock star you truly are and the most significant test of rock ‘n’ roll credentials. While some will opt for a pre-match meal of room temperature water and kale salad before storming the stage, others get their fuel in a less nutritious manner. For, Kanye West, as you might expect, things take a slight turn into the spectacle.
When you’re on tour, having fun with your rider requests is a quintessential part of life-on-the-road. Knowing that somebody is working at the venue, whose job is to find whatever bizarre items you have written down on your rider request, can make artists drunk on power and challenge themselves to see how absurd they can make their requests.
Sometimes the request’s aren’t even extravagant or expensive but are just downright odd and not what you’d expect world-famous artists to rely on as they trot around the globe.
A rider gives fans a glimpse into what some superstar artists are like when they are off-stage, and on occasion, it’s as glamourous or hedonistic as you’d expect. However, a few earth-shatteringly humbling omissions from artists act as a reminder that they are very much human.
Kanye West has previous for wild rider antics, having in the past demanded that there was a Barber’s chair in his dressing room before a show, and even for a slushy machine on his Saint Pablo tour. However, his slushy machine had a twist; it wasn’t the innocuous ‘red’ or ‘blue’ flavour that the superstar rapper wanted.
Instead, he wanted one half of the machine to be a mix of Hennessy and Cola, with the other side providing a concoction of Grey Goose and lemonade.
Other requests that West allegedly included: “One tub plain yoghurt for dipping, four small Yoplait yoghurt, One bowl of assorted nuts, one bowl of Sunkist Salted Pistachio nuts (no red colouring)”. Apparently, he also asked for plenty of alcohol to wash down his snacks, with Heineken, Patron, Vodka, and Hennessy all on his list.
