Bands make requests to New Lenox for appearing in Triple Play

NEW LENOX – Barenaked Ladies prefers vodka on odd days and spiced rum on even days. Collective Soul is insistent on having 10 packs of Trident sugarless gum.

These are some of the requests bands have made as a condition of playing at the Triple Play concert series in New Lenox this summer, according to the performance agreements, or riders, obtained by The Herald-News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

But village officials don’t always have to meet those demands and bands are willing to negotiate, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said. He said the village spends between $500 to $1,000 a concert for the items requested in the riders.

He said the riders are boilerplate contracts that are sent to anyone hosting a show.

“No matter where [the bands] go, everybody gets the same rider, and they work off of it from there,” Baldermann said.

Every summer, the village presents the Triple Play concert series. The lineup this year includes Barenaked Ladies; Collective Soul; Richard Marx, with special guests The Tubes; and BoDeans, with special guests The Smithereens.

The bands generally request no audio or visual recording of their shows without prior consent, along with their own specifications for lighting, electricity, staging, runners and security.

But they differ in what they expect to have in their dressing room or what kind of meal should be waiting for them after their show.

In their 2017 rider, Barenaked Ladies show a taste for eating healthy, vegetarian or gluten-free meals.

“It is Barenaked Ladies preference to receive freshly prepared, flavorful and healthy meals at the venue each day using local, fresh, organic ingredients wherever and whenever possible,” according to the rider.

Outside of food and snacks,
Barenaked Ladies requested
a 26-ounce bottle of good quality
vodka – Tito's or Ketel One – on odd days and a 26-ounce bottle of good quality spiced rum – Captain
Morgan's – on even days.

Among the food requested by Collective Soul are 10 assorted packs of Trident sugarless gum – a must have – one jar of Peter Pan crunchy peanut butter and low carb, low calorie, high protein drinks such as Myoplex or equivalent.

Like with Barenaked Ladies, BoDeans also prefer healthy meals – ones that are gluten-free, vegetarian or pescatarian.

However, they also enjoy a pack of local craft or microbrew beer and expect to be surprised by whatever brand is provided to them.

Barbra Neumann, BoDeans manager, said the hospitality items in the rider are negotiable and the band tries to be as conservative as possible.

“You can throw out that wish list and we go on a case-by-case basis because ultimately we want the least waste,” Neumann said.

But the technical and indemnification items are not negotiable,
especially with the former because the band wants the audience to have the "best show possible," she said.

Musician Richard Marx and his band had many requests for small items in the dressing room, such as a small bottle of ground ginger powder, a fresh flower assortment or metal martini shaker.

When Marx is staying at a hotel, he goes under an alias that he prefers hotel staffers and management to use when greeting him. He also prefers the highest floor available with the best view and a private balcony. The rider stipulates that the band and crew stay in separate rooms.

“Remember that we spend 12 hours per day with each other! Privacy is wonderful!” according to their rider.

Sam Walton, Marx’s tour manager, said in an email that the band works with promoters and venues about certain parts of the rider but some items are “must haves” to ensure a “consistently amazing performance for every audience member.”

“We understand that everything (both on the production and hospitality side) is not available and/or the same in every market. So, we make every effort to work with the local teams to find substitutions and solutions to ensure that everybody walks away happy and the show is a raving success for all involved,” Walton said.

Baldermann said none of the bands at this year’s concert series is staying at a hotel. In the past, bands coming to Triple Play stay in hotels in nearby towns, he said.

Village officials do the best they can to meet the terms of the riders, he said. Some needs are important for them to meet, such as one artist in the past with health issues who needed oxygen tanks, he said.

“We’ve never really had any problems with anybody,” Baldermann said.