DOCUMENT: Celebrity

Adele’s Charity Doesn’t Extend To Crappy Beers

Chart-topping singer’s tour rider deserves plaudits

Adele

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DECEMBER 5--Before vocal cord problems forced Adele to cancel her final 2011 concert dates, the singer’s performances have earned nearly universal praise from fans and critics.  

And, as it turns out, her tour rider deserves similar plaudits.

The 23-year-old performer (full name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) stipulates in her rider, excerpted here, that guests receiving complimentary tickets will be asked for a minimum charitable contribution of $20 (in cash) “when they collect their tickets” at the box office.

The rider makes it clear that recipients of free tickets--provided by Adele herself, concert promoters, or venue staff--do not have a choice to opt out of donating if they plan on attending a show. “There will be no exception to this rule,” the document notes.

The cash collected at Adele show’s is earmarked for Sands, a UK-based charity dedicated to “supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.” The British singer-songwriter has toured this year in support of “21,” her second album.

Elsewhere in her rider, Adele--who was nominated last week for six Grammy awards--requires promoters to provide her with a pack of Marlboro Lights and a disposable lighter, an assortment of chewing gum, and a small plate of “freshly made, individually wrapped sandwiches” that “must NOT contain tomatoes, vinegar, chilli or citrus fruit.”

Following a concert, Adele asks that her tour bus be stocked with a selection of “bite-size” chocolate bars, including Twix, Aero, Milky Way, and Mars. She also wants some organic muesli and six “Cereal bars.”

The singer also requires two bottles of the “very best quality red wine” and 12 bottles of “best quality European lager beer. ie Becks, Stella Artois, Peroni etc.” And if promotion staff had any confusion about her brew needs, Adele adds, “North American beer is NOT acceptable.”

So Adele apparently eschews Budweiser, Natural Light, Miller, and Milwaukee’s Best. Another reason to love her. (3 pages)