#17: Van Halen

Van Halen’s notorious request to remove brown M&M’s from their dressing room during tours, often dismissed as rockstar eccentricity, had a deeper purpose rooted in meticulous professionalism. The band’s elaborate stage setups were safety-critical, with intricate technical requirements that needed to be followed to the letter.

The “no brown M&M’s” clause hidden within their rider was a clever litmus test to gauge whether venue staff had meticulously read and complied with the contract’s more critical safety provisions. If they found brown M&M’s backstage, it signaled potential oversight of crucial safety details.