Taylor Swift's Strangest Tour Rider Requests
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift made history with her Eras Tour when it crossed the $1 billion mark and became the highest grossing tour of all time—and she apparently did so with a tour rider that includes Twizzlers, chocolate milk, a stick of butter and more. With the European leg of Swift's tour kicking off in Paris on May 9, let's take a look at the pop star's supposed demands (which some might argue she's earned!), how they stack up to other artists' requests, who pays for them and more.
Related: 'Mastermind' Indeed! Taylor Swift's Net Worth in 2024 and How She Achieved Billionaire Status
What is a tour rider?
First thing’s first: What exactly is a tour rider? A tour rider is an addendum to a performer’s contract that includes a list of specific requirements that a performer has for a venue. These requests can include anything from guidelines for how the performer’s dressing room must be decorated to specific snacks that need to be provided. However, some tour riders include requests that are a bit more outlandish.
For example, it has been reported that a recent rider from Justin Bieber included 10 luxury Sedans and a massage table, as well as a private jet on standby should the star experience a sudden bout of wanderlust.
Speaking of Bieber, in 2014, following his very public breakup with Selena Gomez, Gomez reportedly included in her rider that no one she worked with during her tour could be called “Justin.” Any crew member that had the name needed to find a different moniker to go by in order to continue working on the tour!
Jennifer Lopez apparently has a very specific requirement for decor in her rider. Every object, whether it's the furniture, candles or even the curtains, needs to be white. The woman knows what she likes!
Related: Every Look Jennifer Lopez Has Ever Worn to the Met Gala
What's Taylor Swift's Eras tour rider?
Taylor Swift’s tour rider functions in the same way as any other performer’s tour rider. It's a list of requirements in addition to her contract that she expects a performing venue to meet. Swift’s tour rider reportedly covers a large amount of her dietary requirements while also addressing some of her security concerns.
Entertainment reporter Dean McCarthy claims Swift’s demands have increased with her star power. “[Taylor] used to be really humble and chill—she used to just have edamame (beans) and some water and some snacks. Now, she’s gone to another level.”
What are Taylor Swift's strangest tour requests?
You’d likely be surprised by the amount of junk food that Taylor Swift has allegedly requested in her rider—hey, a pop star needs her fuel—which includes:
1 Quart 2% Chocolate Milk
1 Bottle Welch’s Grape Juice
1 Bag Tostitos Tortilla Chips
1 stick Butter
1 Jar Pace Picante Sauce (mild)
1 (2 cup) Bag Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese
3 Boxes Kraft Macaroni/Cheese
1 Bag of Twizzlers Red Licorice
1 Pint Ben/Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
1 Pint Ben/Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie Frozen Yogurt
1 Box of microwave Popcorn (buttered)
1 six pack Diet Pepsi
And this isn’t even a complete list!
According to entertainment reporter Dean McCarthy, “There’s Red Bull [energy drink], macaroni and cheese, and by 11 a.m., every single day of her tour, she has to have a Starbucks iced Americano, delivered to her room. When you’re Taylor Swift, you can.”
However, Swift’s 11 a.m. Starbucks order is reportedly more intricate than McCarthy even suggests. It's actually rumored to go like this: “1 Grande ICED Caramel Latte with 2 Sweet-N-Lows, 1 Grande ICED Americano with 2 Sweet-N-Lows and soy milk, and 1 slice of Pumpkin loaf.”
McCarthy has also spoken about Swift’s security requests, which can include a decoy car to avoid paparazzi. “I also heard she likes her chauffeured cars to be very subtle, so she prefers silver SUVs, so no one knows it’s her. There’s sometimes a decoy car as well. So when you’re Taylor Swift, you get your very own Starbucks at 11 a.m., and a decoy car.”
Hey Taylor, we love an 11 a.m. Starbucks drink, too! Stars, they’re just like us.
Related: Eiffel Tower Turns Into an 'Epic' Taylor Swift Tribute Ahead of Paris Eras Tour
Do all pop stars have tour riders?
Tour riders are very common for performers, from major stars to indie bands. As each performer or band may require certain items or circumstances for their performances, it makes sense that these riders are typically included in addition to their contracts. Some performers may have certain dietary requirements or even partnerships with brands that prevent them from publicly consuming a rival’s product (it's been alleged that Beyoncé’s rider bans Coca-Cola products from her presence due to her contract with Pepsi).
In addition, extremely famous performers need to have their security concerns addressed in their riders in order to ensure their safety. This may include instructions for how the performer is going to travel to and from the venue.
For a musical diva like Christina Aguilera, her rider reportedly even addresses her supposed dislike of traffic, as she includes a requirement for a police escort to her performance venues. In fact, her rider reportedly includes the phrase, “[U]nder no circumstances are the vehicles to be allowed to encounter any delays due to traffic.”
That’s one way to make your work commute easier!
Related: Every Beyoncé Album, Ranked
Who pays for tour riders?
When it comes to the question of who pays for the requests made in a tour rider, the answer is more complicated than one would think. Typically, if an artist is performing at a festival, the festival/its promoters will pay for the costs incurred through the fulfillment of the rider requests. This situation is largely the same if the artist is performing a concert—the concert promoter will foot the bill. As a result, a rider may go through a back-and-forth negotiation between the festival/promoter and artist, where certain requests are rejected or altered before an agreement is made.
Typically, the requirements in a rider can be considered what is known as a “show cost,” a cost that is a normal part of putting on a show, which is paid by the concert/festival promoter(s). However, the promoter may only cover the requests up to a certain agreed-upon amount. Anything that goes over that amount would then need to be covered by the artist. For instance, a supporting artist’s rider requests (think of an opening act) on a tour would likely be covered by the headlining artist.
