In the music industry, we often see the final results of things, so much so that we often forget that a lot goes on in the background. This is especially true for tours. When an artist or band goes on tour, we can buy tickets in advance, attend the concert, sing along to their songs, and marvel at just how great they sound in person. And in most cases, these tours are often a huge success… until they are not.
Once in a while, we see artists or bands show up on stage only to flop because something went terribly wrong. While many recover from these failures, some have these incidents follow them for the rest of their careers, which undoubtedly affects their reputation. Let’s examine how support equipment contributes to these successes and failures, and what actually occurs in the background.
Does Support Equipment Matter?
Every industry has support equipment designed to enhance efficiency, yet these tools are not always evident to the industry’s beneficiaries. Take the aviation industry, for example. From the outside looking in, it seems like planes just land and take off from the airport every other hour, seemingly quite smoothly. However, passengers may not know that these smooth transitions rely on effective aircraft repair, maintenance, and overhaul services that come down to key decisions on support equipment, like choosing engine stands and automating maintenance schedules. As long as these tools remain in place, airlines can maintain timeliness and protect their passengers. The moment these tools are unavailable or fail to function, a range of adverse consequences follow for both airlines and their customers.
Tours work in the same way. As music lovers, we get to see the fun side of the tours, from meeting the artists to reading their social media posts and sharing their new music. However, in the background, these artists rely heavily on essential support equipment for two key reasons: safety and reliability.
Reliability
Artists spend weeks to months preparing for their sets, as these are the opportune moments to demonstrate their skills and connect with their audiences. Even with the vocals and choreography ready, musicians must consider their support equipment, as it can make or break their performances.
These tools include:
- Backline equipment, like amps and drum kits;
- Monitor and speaker stands;
- Stage stands – for mics, guitars, drums, etc.
All these tools influence their performance. For example, if the microphone stand is unstable or the drum hardware is misaligned. Then, the artists would have difficulty producing a cohesive set, as their vocals or tempos would sound inconsistent. Given the impact of these seemingly small choices, artists often rehearse on stage before the actual performance to familiarise themselves with the setup and adjust what does not feel right.
Safety
While tour reviews often focus on performance, there have been instances in which headlines have not centred on poor vocals or low fan engagement, but instead emphasised stage safety risks. Tours rely on a wide range of support equipment during performance. And these include:
- Rigging and trusses;
- Power distribution units;
- Stage risers and platforms;
- Cabling and snakes, etc.
While all of these serve important functions, e.g., light rigging for good aesthetics, they also pose a safety risk, and there have been numerous cases of accidents on stage owing to poor setups that fell apart during performances. As such, artists must coordinate with their teams to ensure that they not only select safe support equipment but also set it up correctly.