Much more goes on behind the scenes than imaginable for any large scale event like the St Lucia Jazz Festival which started May 3 and runs until May 11. The organizers, the St Lucia Tourist Board, have to deal with more than a dozen artistes, their agents and managers. And negotiations, a source at the SLTB told us, can get sensitive sometimes when dealing with different celebrity personalities and some inflated egos as well.

With contracts all signed up for this year’s event, we tried to find out the finer details contained in the artistes’ riders. These riders contain the requirements included in the contract, and are add-ons to the original agreement. Just as binding as the original contract itself, they clarify items that are secondary conditions to the arrangements.

Riders can include necessities like microphones, special lighting and instruments, special transport requirements as well as meals and refreshments. However over the years there have been many stories coming out about the riders of artistes, not just for St Lucia Jazz, but at many other concert events. Some range from the bizarre to the downright ridiculous.

For example, at any of her concert events Janet Jackson requires arrangements of tulips, roses, gardenias, and lilies among other things. Does she really have time to smell the roses before or after her two hour set? And then there is the Rock group Van Halen who stipulates that at every gig their dressing room must contain a large bowl of M&M’s with all the brown ones removed. For Diva demands, we must highlight Jennifer Lopez who requires a dressing room or a trailer at least 40 feet in length, with everything white; drapes, couches, candles, tablecloths, lilies, and roses. And Cher can’t perform without a special room just for her wigs and cable TV that gets Turner Classic Movies.

But don’t think that Hip Hop and R&B acts are out of the loop. Busta Rhymes wants nothing to do with pork or beef anywhere near his dressing room. Instead a 24-piece bucket of KFC will do, along with lots of Moet champagne and a box of Rough Rider condoms (ribbed)! 50 Cent’s rider demands assorted candy to include Kit Kats, Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers as well as one case Heineken, a case of red bull, organic orange and apple juice, jars of jelly, one bucket KFC, two bottles of Hennessey and a box of Cuban cigars are among a list of 30 items.

For St Lucia Jazz the demands have been no different with most artistes these days requesting first class flights only and five or four star accommodations. One source at the SLTB told us that like Busta, Mary J Blige, who performed here in 1998 wanted loads of KFC. Hope she did not get those leather sofas she also demanded all greasy. And we just weren’t sure if Keith Sweat was mishandling his royalty cheques back in 2000, but it is like he could not buy his own condoms and asked the SLTB to get him a box for his dressing room.

Who can forget a wacky Lauryn Hill who was here in 2002, who had to be flown here by private jet. Then there was the late Luther Vandross who spent less than 48 hours here when he performed at St Lucia Jazz in 2001. Vandross wanted his adjoining hotel room fitted with a gym and reportedly wanted the stage specially sanitized and disinfected before his set. One of the strange requirements another source told us was for his fish to be caught "alive" and cooked without being refrigerated.

For the 2008 St Lucia Jazz Festival, two of the acts appear on the "most difficult list" in the international entertainment circle, where riders are concerned. The first is Michael Bolton who performs here Friday May 9 and will be travelling with a 25 person plus entourage. Although he will be here for less than 48 hours his people are picky about his dry cleaning since according to them he wears special designer suits and clothing that will require special dry cleaning treatment.

His rider states that his clothing must be hand pressed with a covered iron only. Bolton also needs backstage, one gallon freshly squeezed orange juice, a six pack of Cherry 7-Up, Peanut M&M, sandwich making ingredients like tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, avocados, bread and a knife and cutting board. Sorry, no onions required backstage for the crooner who have jerked a tear or two from the eyes of fans. Seems like he doesn’t want to be teary-eyed himself.

Then we have 67-year-old Diva Dionne Warwick who performs here May 10th. Backstage she needs cold hors d’oeuvres, fresh fruit platters, slices of pineapple, green seedless grapes, slices of watermelon, sliced honeydew melon, sliced cantaloupe melon and bananas. Okay, so now we have a safe place to distribute our green gold. She also requires an assortment of sodas to include Pepsi ( no Coca Cola), one platter assorted cheese, crackers and six glass ash trays. Somebody’s amokin’! Let us hope there is no burning down of the park and all herbs are reserved for her tea.

Talking about which, Miss "Do you know the way to San Jose" requires plenty of cups and saucers backstage as well as some silverware. Don’t know how environmentally friendly she is but she wants nothing to do with disposable plates or cups. To top it off Dionne Warwick wants the SLTB to have two bottles of Cristal (no substitutes) well chilled for her backstage. A bottle of the famous bubbly costs around US$400. On arrival at her destination, the singer typically requests a dark limousine, never white, furnished with a television a telephone and mini bar. Anita Baker is also reported to be very picky about her needs some of which are still being ironed out. Kinda makes you think, what would you want if perhaps someday, you too become rich and famous?