Pharrell Williams

Musician Pharrell Williams, an avowed Carl Sagan fan, requires concert promoters to place a framed photo of the late astronomer in his dressing room, according to the performer’s 2015 tour rider, which also calls for the provision of Nilla Wafers, alkaline water, and “SUPER COLD” sodas.

The 42-year-old Williams has spoken of being obsessed with Sagan since watching the original “Cosmos” series when he was a child. The Sagan photo demand actually appears twice in Williams’s list of dressing room requirements.

The “Happy” singer’s backstage digs must also contain Patron tequila, Ketel One vodka, gluten-free bread and crackers, Pedialyte, Cetaphil cleansing wipes and lotion, and a “box of matches (Very Important).”

The rider notes that Williams has "changed his diet" and needs certain “items to be specifically cooked for him on a daily basis at the venues.” Along with five possible fish dishes (“Cooked well. Preferably in a Pan”), Williams will also consume beef stew with carrots and potatoes, though the meat must be “Grass Fed Beef only if available, otherwise no beef.”

Williams’s touring party--many of whom are on the Atkins Diet--have their dining needs carefully detailed in the rider. Over more than three pages, the document lists a mouth-watering array of suggested dinner entrees, vegetarian dishes, and side plates. 

The rider also notes that all advertising signs inside a venue must be darkened since, “We are not hawking pizza or the local ambulance chaser in your burg.” Additionally, a “well rested, sober” guard must be stationed near tour vehicles, the rider states, adding that the worker must be “less concerned with texting or twittering than keeping fans/stalkers from infiltrating the venue and work areas therein.”

The rider’s advertising/parking entries appear to be the handiwork of tour director Gus Brandt, whose prior work includes authorship of the greatest concert rider ever.