Bruce Springsteen's 12-Page Food Rider Redacted From Izod Center Documents

BRUUUUUUUUCE! (Image via Wikipedia)

For nearly three years, the Star-Ledger has been fighting the New Jersey Sports Authority to release contracts and terms negotiated by the company with performers at the Izod Center and what used to be Giants stadium. Those documents have been released, and we now know that the authority charged around $80,000 to rent out the Izod Center, that the company never lost money on a contract there, and that the venues bring a lot of money into New Jersey. What we still aren't allowed to see? Bruce Springsteen's food and beverage requirements. This was all foreshadowed in "Darkness Along the Edges of 12 Pages Of Legally Binding Documents."

The rider, which was attached to a contract for a 2009 concert, was ordered redacted by the judge in the case—all 12 pages of it. What do you have to hide, Bruce? A ten foot-wide cheesecake with "BOSS" written on it in Brown M&Ms? Six quarts of goat's blood? The old "Rod Stewart Special?"

We do have some clues as to what Springsteen keeps backstage thanks to a 2003 rider obtained by The Smoking Gun: The Boss likes his pasta cooked al dente.

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By Christopher Robbins in Arts & Entertainment on January 18, 2012 6:27 PM

Comments [rss]

James Hartmann

Keep in mind the man travels with his entire band, who's been with him since the early 70's. If Clarence Clemons wants a roasted chicken, get that man a chicken!

TWaller

God forbid a successful musician actually gets pasta at his gig.

Harmonization

YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH!

The Boss can have whatever the hell he wants.

:o

zombie_cakes

People who care: those who WISH they could have a 12 page rider.

Riders are about 95% jokes to see what promoters will actually follow through on, 5% what you actually would like in the dressing rooms.

The above is true for less than 5% of music artists.

jjc50

Hospitality riders are not meant to be a joke. It is a means for a touring artist to have consistency in dietary and creature comforts when out on the road. Performing in a different venue every night and spending the daylight hours traveling around from city to city, gig to gig can be exhausting and it is comforting to have some familiar food and drink waiting when you arrive for your gig. Most promoters are happy to have the rider so they don't have to figure out for themselves what they should provide but there are some promoters who might not provide anything at all if it were not for a hospitality rider. That sort of practice doesn't make for a very happy artist come concert time especially if he or she was delayed in travel and arrives to the gig tired and hungry. The hospitality riders exist not only for the big names but for lesser known acts as well, if fact, the performer that plays in your local bar will often have a rider. TWELVE pages of rider is amusing though. I too would love to see what's on it.