Having dealt with all sorts of crazy riders and being the one who has to negotiate from the
venue end riders are only as written in stone as the PM is insisting. If the artist absolutely has to have a certain item or the show can't go on, then they should tour with it. I am in the middle of nowhere, most time the
backline comes from the music department or my
house. If you can't
play your guitar through a Deluxe, Twin or Musicman bring your own. But I have an advantage that many people don't, I get the riders before the contract is signed and
mark them up. Any act playing my
venue knows what they are getting before the
advance (in theory, management sometimes forgets to pass along info to the act and I have to
send them a copy of the signed
rider). In this day and age, no act wants to back out of a gig, it costs too many people too much money. Communication and being honest about everything upfront goes a long way to making a smooth day. Oh and yes I have been on the other side of the coin and it works both ways.
I work occasionally in a
venue where if they need more then the 8 Xenon Supers there the old Carbon arcs come out. Do the LDs like it? No, do they use them? If there is no other choice, you bet. As an aside, in my humble opinion, no spot looks as good as a well set up
carbon arc.
