Glossary › Load-out
Load-out
Packing up and moving gear out of the venue after the show.
Load-out is packing up and moving gear out of the venue after the show. It runs against the venue's curfew and any load-out deadline, and it can be the most dangerous part of the day: people are tired, it's dark and the stage is crowded.
The advance should confirm how long you have after the show, whether there's a shared dock with other bands, and whether house labor is provided.
Example
Set ends at 11:30, hard curfew 11:45, all trucks off the dock by 1:00. The TM puts "Load-out complete 1:00 ยท Bus call 1:30" on the day sheet.
Tips
Settle and pack merch in parallel, do a walk of the stage and dressing room before leaving, and count cases against a list.