Rock band Van Halen had one of the most oddly specific requests of all: a bowl of M&M candies, with all the brown ones removed. For years, it was seen as complete folly — the band was making a ridiculous demand of concert organizers simply because they could get away with it. But the seemingly ludicrous request was actually a shrewd business move. (We were reminded of it while reading Ian Parker's excellent profile of New York Times food critic Pete Wells in the New Yorker; he mentions the Van Halen M&M episode in passing.) The band's concert rider indeed had a clause saying there could be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, or the promoter would forfeit the entire show at full price. https://www.businessinsider.com/van-halen-brown-m-ms-contract-2016-9?IR=T
