Musicians are often portrayed as the kind of people who have no qualms about performing in a vast stadium or a therapist’s waiting area. However, what most fans do not know is that they get pre-show jitters too. It merely does not show on their performance because they either have great showmanship or their ceremonials work.
Check out the nine singers with odd rituals before a show.
1. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s pre-show rituals are not what one will expect from an international rock group. Instead of downing bottles of alcohol and being entertained by groupies, which were the normalcy back in the 80s, the members seem to have dropped their old habits and enjoy mugs of tea or coffee. Frontman Robert Plant has somewhat become domesticated too, considering he asks for an ironing board before the show. Pressing his shirt and trousers is his unique way of getting in the concert mood.
2. Mumford & Sons
The wood burning ritual is practically a weird necessity for Mumford & Sons, especially for its frontman Marcus Mumford who says that the fumes clear his headache every time. They use the South American Palo Santo wood, which is the Spanish term for the “Holy Wood.” Before the show, the members will light it up and gather around it to inhale as much of the smoke as possible. The same type of wood has been known to bring positive energy and luck. For the group, it eliminates their nervousness and calms their throats.
3. Lorde
Because Lorde tends to tense up before every performance, the only things she can digest are dried seaweed or berries. According to her, she feels as if she is about to puke, even though her level of anxiety is not that high. For this reason, the singer does not eat a full meal before the show starts.
Lorde also cannot be away from her special blanket, which she likes to sleep under before hitting the stage. It is her safety blanket (literally), and it gives her peace of mind when she lies down with it.
4. John Legend
John Legend cannot wow his fans without a full stomach. And he is not contented with any meal. What he fancies to eat before the show is a roasted chicken. It seems quite reasonable, but the oddity comes in the fact that he has to have it every single pre-show.
5. Chris Martin (Coldplay)
Chris Martin has been the frontman of Coldplay since 1996, so he has gone through countless pre-shows more than half of his life. Apart from the group hug that he always shares with his bandmates, he allegedly has 18 rituals that are “too ridiculous to repeat.” One of them has something to do with personal hygiene, of course, as Chris Martin cannot perform if he has not brushed his teeth.
6. P!nk
P!nk is another fantastic artist who has an odd ritual before a performance. It involves having her nipples pinched first by somebody else in advance. It is admitted a bit strange – not to mention, painful – yet it perhaps jumpstarts her senses.
7. Kanye West
Wherever Kanye West does a show, he has to have a barber’s chair offstage. It needs to be there all the time, regardless if he is getting a haircut or not. The rapper possibly prefers that over the plushest chair in the world. The reason behind it is still yet to be heard, but that’s how he spends his time before a live event.
8. Miley Cyrus
Contrary to what some people think, Miley Cyrus does care about her private parts. The Hollywood celebrity makes sure that none of them are showing through her clothes, no matter how daring they may be. Before she performs on the stage (or rides a large swinging ball), her younger sister Noah needs to take a final inspection of her appearance. That is to verify that the singer’s genitals – specifically her vagina – are not out for the whole world to see.
9. Katy Perry
While Katy Perry loves having flowers in her dressing room, carnations should not be among them. She asks for specific flowers as well before her show, and even offers alternatives in case what her requests are not accessible at the time. Also, the pop star needs to have one box of Huggies baby wipes – most likely to remove her cosmetics and to maintain her smooth skin.
Final Thoughts
All of these singing superstars are normal human beings who aim to conquer their stage fright through various means. The blanket, the chant, and the chair – they help the singers stay focused on the show so that they can continue doing what they love to do the most: performing. Such things may be odd in our eyes, but they are a necessity for them. Nevertheless, they cannot be called artists if they do not present even a little eccentricity, right?