See what happens when they forget the underwear on my rider?? (photo by Kyle Neary "MR650TV")
My rider is now public information and seems to be the talk on my Twitter timeline so I’ll break down some of the more juicier bits of it since people are asking.
I travel with a small crew. Usually I am with my road manager, videographer and now sometimes a photographer as well so at any given show I am with 2 to 3 other people that I have to take care of.
Our lives are dedicated to living on the road and part of living on the road is learning how to travel efficiently. In most cases we all just travel with hand carry on and limit what we are bringing so it’s easier to get on flights and be more flexible with space so we don’t have to always travel in vans (because of our luggage). In those cases, whatever the promoter brings to us becomes our outfit for the day. Socks and underwear are shared between me and my crew. The large black V-neck t-shirts are actually for my tour manager. Nothing against him but I’m not a V-neck kinda guy! For the rest, let’s just go down the list…
Hospitality Requirements:
The Listerine because you can’t bring liquids with you on flights. We end up usually getting $100 cash dinners and fending for ourselves because each person has their own preferences to what they want to eat. For example, one guy in my squad hates organic food and is a McDonalds & Taco Bell man so that’s where we go to take care of him. In the end, the local organic grass food that I prefer doesn’t always get dished up our way, but I put it in there hoping that it does because I’d rather eat at those spots cuz they rule (#SupportOrganic)! Hot Green Tea is the shit period and I drink it almost every night before a show. One large cheese pizza is for my crew…too many calories for me. One whole lemon, one twig of ginger, and one bottle of organic honey is for my throat cuz I tend to lose my voice. Ok, 4 Odwallas is pushing it, I don’t really need this. In a way, writing this all out is good for my efficiency as I was stating earlier. Organic fruits is my sugar intake. The meat and cheese wraps is for my crew. Two bottles of Cristal is definitely a ballin’ move. Do I need it? No, but if I can get it…sweet!
The rest of the rider you can see for yourself. As for the “miscellaneous” items, the first time I saw the director’s chair on the rider was when I saw the blog that put up my rider in the first place (unnecessary management decision). The local grass is for someone else in my crew (another unnecessary management decision) and both have been deleted off the rider but I am a fan of wheat grass shots. I should probably add wheat in the front of grass from now on to be more clear. There it is for all to judge.
I love you
Seriously, your hospitality rider is far from decadent, and even further away from that if you compare it to others in the business.
Working longs nights is almost an Olympic Sport; gotta keep up the energy to get through the night. So whatever works for you is necessary to bring the show; pizza’s, alcohol, tea, sugar, etc… Nobody comes out to see a DJ sleeping.
1, 2 or 3 shows a day, the expectations of every crowd are the same and high to meet; you gotta give 200% – every single time, over and over again. It takes love and passion for the job.
So if Cristal and Belvedere keep you in the mood, you shall get it. After all, you earned it.
Cheers to that,
A nightlifer
Well, atleast you are beeing honest
Fuck, if you can get it then why not?
Haters make you famous. Cool lifestyle dude.
Mr Aoki, you are welcome at my venue anytime! Your rider is pretty standard compared to some “artists” we have had come through our little outpost.
Large bowl m&m’s – take all of a particular colour out!
Platters of food – but why does one person need enough food to feed a small African Nation!!
Enough liquor to get the whole venue legless!!!
.
…and that’s only scratching the surface.
.
.
So, like I said, Mr Aoki, you are welcome at our humble establishment
That M&M thing actually originated with Van Halen. They did that in order to make sure that their rider instructions were followed to the letter. If the wrong M&Ms were still in the bowl, it meant that they needed to go and check everything else to make sure that it was done per instructions. I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure they started doing that after one of their shows was cut short by falling stage lights or some such venue hazard.
You deserve it you’ve worked hard for it and most people don’t realize how many days of the year your running all over the world and I’m sure alot of the time is sitting on planes or driving from place to place + airports are a pain in the ass if you had to wait for luggage you’d really have no time in between
I always wondered how your rider looks, that’s awesome thanks for posting it!
Awesome! You shouldnt have to explain yourself or your requests (I have had way worse requests and riders from much, much lesser talent). Keep bringing the beats!
As someone who was lucky enough to be a part of Steve’s crew for a 24 hour period I can vouch that just about everything n there is appreciated and used by the crew. These four guys eat sleep breath and live to have a good time and make sure everyone around them is doing the same! My 24 hours with the guys was epic and I am actually bummed I didn’t get a free pair of underwear out of the deal now too!! Haha hope the road is treating you well guys! We are opening one of the bottles of Cristal if I win another contest
haha
I’m also part of a travelling band, this hospitality rider is far from ridiculous. If you can have these standards, you should definitely live by them. I don’t see any white m’m bowls or rare koi fish tanks.
All I’m saying, for you to even address this, is the shit! The fact you were only 1 of 2 DJ’s that stayed at EDC on Saturday and played, while other dj’s collected their paychecks and bounced… is the shit! You sir, are on another level.
couldn’t agree more, there’s really no need to explain but kudos to taking time out to do so
U MADE EDC for me on sat and couldn’t thank u enough
Thanks for sharing this brother, super cool to see an actual rider and also get the artists justification or take on why they are asking for what they do. Very cool, as usual Steve. http://www.facebook.com/MikeDukes12
I like Danish food. Please put on the list next time.
I don’t see the problem, and you definitely don’t need to explain yourself to anyone!
Been working for years on concerts/festivals on-stage and have seen my fair share of riders. To be honest, this one is VERY modest. You should see what some wannabe-stars ask for !
Keep up the good work Steve !
Haters will hate…. screw them !
Local grass.
Respect, total.
u rule man,despite your success always show humility, then, who would not want two bottles of Cristal?
looking forward to hear you @beatpatrol in austria
Thx for the explanation! And about the M&Ms: Van Halen says that “the clause was less an example of “simple rock star misdemeanor excess” than an ingenious, curiously skewed (and sadly still relevant) safety measure.”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/02/14/146880432/the-truth-about-van-halen-and-those-brown-m-ms
dude, u rock! man!!! that list isn’t extravagant… don’t worry what other small minded or jealous people have to say… if i was on the road… my list would have been just as long if not longer… rock on! u had the best spirit at edc with afrojack!
seriously? I’ve seen really ridiculous orders and yours are not that bad so just do whatever you want because YOU CAN, you’re the star of the show! But be kind, always! xD
This is the best answer i ever seen!
It’s like a “shut up” answer with a “Fatality!” picture!
– “SCORPION WINS!” –
if promoters would generally step up, we wouldnt need riders
and not many people have ridiculous things on it !
That’s why I voted #1 DJ from America!
Hey man, at first when I read your rider I thought “This is a bit excessive, kind of a rockstar move” BUT then when I see your reasons for these things, I can see why you need them. Totally makes since when you literally live ON THE ROAD. And hey, if you want to live it up with a few of the items, and you can get them, then go for it! I love what you do man, I’m a DJ/Producer/Vocalist and you are a big influence. Keep it up. Long live Aoki!
That’s way below the norm, you tour how many days a year? I say its the small price you pay. To have Aoki rock your place.