The Smoking Gun has finally unearthed a copy of the 1982 Van Halen World Tour rider containing the legendary “brown M&M” prohibition:
The document, which we’ve excerpted below, also stipulated that promoters provide the group with “herring in sour cream,” four cases of “Schlitz Malt Liquor beer (16 ounce cans),” and a total of eight bottles of wine and liquor. Oh, and the band also needed “One (1) large tube KY Jelly.” The rider’s “Munchies” section was where the group made its candy-with-a-caveat request: “M & M’s (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES).”
This is the Holy Grail of backstage concert riders.
TSG’s rider is the hospitality rider not the technical one, which is where the M&Ms request was slipped in, according to DLR, to make sure they were paying attention.