– When I go into a grocery store, I have a choice whether I want to buy crisps, sweets and beer or whether I want to buy broccoli and a protein shake, says artist Carina Dahl and continues: – You have to be able to make such choices yourself. She does not think it is up to an organizer to decide what an artist should eat or drink. AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE: Alcohol is not only readily available in the music industry, but also in the rest of society, says Dahl. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news 38 concert and cultural venues in Norway have decided to stop offering alcohol on rides. Dahl: – Own responsibility Dahl’s rider consists of an energy drink, sheet, marker and towels. But it also contains alcohol. She likes to have a glass of red wine before performing to lower her shoulders a bit. Nevertheless, she is clear that she does not mind being visibly drunk on stage. – Drinking at a gig is your own responsibility for how you represent yourself and your product in a good way. I definitely don’t do that drunk. BE CAREFUL WITH ALCOHOL: Even though she sings party music, Carina Dahl is careful not to drink too much before a gig. Here she is photographed during the participation in Stjernekamp. Photo: Julia Marie Naglestad/news Dahl often plays concerts without drinking at all. Nevertheless, she believes that what you wear on the rider should be up to the artist himself. The general manager of Norske kulturhus, Nina Hodneland, disagrees with that. – Adults should absolutely be allowed to take responsibility for how much they drink, but not at work. – I don’t get a glass when I show up at work, and you don’t have to get that at a cultural center either, she asserts. Dropping alcohol after the news case Norske kulturhus is an interest organization for Norwegian concert and cultural centres. Today, they have 135 cultural centers as members. Earlier this autumn, news published a case in which several people in the music industry talked about what they believe to be an unhealthy alcohol culture. The case prompted Norske kulturhus to initiate an investigation. – We wanted to find out how many of the houses remove alcohol from riding, and how many would like to start doing so, says Hodneland. HAPPY FOR CHANGE: Hodneland is happy that more cultural centers are stopping alcohol on rides. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news 107 out of 135 cultural centers responded to the survey. Of those who answered, 46 said that they are already giving up alcohol while riding. In addition, 38 will join it. 16 houses have not decided what they want to do yet. Seven will not stop offering alcohol. Andersen: – Not the rider’s fault In news’s article earlier this autumn, artist Fanny Andersen told of her turbulent relationship with alcohol a few years ago. One night she took her entire rider home with her after playing at a festival. Later, she drank that alcohol alone, and ended up in the emergency room with 3.2 blood alcohol levels. TOOK RIDER HOME: Artist Fanny Andersen used to take alcohol she got on the rider home after gigs. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news Fanny is happy that the cultural centers are taking action, but still does not want to blame the rider for the situation she was in. – It was not the rider that caused me to have a troubled relationship with alcohol. I had a troubled relationship with alcohol, so the rider was there for free. – It was a “match made in heaven”, she says ironically. Concert hall manager: – It can be difficult to say At Festiviteten Konserthus in Haugesund, they stopped using alcohol on rides in 2009. Concert hall manager Tom Erik Anfinsen says that they mostly feel that artists understand this. But he understands that it can be challenging to set foot down, especially for the smaller cultural centres. WANT AN ALCOHOL STOP: Concert hall manager Tom Erik Anfinsen hopes more concert halls will take the same stand as Festiviteten. Photo: Grethe Nygaard – I can see that it can be difficult if it is an artist that the cultural center has never had a visit from, and they have finally caught up. Nevertheless, Anfinsen hopes that more people will cut out free alcohol, and believes that the cultural centers – which are often municipally owned – should take extra responsibility. Thinks a rider should make things simple For Carina Dahl, paying for your own alcohol is no problem, and she believes that each individual organizer must be able to decide for themselves what kind of arrangement they want. SHOULD BE PRACTICAL: Carina Dahl points out that a rider exists to make things easier for an artist. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news Nevertheless, she points out that rider should help make things practically easy for an artist, and that there are often no shops easily accessible when playing in small venues. – Going shopping every single place is going to be more of a hassle, she says and continues: – But if they would rather make it so that you can buy alcohol in the bar in the same way as everyone else, that is surely a solution, it just feels really weird to do.
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Almost 40 cultural centers stop offering free alcohol on the rider to artists – news Culture and entertainment
