*fun fact > PURPLE IS FOR TERRORISTS

The band Shinedown has continued the tradition of the contract rider! Among the demands made by the band; grape flavored Pedialite and pulp-free orange juice, but beware - their contract stipulates NO pink cups. What else? Well Shinedown likes Skittles, but no purple Skittles, in the words of the band, “absolutely no purple Skittles. Purple is for terrorists.”

While the contract rider has often been described as an example of rock excess, it is usually included to make sure that promoters have actually read the contract. If the trivial demands of the contract rider are not met then the band can assume that more important aspects of a performance - lighting, staging, security, ticketing may have been overlooked by the promoter.

Probably the most famous of the contract riders is the 1982 Van Halen World Tour contract that included the infamous Brown M&M’s stipulation. The 53-page contract also included the following stipulations; herring in sour cream, four cases of Schlitz Malt Liquor beer (16 ounce cans), eight bottles of wine and liquor and "One (1) large tube KY Jelly."