Logistics Behind Music Tours

A little less than a year ago, Paraguay hosted a 3-day music festival called “Asuncionico”. The British band GORILLAZ was part of this festival and we are proud to have been their cargo handlers here at SGAS (Asunción).
Likewise, we have been contracted to handle Luis Miguel’s Asunción stop of his tour next month.

Even though the final product may seem so simple when looking at a singer with his band during a concert, making it look easy is the hard part, and it takes the hard work of hundreds of people to put something like that together.

Air freight plays a major role in the coordination of music tours since it is the quickest way to transport the people and equipment needed. When bands are planning a tour, either to just one country or to many back-to-back destinations around the world, they need to bring a lot more than just themselves and their instruments. First, think about the complex stages, high quality audio systems, huge screens, immense lights and other equipment necessary for special effects. Then, don’t forget about all the people that need to be behind the scenes to set these things up, break them down, or run them during the concert.

Tight Schedules?
The tour manager and logistics team are in charge of moving everything across cities or countries while keeping up with airtight schedules with no room for delays. Although the trip may be planned months in advance, quick cargo unloading along with customs should be meticulously organized and done in a swift yet safe manner. Only a few hours of delay may result in the cancellation of the event, or perhaps a little less grave but still bad for fans, not having a stage ready while they are already at the site waiting to hear the band. Depending on the size of the event, more than one cargo plane may be needed.

Transporting Equipment
All equipment should be carefully handled since every piece is important for the show. Any damage to even a small piece will typically have a negative impact at a larger scale in the production process. There are special boxes to transport delicate objects and since they are made from steel, they are pretty heavy. These boxes need to be kept still in flight and after, so it is recommended that only experienced handlers do the unloading or loading of cargo, as well as customs. Every country has its own laws and customs regulations, thus the handler needs to be well-acquainted with these.

Big and renowned concerts may have more than one stage to setup. Since it can take many days to finish setting a single stage, the equipment for the second set will be on its way to the next venue in order to be ready in time for the concert.

So do you want to leave your band tour in good hands? Leave it to Consorcio Aviation, we are experienced music tour handlers.