The Show Advance Checklist: What to Confirm Before Every Date
The advance is where a smooth show is won or lost. The exact list of what to confirm with the venue and promoter before load-in — so there are no surprises at the door.
The MANAGR Team
October 9, 2026
Advancing a show is the unglamorous phone-and-email work that separates a professional operation from a chaotic one. Done right, the band rolls up to a venue that's expecting them, with everything handled. Done poorly, you're solving problems at 6pm with the doors about to open.
Money and terms
Confirm the guarantee, any door split, and how and when payment happens — cash at the end of the night, or transfer, and to whom. Re-confirm the deposit has landed. Settle merch terms up front: what the venue's cut is, if any, and who's selling.
The advance is the work; the day sheet is what the band actually holds.
Timing
- Load-in time and where the load-in actually is.
- Soundcheck window.
- Doors, set times, and curfew.
- Support acts and set lengths.
Production
Send the tech rider and get confirmation, not just a "got it." Confirm the sound and lighting provided versus what you're bringing, stage dimensions, power, and whether there's a house engineer or you're running your own. Backline — what's provided, what's rented, what's showing up in the trailer.
People and access
Get names and cell numbers for the promoter, production manager, and hospitality contact — the humans you'll actually call when something's off. Confirm parking for the van or bus, the guest list count and how it's handled, and any credentials or passes.
Hospitality and logistics
Green room, catering or buyout, and dietary needs. Wifi. Nearest useful things. Where the band sleeps that night and how far it is. None of this is glamorous; all of it affects the show.
Turn it into a day sheet
Everything you confirm should collapse into one day sheet the band and crew can read at a glance: times, contacts, address, schedule. The advance is the work; the day sheet is the deliverable. If it lives in your inbox instead of in everyone's hands, you advanced the show for nobody.
MANAGR stores advance details per show, auto-builds a branded day sheet with contacts and schedule, and syncs it to everyone on the date.
The MANAGR Team
Playbooks, templates and hard-won lessons from the team building MANAGR — the operating system for artist managers.