In what was a coup for organisers, his purpleness – Prince – headlined the Hop Farm Festival in the UK over the weekend – his first ever festival performance. While his two and a half hour performance blew punters away, details have started emerging of his diva-like backstage demands. According to our favourite UK tabloid rag The Sun, the diminutive pop star made up for his lack of height with a list of demands that is going straight to our shame file of outrageous backstage demands.
Apparently, Prince demanded that a limousine pick him up from his specially built dressing room to ferry him the whole 25 metres to the stage. What’s more, his bespoke designed dressing room was apparently rebuilt three times before his people were satisfied with it. Builders and festival staff were required to paint the dressing room purple and deck it out with purple tables, chairs and wall hangings.
It’s not altogether unsurprising behaviour for the ‘Purple Rain’ singer, who has a notorious reputation for his outrageous backstage demands. Previous shows in the UK at the 02 Arena required a machine dispensing black M&Ms and an oxygen bar, not to mention a house being built next to the concert venue. He’s also arrogant enough to declare that the internet is ‘just a fad’, while on his 2004 Musicology tour, his rider dictated “All items in dressing room must be covered by clear plastic wrap until uncovered by main artist. This is absolutely necessary.”
He took it one step further on the weekend on to the stage, demanding that no stagehands and roadies make eye contact with him.
