Ask for the current performance setup
Request the rider for the act that is actually appearing: a solo set, acoustic arrangement and full band can need different inputs and stage space. Ask the artist’s representative to confirm the document’s date and the technical contact who can answer questions. Keep the performer’s requirements separate from hospitality and travel arrangements so the production team can find the relevant information quickly. An old rider found online is a starting question, not an approved specification.
Match the input list to the stage plot
The input list describes the sound sources that need connections; the stage plot shows where those sources and performers will be. Compare the names across both documents. If the plot shows two keyboards but the list names only one, ask the artist to clarify before equipment is allocated. Include vocals, instruments, DJ outputs and playback. The engineer should resolve the technical connection details with the act rather than the organiser guessing from photographs.
Record who supplies each item
For instruments, amplifiers, stands, microphones, DJ equipment and playback devices, identify what the artist brings and what they are requesting on site. Ask which items are essential and which allow an agreed substitute. Do not mark a substitute as approved until the artist’s authorised contact has accepted it. Keep a short open-items list with the person responsible and the date a decision is needed, especially where several suppliers are involved.
Reconcile the bill as one show
Put every act’s requirements beside the running order. Discuss which equipment can stay in place, which has to move and what needs checking after each change. Shared drums or amplifiers still require agreement from the performers; sharing should not be assumed to solve every changeover. Ask the production lead to propose the setup and testing schedule. A short interval written into a programme does not prove there is enough time for the physical reset.
Publish an agreed production version
When the details are resolved, circulate a dated set of riders, a combined schedule and the remaining open questions to the relevant team members. Make one person responsible for distributing later changes. At soundcheck, confirm that the arriving setup matches the agreed documents and raise differences with the production lead. Sending a rider is part of planning; it does not by itself confirm that every requested item, artist or production date has been booked.
Example: an open item in the rider
Illustrative open item: the stage plot shows two keyboards, but the input list names one stereo keyboard feed. Mark the difference as “awaiting artist confirmation”, assign it to the artist’s technical contact and agree a reply date before the equipment plan is final. Once clarified, update both documents and tell the engineer which version replaces the earlier one. This records a question; it does not guess the act’s requirements.
Your next step
Tell us what you’re putting on.
Share what is confirmed and where you need help. The team will discuss the production scope and availability with you.
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