Setlist

A setlist is the ordered list of songs an artist or band plans to perform, or an outline of the performance. It's printed, taped to the stage floor (or a monitor), and referenced throughout the set. Beyond songs, the setlist may include pyro cues, special guest appearances, and other production notes. After the show, setlists often get tossed into the crowd — but for the production team, the setlist is a working document that drives lighting cues, sound changes, video content, and the entire flow of the performance.

More than just songs

For fans, a setlist is about which songs get played. For the production crew, it's a roadmap. Lighting designers program cues to specific songs. FOH engineers adjust mixes between acoustic ballads and full-band numbers. Video operators trigger content tied to each track. Stage managers use it to coordinate instrument changes and guest appearances. The setlist ties every department together.

Setlists on tour

Some artists play the same setlist every night. Others change it constantly. Both approaches create different challenges: a locked setlist allows tighter production programming, while a rotating setlist demands a crew that can adapt in real time. Most tours land somewhere in the middle — a core set with a few songs that rotate based on the city, the crowd, or the artist's mood.

The encore illusion

The encore is almost always on the setlist. The band knows they're coming back. The crew knows. The house lights stay down. It's theater — but it works because the audience wants to believe. From a production standpoint, the encore needs to be planned just like any other part of the set: lighting, audio, timing.