Australian live music tours face new crisis with crew, equipment shortage

Australia’s live music promoters are facing a new crisis that could affect international live gigs coming our way. See what it means for your top music act.

They are usually a ferociously competitive bunch but Australia’s live music promoters have been forced to band together to head off a crippling crew and equipment shortage looming for the summer touring season.

Production managers raised the red flag of the impending crisis as it became apparent there weren’t enough trucks, production equipment and staff – from drivers to riggers – to cover all the rescheduled tours and new events booked for the 2022/2023 concert calendar.

Thousands of skilled workers left the industry and dozens of suppliers, from truck companies to speaker hire firms, merged, went bust or repurposed their operations during the two-year pandemic shutdown of live entertainment.

Dua Lipa performs in Madrid, Spain, on June 3, but will she make it down under in November for her Future Nostalgia tour? Picture: Mariano Regidor

Frontier Touring production manager Nick Pitts said it was difficult to entice skilled workers back to the industry after they had changed jobs when work ground to a halt during the lockdowns.

“Our business is a bit transient, especially when it comes to local crews, and when there are a lot of concerts coming through, it’s a good living. But enticing them back when they have 9 to 5 jobs now or their trucks are being used by Woolworths, is going to be an ongoing issue,” he said.

Axl Rose fronting Guns N’ Roses are touring in November and December. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty

In recent months, with an unparalleled united effort, the promoters and their teams have mapped out a complex game plan so all the shows can go on and maintain Australia’s world class reputation in the competitive global touring market.

Mr Pitts said solutions to the shortages included leaving audio and visual equipment set up in venues for use by all the shows coming through.

This will minimise pressures on crew needed to load in and out, and having enough trucks to transport equipment after every gig.

For the big stadium tours throughout November, protective ground equipment will remain intact for back-to-back concerts.

“Some production like backline (amps and instruments), is so specialised for each act, but it makes sense to leave the sound and video technology, which takes up most of the bulk in the trucks, in the building so there is enough equipment to go around for all the shows,” he said.

TEG Live managing director Tim McGregor said pre-pandemic, the early summer season from October to December would have about 12 major international tours.

Harry Styles performs at the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in April. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty

But earlier this year it became apparent “three years’ worth of summer touring was shoved into one summer”, with three times the number of events competing for the same crew and equipment supplies.

“For the first time in history all the major promoters, who most of the time are intensely, aggressively competitive, more than anywhere else in the world, are talking to each other to work out how the hell we could make this work because there were too many shows coming through the pipeline,” Mr McGregor said.

“We’re sharing infrastructure, labour and resources and talking to the artists about sharing audio and video equipment, and we’re confident the summer season is going to be manageable.”

Ed Sheeran has announced The Mathematics tour from February to March. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty

Frontier Touring chief operating officer Susan Heymann said while it would take the music industry at least two years to replenish its depleted skilled workforce, the new model of collaboration among promoters could have a positive impact on the carbon footprint of touring.

“It could become a model for sustainability, finding points where we can save 10 trucks being on the road because we are bumping out the same PA every two days,” she said.

Heymann said the promoters and artists had resisted the cost-of-living pressures on ticket prices for this summer but inflationary effects on tour budgets may lead to increases in 2023.

THE 2022/23 SUMMER SEASON

* Vance Joy – The Long Way Home tour; September until November, outdoors, metro and regional.

* Tame Impala – The Slow Rush Tour; rescheduled from December 2021 to October 2022, arenas, metro.

* Kings Of Leon – When You See Yourself tour, rescheduled from April to October to November, outdoors and arenas, metro and regional.

* Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia tour, November, arenas, metro.

* Calum Scott – November, pubs and theatres, metro.

* Hanson – Red Green Blue tour, November, theatres, metro.

* Dean Lewis – Sad Boi Winter Summer, November to December, theatres, metro and regional.

* Spilt Milk festival – Stormzy, Flume and more, November, outdoors, east coast regional.

* Festival X – Calvin Harris, Megan Thee Stallion, November to December, outdoors, metro.

* Flume – Australia 2022 Tour; November to December; outdoor and arenas, metro and regional.

* The Killers – Imploding The Mirage tour; November to December; arenas and wineries; metro and regional.

* Guns N’ Roses – November to December, stadiums, metro.

* Michael Buble – Higher tour, November to December, arenas, metro and regional.

* Justin Bieber – Justice tour (TBC because of recent illness); November to December; stadiums; metro.

* Kendrick Lamar – The Big Steppers tour, December, arenas, metro.

* 5 Seconds Of Summer – World tour, rescheduled from 2021 to December; outdoors and arenas; metro and regional.

* Pixies – Come On Pilgrim … It’s Surfer Rosa tour, December, theatres and outdoors metro.

* Keith Urban – The Speed Of Now world tour, December, arenas and outdoor, metro and regional.

* Good Things festival – Bring Me The Horizon and more, December, outdoors, east coast.

* Falls Festival – December to January; outdoors, regional.

* Arctic Monkeys – January; outdoors, east coast.

* Darren Hayes – Do You Remember? tour, January to February, arenas, metro and regional.

* Lorde – Solar Power tour – rescheduled from 2022 to March 2023; outdoors and arenas; metro

* Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever tour, March; arenas, metro.

* Ed Sheeran – The Mathematics tour, February to March, stadiums, metro.

* Harry Styles – Love On Tour, February to March, stadiums, metro.