Music Venue Show Night Checklist

A music venue's show night is a compressed operation: the band loads in, sound check runs late, doors open on time anyway, the room fills, the bar gets slammed, and at the end someone has to settle with the promoter and clear the room. Most problems on show night come from a step that was assumed rather than checked. A checklist keeps the night on schedule and the crowd safe.

Advance

Confirm the show details with the artist or promoter: times, stage plot, hospitality, guest list
Confirm security staffing for the expected crowd
Confirm box office and ticket scanning setup
Check age restrictions for the show and brief the door team

Load-In and Sound Check

Clear the load-in route and stage
Check stage power and cabling are safe
Run sound check on schedule; agree on changeover times
Check monitor mixes and comms
Confirm the run of show with the artist's tour manager

Before Doors

Walk the venue: clear exits, working exit signs, no trip hazards
Check toilets are clean and stocked
Stock the bar and check taps, ice and glassware
Brief security and bar staff: capacity, ID policy, re-entry rules, how to raise an issue
Confirm first aid cover and location
Check ticket scanners and cash floats

During the Show

Monitor capacity and crowd density, especially near the stage
Keep exits and walkways clear
Watch for guests in distress and act quickly
Keep water available
Log incidents immediately

Changeover and Encore

Keep changeovers to schedule
Check the stage is safe between sets
Communicate curfew to the artist and crew

Close

Clear the room calmly at the end
Settle with the promoter or artist according to the agreement
Count cash and reconcile bar and ticket sales
Secure equipment left overnight
Clean the venue and check for lost property
Write a show report: attendance, incidents, issues for next time

For the bar side, see the bar and nightclub opening checklist, and for de-escalation training for door and bar staff, see how to train staff on de-escalation.

How MyTeamTasks Helps

Show nights vary, but the checks do not. In MyTeamTasks, advance, pre-doors and close routines are checklists assigned to the production, bar and door leads, capacity counts and settlement figures are text tasks, and the venue manager can see before doors open that every check is done.