The day-of-show checklist

Every gig that went wrong went wrong at a moment someone had not thought about: the van in a car park 300 m from a lift that was locked, the engineer who went home at 19:00, the cash the client did not have, the guitar stand left under the stage. None of these are musical. All of them are on a list.

This is the list. It runs from the night before to the drive home, and it is written for the person running the gig (leader or manager) with the parts that apply to everyone marked. Print it, or copy it into your gig template, and tick it every time until it is a habit.

The night before

• Advance sent to everyone playing, including deps. One message: venue, address, map link, load-in time, soundcheck time, set times, finish, contact name and phone, parking, dress code, meals, setlist link. Deps get the full version in deps and substitute musicians.
• Confirm with the venue or client: a two-line message. "Looking forward to tomorrow; we'll arrive at 16:00 as agreed. Is [name] still the contact on the day?" This catches the changed timeline and the changed contact 15 hours before they matter.
• Packing list checked and assigned: every item has a person, the consumables (batteries, tape, strings, spare cables) are topped up, the in-ear packs and wireless mics are charged or have fresh batteries. See the band packing checklist.
• Setlist printed per set, in large type, one per member plus a spare. Charts for anything new.
• Money ready: the invoice printed or ready to send, and, if it is cash on the night, an envelope and a receipt book. The balance should already be paid for private events; check.
• Van fuelled, route checked, departure time set with a 30-minute buffer on top of the estimate.
• Phone charged, and the contact numbers saved, not just in an email.

Departure and arrival

• Leave at the planned time. The band's standard: arrive 15 minutes before load-in, not at load-in.
• On arrival, before unloading: find the contact, confirm the load-in route, the stage position, the power, and where the van can stay. Five minutes here saves 20 later.
• Check the running order with the contact against the advance. Speeches moved? Curfew? Noise limiter? Now is when you find out.
• Find out where the band eats and where the band can be during dinner. Find the toilets. Find the exit you will load out through and whether it locks.

Load-in and setup

• Unload in order, big and heavy first: PA, drum cases, keys, then the rest. See packing the van.
• Stage: drums first, then amps and keys, then the in-ear rack and mic stands, then cables. Nobody starts cabling until the big things are in place.
• Power: check earthing and RCD protection before plugging anything into an unknown supply, particularly outdoors. See stage power and safety.
• Line check before the engineer's soundcheck: every input makes a sound at the desk. Then soundcheck: drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals, then a song. See soundcheck etiquette.
• Setlists taped down, water on stage, the first-dance recording (if it is played, not performed) tested through the PA.
• One person walks the room during the last soundcheck song: is it loud enough at the back, too loud at the front table?
• Van locked, cases stowed out of sight, nothing left in the gangway.

Before the first set

• Change. Eat if the meal is now; if not, know when it is.
• Confirm the exact first-set start time with the contact 20 minutes before. Weddings slip; corporates do not.
• Phones silent, in pockets or in the case. Nobody on stage with a screen.
• Everyone at the stage 10 minutes before. Not 2.
• The leader checks: monitors on, in-ears in, wireless mic receiver on and showing signal, setlist visible, tuning done, click ready if used.

During the sets

• Watch the contact, not the audience, for cues about timing. A raised hand from the planner means the speech is about to happen.
• Breaks are timed. 30 minutes means back on stage in 30 minutes, with the playlist covering the gap at the right volume.
• Nobody drinks alcohol during the sets. A drink after is fine if offered.
• Requests: handled by the rules you agreed. See handling song requests live.
• If something breaks, fix it quietly between songs; the audience rarely notices a 30-second gap and always notices panic.

The end and payment

• Finish on time, to the minute, unless overtime was agreed with the client and the venue. Overtime is agreed by the leader only.
• Thank the client, in person, before load-out. Say the band enjoyed it and mention one specific moment. This is when reviews are born; see getting reviews and testimonials.
• If cash is due: count it with the client present, hand over the receipt, put it in the envelope, and someone other than the driver holds it.
• If an invoice is due: confirm the invoicing details (entity, PO number, email) now, and send it tomorrow.
• Ask about the photographer: you will want the pictures.

Load-out

• Reverse of load-in: cables coiled and cased first, then stands and small things, then the big things. Cases are packed on stage, not in the van.
• Tick the packing list in reverse. Every item that came in goes out. The most commonly abandoned items, in order: mic clips, DI boxes, guitar stands, the drummer's rug, power strips, one in-ear pack.
• Sweep the stage area with a torch. Under the riser, behind the curtain.
• Quiet in the car park. Neighbours and the venue manager both remember the band that shouted at 01:00.
• Van packed for the two-minute unload at the other end, doors checked, nothing on the roof.

Before you drive

• The driver has not been drinking and is awake enough for the distance. If not, wait, swap, or book a room.
• One last look at the stage and the changing room.
• A message to the contact: "All packed and away, thanks again." It takes ten seconds and it is the last thing they remember about the band.

The next morning

• Invoice sent, or cash banked within two days.
• Fee and expenses recorded; the split done or scheduled.
• Gear checked: what broke, what needs replacing before the next gig.
• Review requested from the client, about five days after the event.
• Anything learned about the venue (the lift, the limiter, the coordinator's name) written into the venue notes for next time.

The one-page version

For the wall of the van:

1. Advance sent, venue confirmed, list assigned, setlists printed, invoice ready, van fuelled.
2. Arrive 15 minutes early. Find the contact. Confirm route, power, timeline.
3. Big things first, then cables. Line check, soundcheck, walk the room.
4. On stage 10 minutes before. Phones away.
5. Finish on time. Thank the client. Cash counted or invoice details confirmed.
6. Cases packed on stage. Tick the list in reverse. Torch sweep. Quiet.
7. Driver sober. Message the contact. Go home.

Do this today

• Write your own advance template with the ten items in the "night before" section. Save it.
• Print this list and put it in the cable case.
• Add "torch" to the packing list.

Where expert.band helps

The advance is the gig page: times, address with a map link, the line-up marked as participants, the attached setlist, and the packing checklist with who brings what, on every member's phone and printable as one gig sheet. Participants get reminders by email and SMS; the packing checklist is ticked during load-in and again in reverse at load-out, and shows what is still missing and whose it is. The torch is your own responsibility.