Bruce Springsteen Won't Drink This American-Born Beer On Tour

With apologies to Tony Soprano, Zach Braff, and Chris Christie, he's New Jersey's most famous export. He took the hardscrabble, populist spirit of folk musicians like Woody Guthrie and blew it up to arena-sized proportions, backed by the ever-reliable E Street Band. He wrote classics like "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," and "I'm On Fire," also known as the thirstiest song ever to make your mom cry. He's Bruce Springsteen, and he's a living legend. But what does a living legend drink when he's on the road? According to his concert rider, a whole lot of stuff — but not Budweiser.

Why not Budweiser? We don't really know. Concert riders are supposed to serve as a checklist for the venues hosting a given artist, making sure they have everything they ask for — which means the question of "why" isn't really important. It's safe to assume that the guy who hosted a podcast with the Obamas isn't taking part in the right-wing boycott of Budweiser after it dared to employ a trans woman to promote its beer three years ago, so we guess Springsteen dislikes Budweiser for normal reasons. Just as Springsteen criticized his home country with "Born in the U.S.A.," he's similarly unafraid to pass judgment on America's most famous beer. (We apologize to any disappointed Budweiser frogs or hay-munching Clydesdales who might be reading.)

So what else does Springsteen and the band ask for in their rider? Well, the Boss himself apparently has a taste for soup before the show — specifically chicken soup with extra broth, presumably to help fortify his throat so he can holler out "Thunder Road" to thousands of adoring fans. Once the show's over, Springsteen will kick back with two bags of pretzels (he prefers Rold Gold) and 16 pieces of cold shrimp with "homemade seafood sauce." As for the rest of the crew, Springsteen's wife Patti prefers skinless chicken breast or fish with vegetables (save for zucchini); guitarist Steven Van Zandt also likes seafood, though he specifies that his should be "wild-caught" — and if there's halibut, he wants it to be Alaskan, not Atlantic. Why? Just for the halibut, we guess! (Seriously though, it's probably because Alaskan halibut tastes less fishy than Atlantic halibut.)

If this all sounds like a lot, well, it is. But then again, arena-sized productions like these require a lot of people who need to be fed. Any touring musician, even incredibly wealthy and successful ones like Springsteen, will tell you how difficult it gets after a while. And if the only thing keeping you going is the promise of some nice cold shrimp after the show, why not have it in your rider?