DOCUMENT: Crime

Meet The Beatles

Fab Four's 1965 concert rider was a study in modesty, restraint

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Meet The Beatles

APRIL 18--Any TSG visitor knows that we delight in publishing documents detailing the ostentatious demands of rock bands and piggy Hollywood stars. Well, we'd like to direct Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Aguilera to the below concert rider, a study in modesty from The Beatles. The most influential band ever had simple demands when they toured the U.S. in 1965 (below you'll find the group's standard three-page rider and a one-page contract for the tour's Portland stop). Remarkably, there's no requirement of bendy straws, Rough Rider condoms, or Cristal for the Fab Four. Instead, the group just wanted adequate police protection, a "hi-fidelity sound system with adequate number of speakers," and" a platform for Ringo Starr and his drums."The backstage dressing room accommodations were also spartan: "four cots, mirrors, an ice cooler, portable TV set and clean towels." As for ground transportation, the performers were not above sharing a ride: "Two (2) seven-passenger Cadillac limousines (air-conditioned if possible), with chauffeurs.' (4 pages)