Day Sheet
A day sheet is a document that gives every member of a touring party a snapshot of what's happening on a given show day — from lobby call to load-out, and everything in between. It's the single most-referenced piece of communication a tour manager produces, and the reason nobody should ever have to ask "what time is soundcheck?"
What goes on a day sheet?
The specifics vary by tour, but a well-built day sheet typically covers travel details (lobby call, bus call, drive time, airport info for fly dates), venue information (name, address, capacity, loading dock access, WiFi), the full schedule (load-in, soundcheck, doors, support and headliner set times, curfew), catering times and locations, hotel details with confirmation numbers, key contacts (promoter rep, venue PM, TM cell), and any notes — press obligations, meet & greets, weather alerts, or anything else the crew needs to see.
Who sees it?
Everyone on tour — but not always the same version. A principal artist's day sheet might include press calls and meetings with business management, while the crew version focuses on load-in times and catering. Experienced tour managers set visibility permissions so each department only sees what's relevant. The artist doesn't need to know the rigging call time. The truck driver doesn't need the interview schedule.
Why it matters
Day sheets are passive communication. The goal is to reduce the number of questions a tour manager fields each day by putting answers in people's hands before they think to ask. When information changes — and it will — the TM updates and pushes it out. Fewer "hey, what time is…" texts means the day sheet is working.
The digital shift
Printed day sheets taped backstage aren't going away entirely, but digital distribution has changed how tours operate. Instead of reprinting every time a soundcheck moves by 30 minutes, tour management platforms push real-time updates to every phone on the tour. Some venues have also adopted digital signage backstage, pulling schedule data directly from the production office.
How Daysheets handles this: The day sheet is literally our namesake. Daysheets lets tour managers build, customize, and distribute day-of-show schedules to the entire touring party — with real-time updates, visibility controls by department (using Group Tags), and mobile access so nobody's chasing down a printout.
See how it works