Nobody talks about power distribution until something goes wrong. I’ve seen a headline act’s set delayed forty minutes because the venue’s power board tripped during soundcheck. I’ve watched a festival stage go dark mid-set because someone daisy-chained too many par cans off a single circuit. And I’ve sat through enough production meetings where power gets discussed for exactly ninety seconds before everyone moves on to catering.

Power distribution backstage is one of the most expensive, least understood, and most frequently botched elements of touring in Australia. And the costs are getting worse.

The Basic Problem

Most Australian venues were not built with modern touring production in mind. A 300-capacity room in the inner suburbs was probably wired for a pub band running a couple of amps and a PA. When a touring act rolls in with LED video walls, moving lights, a full monitor rig, and a digital console, the venue’s existing power infrastructure can’t handle it.

This means you’re hiring in power. Generator hire for a single show in a metro venue runs $800-$2,500 depending on capacity. A 100kVA generator – pretty standard for a mid-size touring production – costs around $1,200 per day before delivery, fuel, and the sparky to hook it up. Add distro boards, cabling, and a qualified electrician for the install, and you’re looking at $2,000-$4,000 in power costs for a single show at a venue that should be able to handle it from the wall.

For a 20-date Australian tour, power costs can add $30,000-$60,000 to the production budget. That’s money that doesn’t sell a single ticket.

What Venues Actually Provide

The variation between venues is staggering. Some venues have invested in proper three-phase power with adequate capacity and clean distro. The Forum in Melbourne, for example, has solid power infrastructure because it’s been refurbished with modern production in mind. Same with the Enmore in Sydney after its recent upgrades.

But step outside the top-tier rooms and you’re in a different world. Regional venues might have a single 32-amp three-phase outlet backstage and nothing else. Some pubs have one power point on stage and a long extension lead running to the kitchen. I’m not exaggerating – I’ve loaded into a venue in regional Queensland where the only stage power ran through the same circuit as the deep fryer.

The problem is there’s no standard. Unlike rigging, where most venues will tell you their rated points and you can plan accordingly, power specs are inconsistent, sometimes inaccurate, and often not provided until you ask three times.

How Production Managers Are Adapting

Smart production managers now carry their own distro as standard touring kit. A decent portable power distribution system – a couple of distro boards, appropriate cabling, and adapters for every outlet type you might encounter – costs $8,000-$15,000 to buy outright. That investment pays for itself within a couple of tours compared to hiring every time.

Some production companies are tracking venue power data systematically now. Every time they load into a room, they record what’s actually available versus what was listed on the tech spec. Over time, you build a database that’s far more reliable than the venue’s own documentation. Team400.ai has been doing interesting work on data systems for operations like this – building structured databases from messy real-world information. It’s the kind of approach that could save touring crews thousands in surprise generator hire if the data gets shared widely enough.

The other adaptation is designing tours with power budgets in mind. Lighting designers who’ve worked enough Australian tours know to spec LED fixtures that draw less power. A rig that would have needed 200 amps ten years ago can run on 60 amps with modern LED fixtures. It changes the visual aesthetic slightly, but it means you can run the show off venue power in most rooms without supplementary generators.

The Money Nobody Accounts For

Here’s what really stings. When a promoter builds a show budget, they’ll account for venue hire, backline, sound, lights, accommodation, transport. Power rarely gets its own line item until the production manager flags it. By then the budget’s locked and the power costs eat into the margin.

I’ve seen shows that looked profitable on paper turn into losses because no one budgeted $3,000 for a generator and electrician. It happens more often than anyone in the industry admits.

The fix is boring but necessary: every touring production needs a power audit before the first show is booked. Know what the venues can provide, know what the show needs, and budget the gap. It won’t make headlines, but it’ll keep your tour solvent.

What Needs to Change

Venues need to publish accurate power specifications. Not “adequate power available” – actual amperage, phase configuration, outlet locations, and circuit capacity. Make it part of the standard tech rider response. If your venue can only provide 63 amps of three-phase, say so. Let production managers plan around it rather than discovering it at load-in.

And promoters need to stop treating power as an afterthought. It’s as fundamental as the PA system. You wouldn’t book a tour without knowing if venues have a sound system. Stop booking tours without knowing if venues can keep the lights on.