Celebrities from all types of entertainment frequently make the news for the “riders” or checklists they have regarding their personal preferences for their need to have things “just right” for them, including anything from room temperatures, brands of bottled water, specific meals (and ingredients!), and almost anything else you can think of, including many that are not appropriate to publish here.
There is one “legend” from the music industry, however, which provides a great illustration of the value of checklists that initially sounds as vain and petty as some of the other riders we’ve seen. This one seems even more absurd when we find out that if this specific rider was not met, their contract required that the show be canceled with the full cost of it borne by the promoters! As it turns out, it was directly related to a major potential safety issue with their lighting, here’s why:
At the time, Van Halen was the first band to take 850 PAR lamp lights around the country on tour and the concern was that many of the older venues in big cities built in the ’50s and ’60s could not accommodate the giant-size production the band was touring with. Fear of the venue not having enough load-bearing capacity or adequate power supplies was directly connected to potential safety issues for the band and their crew.
If the band found a SINGLE Brown M&M in the mix on the catering table, they would then take that as a sign that the promoter had either not read the rider completely or were careless about it, and then it would induce a line-by-line check of every single item before they would be able to take the stage to ensure there would be no chance of accidents or other safety issues.
While David Lee Roth reportedly played his part to the max and also threw a fit and trashed the room after finding the offending brown candy, it was a brilliant way to ensure a checklist was read and followed by strangers you did not know days before you arrived in town.
David Lee Roth explains in his own words the genius behind the “No Brown M&Ms” story.
Checklists have proved valuable in a variety of fields, such as medicine and corporate business, as well as for event production. They help keep you organized and on task, keep you on schedule ahead of and during a show, track progress, ensure nothing slips through the cracks, and help your employees understand exactly what is expected of them.
What goes on your checklist will be highly specific and must be tailored to your event, but here are some tasks to consider:
After the event, be sure to undertake an evaluation to determine what worked well and what didn’t. This information will help inform your planning when it comes to future productions.
Most importantly, creating and following a detailed checklist will ensure you put on a safe, entertaining, organized, and all-around exceptional event!
We’ve shortened our name to adopt what our clients have been calling us for years, and to recognize that we’ve been doing FAR more than lighting for many years now. Contact us for a free consultation to enhance or improve your venue, facility, or event.