Even Adele's Tour Rider Is A Tear-Jerker

A copy of temporarily sidelined songstress Adele’s tour rider is making the rounds, and from it, it seems as though she’s a woman of excellent backstage taste— small plates of individually wrapped sandwiches, high quality beer, bite sized chocolate bars, and cash donations to a charity that helps people cope with the loss of a baby. Sweet lovesick Christ on an old fashioned microphone, is there any way in which this woman isn’t likable?

According to The Smoking Gun, the most unorthodox item on Adele’s rider is her strict policy of requiring all people receiving comp tickets to make a donation to charity. The rider reads,

All guests at all Adele shows will be asked for a minimum donation to charity of $20.00 per person, in cash, when they collect their tickets. There will be no exception to this rule.

We will also expect that all guests of the Promoter and/or Venue to also make the same donation when collecting their tickets.

There may be occasions where the donation may have been made on behalf of the guests prior to them collecting their tickets. If this is the case, “Donation Paid” will be clearly marked next to their name on the Artist guest list.

Adele requested personally that all money collected be donated to SANDS (Stillborn And Neonatal Death Charity), which, according to its website, exists for “supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce loss of babies’ lives.”

According to the rider, during the UK and European leg of the tour, the artist collected $13,000 for the charity.

In addition to reminding everyone who reads it that sometimes babies die, the rider bans sandwiches that contain citrus and vinegar and other offending ingredients. The singer also requires high quality red wine to follow her performance, Marlboro lights and a disposable lighter, and beer. The rider lists acceptable beers as “best quality European lager style” beers like Stella. She’s obviously never tried Lagunitas IPA.

While some of the artist’s dates in the US were scrapped due to a throat issue that required surgery, the dates of her tour where she was able to perform were met with critical acclaim. If you’re lucky enough to catch Adele the next time she swings through North America and are having trouble summoning as robust a cry as your fellow concertgoers, just remember: donations made at the concert are going to help people whose babies have died. Oh god.