Backstage Bonfire: What the artists requested in their dressing rooms

The UP received copies of what the Bonfire lineup asked to have available in their dressing rooms, including twelve bottles of assorted alcohol for rapper Flo Rida.

Kendall Little, Managing Editor

The artists from 2021’s Bonfire, Willie Jones, Jesse McCartney, Kiana Ledé, and Flo Rida all have their own unique stage presences, but have you ever wondered what they’re like backstage?

The UP obtained copies of the artists’ contracts, which contained all of their dressing room requests, to find out exactly what they wanted and what they got.

Willie Jones

Singer and songwriter Willie Jones blends hip-hop with country to create beat-heavy music with a southern twang.

Backstage, Jones requires five bottles of room temperature still spring water along with hot water, honey, and lemon. He usually requires two bottles of red wine, one bottle of Patron Tequila Silver, and a six-pack of Negro Modelo beer, but the university wrote in the contract that they would not be providing any alcohol or drugs for the artists.

For food, Jones requested grilled chicken, salad, and cheese and fruit platters.

Jesse McCartney

Former Radio Disney star Jesse McCartney requested almost all organic food from the university for his dressing room, including five ripe organic avocados, two ripe organic tomatoes, one head of organic iceberg lettuce, and organic Greek yogurt.

McCartney also requested a candy bar: dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao, which is the bean chocolate is made from.

McCartney prefers Boar’s Head deli meat and requested the brand’s turkey and ham to be refrigerated inside his room.

He requested that the food be served on paper or plastic plates, but not styrofoam.

As for drinks, the singer and songwriter asked the university for sixteen bottles of water, preferably Fiji, four cans of sugar-free Red Bull, and black and green tea with honey.

Kiana Ledé

Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter Kiana Ledé prepared for her performance backstage with chamomile and earl grey tea, Manuka honey, a bottle of non-Starbucks cold brew, and Oatly oat milk, which the contract listed as mandatory.

She also requested a case of Red Bull energy drinks and two cases of water bottles.

As for food, Ledé asked the university for organic chips and salsa, organic cherries, Cheez-Its, an assorted deli plate, and peanut M&M’s.

Ledé also asked the university to provide her with sage and incense, candles, and a lighter.

Flo Rida

Rapper Flo Rida requested twelve bottles of assorted alcohol, including coconut flavored Ciroc, Grey Goose, Hennessey, and Tequila Silver, along with twenty shot glasses. The university did not provide him with the requested alcohol due to their strict policy regarding alcohol and drugs.

Rida also requested non-alcoholic beverages such as twenty-four bottles of Fiji or VOSS water, twenty cans of orange and grape Celsius energy drinks, and one two-liter bottle of ginger ale. He made it clear that the only coffee he would drink is Starbucks brand.

For food, the Coral City native asked the university for a platter of hot lemon pepper chicken wings, a grilled fish platter including skinless salmon, tilapia, and sea bass, and a chicken caesar salad with no bacon, eggs, anchovies, or croutons with extra dressing on the side.

He requested a few other platters as well, including mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and pasta with tomato sauce.

Rida wanted a fruit tray including pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, red seedless grapes, and watermelon along with a meat and cheese tray.

The food could not be served on plastic or styrofoam plates, only on flatware and china.

All of the food and drinks were to be left in his dressing room, which he requested to be decorated with “tasteful living room type furniture.” Rida also requested a 42” flat-screen TV and flowers in his room.

Editor’s Note: This story is a part of our September issue titled “SG Leaders Unmasked,” which you can pick up on campus or read online here.

Kendall Little is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @klittlewrites.