What kind of alcohol do our stars demand from the organizers and refuse to perform without it?

I recently learned that my beloved Zemfira gave up alcohol before the performance. This puzzled me, because I have always associated the singer with drinking parties that are arranged for old friends.

And I decided to find out more about the alcohol preferences of my favorite stars and came across a new word for myself, “rider”.

What is a rider

Each artist has a list of requirements that he makes to the organizers of the concert. It includes:

• musical equipment;
• technical specialists;
• vehicle;
• security;
• food;
• drinks, including alcohol.

This is the rider, which in fact is a pile of A4 sheets. It is compiled by the musician himself or by the group with the active participation of the art manager. They are not too lazy to prescribe their favorite brands of cognac with an indication of the minimum aging age.

This lengthy list is given to the show organizers, who must make all purchases.

It is not clear where to look for elite varieties of European wines in a provincial Russian city, but the organizers have no choice. Failure to comply can result in heavy fines.

Riders have often been the cause of scandals and disruptions to concerts, so they are always taken seriously.

Strong alcohol in the rider of the stars

First of all, I was interested in the rider Nargiz Zakirova: there were rumors that she categorically refuses to perform without whiskey and terribly scandals when she does not find it in her mini-bar.

The host buys for her the famous White Horse (White Horse, 1182 rubles), Chivas Regal (Chivas Regal, 2400 rubles).

But Stas Mikhailov prefers cognac. He requires the organizers to purchase such French brands as Remy Martin (Remy Martin, 2227 rubles), Chabasse (Chabasse, 3777 rubles), Croizet (Croizet, 3966 rubles).

Till Lindemann, the lead singer of the Rammstein group, who is known for his love for Russia, was especially pleased. It turns out that he will willingly replace European wines with Russian vodka.

Moreover, the performer is picky: he drinks both Beluga (1476 rubles) and Green Mark (326 rubles), as well as cheaper brands.

It was frustrating that the touring requirements of most stars often remain unknown. Performers are reluctant to reveal their lives off stage to fans. However, there are exceptions.

Recently I started listening to a relatively young group Knyazz and went to the official site in search of its rider. There I learned that the appetites of the guys are completely immoderate.

The list includes cognac Old Kakheti aged for at least seven years, whiskey Chivas Regal (Chivas Regal, 2400 rubles) or Singleton (Singleton, 3320 rubles) – both for 12 years. And that’s not counting the numerous cans of beer and vodka.

At first I was surprised by such exactingness. But then I thought: they are still rockers, they are supposed to.

Weak alcohol in the rider of the stars

Loboda is also among those who publish information about their tours. She prefers Dom Perignon champagne (Dom Perignon, 17828 rubles) and Italian wine Amarone (Amarone, 8695 rubles) aged for at least 10 years. However, the singer does not refuse cognac either.

And here’s what I noticed: young stars are more willing to reveal their rider.

For example, we could not find a list of Yuri Antonov’s touring requirements, although everyone knows that the People’s Artist is a big wine lover and demands from the organizers to buy European brands worth several hundred euros.

Here it became interesting to me which of the Western stars does not perform without expensive wine. So, I read the rider of the English singer Cher. It contains bottles of white and red wine Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon), however, without indicating the manufacturer.

According to art directors, wine is the most popular drink among touring stars.

After this news, I immediately wanted to know if any of our performers like ordinary beer. So, I came across the rider Vladimir Kuzmin. It turns out that the singer does not require to buy expensive brands. The main thing is that the beer was in large quantities. Here he is, a man of the people!

Stars who categorically do not include alcohol in their rider

After the news about Kuzmin, there was a desire to look for convinced teetotalers among our artists.

First came across information about Valeria and Vera Brezhneva. They are categorically against alcohol. Valeria prefers to include dumbbells in the list of requirements, and Brezhnev – a yoga room and a gym. But it is clear with them: the image that they create on stage does not fit well with alcohol.

The Rasmus group surprised me much more. She also does not include alcoholic drinks in her rider, and this completely destroys the stereotypes about how rock bands relax during the tour.

Refusal of strong drinks is one of the trends among modern stars. Moreover, it is picked up even by those who have always been famous for their love of drinking.

Let’s return to Zemfira. We, her fans, know that she prefers Widow Clicquot and Hennessy. However, now Zemfira’s manager does not include alcohol in the list of requirements at all.

Merlin Manson was known all his life for his love of absinthe. This drink never left his intricate riders. However, in 2015, the singer announced that he no longer uses absinthe and tries not to drink while on tour.

As it turned out, the stars of the domestic and world stage have different addictions regarding alcohol. And what would you include in your rider, even if you risk singing only in the shower?