Clever detail Van Halen put in dressing room contract 'to decide if they'd actually play'

Van Halen would leave some clever details in their tour rider, which was sent to venues before the band arrived. And apparently, it could decide whether they played at all

Rock band Van Halen had a clever way of testing promoters they worked with.

It all came down to an odd request put to a venue to see whether they were taking care of the finer details for Van Halen's performances. The group, which featured the late Eddie Van Halen as well as vocalist David Lee Roth and drummer Alex Van Halen, toured from 1972 to 2020.

With their complex light shows used in concert halls across the globe, the band needed a way of making sure everything was finely-tuned before they headed on stage. Their way of doing this is now legendary with seasoned fans of the band, who are still sharing stories of the infamous tour rider years later.

Whether it is an infamous fish and chips request from Britney Spears or wine in Diet Coke cans for the late Michael Jackson, riders are a way of making sure the band is well-fed and watered before the gig. But for Van Halen it was a chance to check the venue had paid attention to their requests, and in turn, the show.

According to both manager Noel Monk and vocalist Roth, small details were left in the rider contract to check whether a promoter had been paying attention. The band placed a request for "no brown M&Ms" as a test for the venue. If they found the bowl of M&Ms with all the brown sweets removed, they assumed it was a gig up to their high and unique standards.

But if the venue provided a bowl of the sugary treats and failed to remove the brown-coloured candies, Van Halen would often dispute or inspect work done by the venue, and in some instances would cancel their performance. Fans of the band are reliving wild stories about the group's time on the road, including one post which shared a photo of the rider contract.

The rider, signed off by tour manager Harvey Schaps and production manager Patrick Whitley, gave venues a lengthy list of requests that had to be followed to the letter. It reads: "Attached is a rider containing provisions to assure you of a smooth and professional theatrical presentation.

"All provisions are spelled out in great detail in order to prevent any misunderstandings and to present to your customers the finest in contemporary entertainment." Aside from the "no brown M&Ms" request there were notes to have 48 "large, bath-size cloth towels" and one "large tube of KY Jelly".

One person has since dubbed the list as a "legendary rider" while another suggested the large tube of jelly was also used by the band as an indicator of promoter professionalism.