It takes a lot of work to put on a concert. So much, that artists need to feel completely comfortable backstage. And since their shows make ridiculous amounts of money, concert venues adhere to ridiculous demands. Some artist demands are fairly general. For example, most stars request non-styrafoam plates and cups due to their is genuine concern for the state of the environment and almost all of them request organic fruit. E! reports that it’s extremely common for stars to obsess over cleanliness and color of towels backstage and color. They note that performers often prefer dark towels to light in case they need to use them onstage so it’s less distracting. However not all demands are so common. While all of the backstage lists are pretty interesting, rappers and pop stars tend to have some of the most unique requests. Check it out.

10. Christina Aguilera

Traffic? Christina ain’t got time for that. In a tour rider from 2000 on The Smoking Gun, Christina required a police escort upon arrival and departure from the venue. “Under no circumstances can the artist encounter any delays due to traffic.” Other requests were fairly normal aside from 10 bottles of room temperature water bottles… specifically not Evian, oh and don’t forget her Flinstone vitamins.

9. Lady Gaga

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In a document from 2010 from E!, Gaga requested lavender towels, lavender flowers and a mannequin... with puffy pink pubic hair.

8. LL Cool J

According to a tour rider from The Smoking Gun, LL Cool J requests baby oil and 24 roses de-thorned roses. (They don’t call him Ladies Love Cool J for nothing….) The document also revealed that Cool J also requests to be picked up from the airport in a black limousine, Sundays are “Soul Food Night” and absolutely no animals are allowed on the premises.

7. Daniel Tosh

Tosh.0’s rider had fairly moderate requests. In fact he seems pretty easy going, he doesn’t require a presidential suite, or a particular car to pick him up. He doesn’t even check his bags. The document from The Smoking Gun reads, “Artist never checks baggage, so transportation should arrive early, as he will be ready right off the flight.” All he asks is for music to play in the showroom while people are waiting for the performance to start, and if he is in a college town, the venue should provide a book they think he might like to read.

6. 50 Cent

For dinner 50 likes boneless, skinless chicken breasts or steak. In his dressing room as well as in G-Unit’s dressing room, there needs to be at least 1 bucket of fried chicken from Chuch’s Chicken or KFC. He also requests a box of Cuban cigars and two bottles of Hennessy (Hennessy is pretty standard for rappers dressing rooms). Note: according to the 2007 document from The Smoking Gun, breakfast must be ready by 7:00 am and, “anything cooked the night before is unacceptable, all food must be freshly cooked.”

5. Jennifer Lopez

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Jenny might be from the block, but she certainly doesn’t live there anymore. JLo requests all white everything, according to The Smoking Gun. This means a white room, white candles, white flowers, white drapes, and white couches. Butdon’t forget the yellow roses with red trim and room temperature Evian water bottles (Guess she and Christina would clash over water bottles should they ever share a dressing room).

4. Beyonce


Of course Beyonce has a particular rider, she’s Queen Bey. In addition to freshly painted white walls, a new toilet seat and red toilet paper, the artist requests titanium straws used to drink alkaline water, which should be served at 21 degrees, according to Daily Star.

3. Mariah Carey

According to The Smoking Gun, the Diva requests a $200 bottle of cabernet sauvignon, two dozen white roses, vanilla aromatherapy candles, no busy patterns in the living space and her room should be about 75 degrees. And although one report from Huffington Post claims that Mariah requested 20 white kittens by her side for an event, turns out it was a one time thing and the kittens weren’t allowed in the venue anyway. Bummer.

2. Snoop Doggy Dogg

Snoop’s rider, found on The Smoking Gun is pretty great. It contains ratings for his favorite foods. Fried chicken is labeled as a must, but Mexican is only requested if it is a specialty in the area. However, vanilla ice cream, dinner rolls and fresh fruit are “very important”. Also “very important”…A complete Sony Playstation with four controllers and miscellaneous 1999 Sport Video Games. Flourescent lighting is not acceptable as the only light source, and the show will be cancelled if Snoop Dogg’s security has even the slightest concern for his safety. Back to the Playstation, there is a note near the end of the document emphasizing the importance of the item. It reads, “Please trust that this will be some of the most important money you spend.” They've been warned.

1. Katy Perry

This star might really be living in a “Teenage Dream.” Katy has a dressing room, as well as a glam room. The “Roar” singer prefers purple and white hydrangeas, pink and white roses and peonies. However, ABSOLUTLEY NO CARNATIONS whatsoever in the room which should be draped in soft pink or cream, according to The Smoking Gun. More interestingly, the rider also states that chauffeurs may not start conversations with the star, must keep cell phones off while driving and must not ask for pictures/autographs. Oh and don’t stare into the backseat through the rearview mirror, duh.