Our journey begins...in 1982

Ever hear that story about Van Halen and the brown M&M's?

You know those stories you hear over and over again, but you can’t trace their origin?

Well, I’d heard that in the 1980’s rock stars Van Halen were famous enough that they insisted on only having brown M&M’s backstage.

Having spent some time in La La Land (aka, Los Angeles) working as an intern on film and TV sets, I found this story 100 % believable.

BUT…I was curious. What was the backstory? So I went digging.

And found out the true story was much more interesting…

In 1982, rock band Van Halen kicked off their most ambitious tour to-date.

It was the biggest production most audiences and promoters had ever seen, and the band detailed their requirements for the show in a whopping 53-page contract rider.

The rider set out the venue's responsibilities 'in great detail' – from sound and lighting to security and catering – to ensure the show ran smoothly.

But buried on page 40, among the requests for Country Time lemonade and three bean salad, was something unusual, written in all caps:

M&M’s (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)

For years, this request was seen as another obnoxious demand from a self-indulgent rock band – but it turns out there is more to the story.

Van Halen’s 1982 tour was just like the band – big, loud, and over the top. The equipment for the production filled nine 18-wheeler trucks – three times more than the standard at the time.

And, as lead singer David Lee Roth recounted, Van Halen was the first band to take huge concert productions into third-level markets. Some of these venues had no idea how to handle such a large production, and didn’t understand how crucial some of the band’s requirements were.

In the early shows, there were many technical errors. Sometimes the girders couldn’t support the weight, or the flooring would sink in – and in some venues, the band’s gear wouldn’t even fit through the doors.

They needed a quick way to determine if the venue had complied with their specifications, and came up with a creative way to ensure their technical and safety needs were met:

Brown M&M’s.

When the band arrived at a venue, they could hop off the bus and check the candy. If they saw brown M&M’s, they knew they needed to check the entire stage setup. Some errors could ruin the show – but others were potentially life-threatening.

Van Halen’s requirements weren’t just about snacks – they were about safety.

So how did the band’s request for brown M&M’s become so misunderstood?

Roth detailed one show in Colorado where 'the folks took the contract rather kinda casual.’ When he found brown M&M’s backstage, he promptly trashed the dressing room. The staff hadn’t followed other specifications in the contract, and the band’s stage rigging sank into the arena’s new floor, causing $80,000 worth of damage.

“It came out in the press that I discovered brown M&M’s and did $85,000 worth of damage backstage,” Roth said.

“Who am I to get in the way of a good rumor?”