10 Outrageous Hard Rock Stories
3. Van Halen – Absolutely No Brown M&Ms To Be Found Backstage
Some musicians have truly strange backstage requests. Iggy Pop supposedly requested seven dwarves be waiting in his dressing room after one show, and a leaked copy of one of Jack White's riders detailed his preferred recipe for homemade guacamole. One utterly ridiculous example, is that of Van Halen and their apparent distain for brown M&Ms.
As part of their tour contract, Van Halen included a clause that if there were any brown M&Ms found backstage, then the promoter would forfeit the show at full price. Now, this seems like an outrageous demand to make, and sounds like something straight out of Spinal Tap - remember the miniature-bread catastrophe?
The reality, according to lead singer David Lee Roth, however, is something quite different, and actually is kind of a stroke of genius. Roth claimed this clause was included because of the amount of high tech and complicated stage equipment required for their live shows. Roth maintained that, if the point about brown M&Ms had been missed, it meant the promoters of a show had not read the contract thoroughly enough to understand the safety measures required for the gig to go forward.
Remember, always read the small print.