Before Day One: What’s Expected of You Before a Tour Even Starts
Before you’ve even stepped onto the bus or into the first venue, there’s already a list of things you’ll need to deal with, sort out, or at the very least be aware of. This isn’t a guide on how to get the job—that part’s done. This is about what happens after you get the call, but before the work begins.
Depending on the tour, the production, and who brings you in, the expectations can vary. But the basics are often the same, and the better you handle them, the smoother your first few days will be.
Who Contacts You, and What to Expect
If you’ve been booked through the company supplying the equipment, they’ll likely be your first point of contact—they got you the job, so they’ll manage the initial communication. If the booking came directly from production, then the production manager will usually reach out to you themselves.
Either way, production will still contact you at this stage to collect your personal details and paperwork. After that, you might also hear from a few other people depending on the tour’s structure—admin staff, tour accountants, tour managers, or department leads—each with their own bit of info or logistics to cover.
Early communication can be pretty minimal. Schedules often shift, details aren’t always locked in, and sometimes you won’t even get a clear sense of the setup. You might only be told rough dates and basic expectations.
Eventually, someone—whether it’s production, an admin, a tour accountant, or your department lead—will send over the usual information sheet.
This is where you’ll be asked for:
Passport details
A1 documentation (you can find more about A1 certificates here)
Travel insurance (not always needed)
Public liability insurance
Emergency contact info
Any other relevant certifications
You might also get contacted from the tour manager about travel, or from a crew chief depending on the structure. Who handles what can vary a lot, but your job is to keep track of it all and stay ahead of it.
Be Quick, Be Clear, Be Easy to Work With
You don’t want to be the one holding things up. Responding quickly to emails—even if it’s just to confirm receipt—goes a long way. These forms and requests often get sent out to dozens of people at once, and the last thing anyone needs is to chase down the few who haven’t replied.
The touring admin stuff isn’t hard, and most of it doesn’t change much from tour to tour. Once you’ve done a couple, it’s worth keeping a personal file of the usual info so you’re not scrambling each time someone asks for it again.
If something is missing or you’re not sure about a detail, be clear about it, but don’t pass the problem on. Most of the people contacting you are already juggling a lot—make it easy for them to deal with you.
Red Flags Before You've Even Started
Plenty of people get quietly written off before they’ve even stepped into rehearsals.
Here’s how:
Asking questions that were already answered
Asking about things that don’t matter yet
Being vague or unresponsive
Taking too long to reply
Making odd requests or acting like you’re owed something
Creating delays because you haven’t sorted your admin
These things get remembered. You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be straightforward and professional. That’s enough to set you apart in a good way.
The Other Stuff You Should Already Have Sorted
Your tools and personal kit should already be handled—but beyond that, there are things people often overlook until it’s too late.
A few to think about:
Medication: Bring more than you need, and keep it labelled. It’s your responsibility to make sure you have enough for the whole tour.
Scans or printouts of your passport and other essential documents, just in case.
Backups of important paperwork like your A1 or insurance confirmation—even if no one’s asked for it yet.
Digital copies of everything saved to your phone or cloud storage (and accessible offline). Something like Google Drive or Dropbox works well.
A separate note of key dates, call times (if you’ve got them), and contact numbers—don’t rely on your inbox or memory.
Being on top of this stuff means you're less likely to be that person during the first few days asking questions that have already been answered, or getting caught off guard in situations that would be easy to solve, had you been prepard.
Getting Into the Right Headspace
Every crew member has their own way of getting into tour mode. For some, it’s about packing and sorting gear. For others, it’s more about mentally running through what the first few days will look like.
Some people prep by making a file of notes, predictions of the kit list, and possible rig setups. Others walk through what they expect from rehearsals, knowing fully well they won’t get all the info ahead of time. It’s less about being right, and more about not being caught off guard.
You don’t have to do it in any particular way—but it helps to approach those early days with some kind of strategy. You’ll be fielding last-minute info, dealing with unfamiliar faces, and expected to get stuck in fast. Having your own internal system—even if it’s just a few bullet points in your phone—can help cut through the chaos.
The Tour Starts Long Before the First Load-In
The work may not begin until rehearsals or load-in, but the expectations start the moment you say yes to the job. The way you handle admin, respond to people, and show you're ready sets the tone for the rest of the tour—sometimes before you’ve even met anyone face-to-face.
Getting it right early doesn’t just make life easier for production—it also makes you look like someone worth calling again.
