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How to make a setlist that works
By BandManager · 5 min read ·
A setlist is the ordered list of songs for a show, with the transitions and often the key and tuning of each one. Most of them fall apart in the middle: a good opener, a good closer and, between them, a playlist with no thread. The fix is not more songs, it is shape.
Start with the time, not the songs
Before opening any tool, write down two numbers: the minutes you have on stage and the average length of your songs. Then count half a minute of changeover per song and subtract five minutes of margin for surprises: a broken string, a request from the crowd, a dead mic.
The sum is simple: (slot minutes minus 5) divided by (average song length plus 0.5). It almost always gives you fewer songs than you thought.
| Slot | 4-minute songs | 3-minute songs |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 5 | 7 |
| 45 min | 8 | 11 |
| 60 min | 12 | 15 |
| 75 min | 15 | 20 |
| 90 min | 18 | 24 |
The energy curve in five stretches
A set that works almost always has the same skeleton: it opens with something that hooks, builds, breathes, builds again and closes with something everyone can sing. It is not a magic formula, it is how a room’s attention tires and recovers.
| Stretch | Songs | What you are after |
|---|---|---|
| Hook | 1 and 2 | Grab them in the first 20 seconds. A mid or up-tempo song; save the deep slow one. |
| Lift | 3 to 5 | Raise the energy with shorter songs and big choruses. This is where casual listeners decide whether to stay. |
| Breather | 6 and 7 | A slower or stripped-back song. Without it, the room runs out of steam around song nine. |
| Climb | 8 to 10 | Rebuild the tension with your biggest songs. |
| Closer | 11 and 12 (and encore) | A chorus everyone knows. Nothing experimental at the end. |
A rule of thumb that tends to work: the best-known song goes second to last, not last. The crowd reaches the peak before the closer and leaves singing the last one, which should be a safe chorus.
Order by key and tuning
Once the order sounds right, look at it through the band’s eyes. Two drop D songs in a row save a tuning change. Three different capo positions in a row are three moments when the guitarist looks at the neck instead of the crowd. If you can group by tuning without breaking the curve, do it; if not, cover the change with a thirty-second intro or a story.
Keys work in a similar way: you do not need theory, you only need to listen to the joins. If two songs in a row sound bad sung at low volume in your living room, move one.
| Move | Effect | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| A fourth or fifth up | Sounds like building | To climb after the breather |
| A tone down | Sounds like easing off | Right before the slow song |
| Same key twice | Flat | Only if the tempo changes a lot |
| A semitone | Sounds like a mistake | Avoid it unless it is on purpose |
Plan the transitions, not just the songs
Most setlists list twelve songs and zero transitions. On stage, every gap turns into a question. Decide before you go on:
- Which songs run straight into each other, with a direct count-in from the last note.
- Which need a bridge: a drum fill, a keyboard pad, a tuning moment.
- Which call for a story or a line from the singer.
- Where you need a real break: water, a guitar swap, talking to the crowd.
Write the transitions as separate lines in the setlist. "Switch to acoustic" is part of the show just as much as the song before it.
A one-page sheet for the stage
The version that ends up taped to the floor in front of the drummer should fit on one page, be readable under stage lights from two metres away and carry only the essentials: title, key and tuning. Lyrics and chords go on a tablet or phone, in a view built for the stage, not on paper.
Send it to the sound engineer early
The thing that most improves your live sound is handing the engineer, the day before, a setlist with durations and the songs that need something special: a switch to acoustic, a harmony vocal, a click, a sample. If the venue has an in-house engineer who has never heard you, add the stage plot: they will assume you do not have one.
A link beats a PDF: the PDF is out of date the moment you change the order.
Three templates to copy
These are skeletons, not sentences: swap the song types for your own and adjust the length to your slot.
| # | Song | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your best opener | Hook |
| 2 | Your second best song | Hook |
| 3 | New or lesser-known song | Lift |
| 4 | Best-known song | Peak |
| 5 | Slow or stripped back | Breather |
| 6 | Building song | Climb |
| 7 | The one you want remembered | Closer |
| Block | Songs | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 1 to 3 | Hook and lift |
| First third | 4 to 7 | New material with the big choruses |
| Breather | 8 and 9 | A slow song and an acoustic one |
| Climb | 10 to 13 | Your best-known songs |
| Closer | 14 and 15 | A known chorus and an encore |
| # | Idea |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Open strong and do not talk: the crowd is passing through |
| 3 to 4 | Lift with your most recognizable songs |
| 5 | A single short breather |
| 6 to 7 | Close with your best-known and keep one in reserve |
How to do it in BandManager
- Save each song with its key, BPM and length in your repertoire.
- Build the setlist by dragging songs and check the set’s energy map to see whether the curve breathes.
- Export the setlist as a PDF to print it and take it on stage.
- Share it as text with the rest of the band and use stage mode, with lyrics, chords and transposition.
Treat it as a draft until soundcheck
The best bands rebuild the last three songs after soundcheck, depending on the room. If it is small and the crowd is older, they cut the loudest closer and promote the singalong. If the crowd is young and standing, the opposite. A setlist is a plan, not a contract: build it to be edited, not to be preserved.
Frequently asked questions
How many songs fit in an hour?
Between twelve and fifteen, depending on whether each runs three or four minutes, counting half a minute of changeover and five minutes of margin.
Which song goes first and which last?
First, something that hooks within twenty seconds, not necessarily your best song. Last, a chorus everyone knows; the best-known song usually goes just before.
Should I change the setlist for each venue?
Yes. A standing room wants more energy and a theater allows more nuance. Keep a base version and adjust the last three songs after soundcheck.
How many covers should I include?
Two or three, placed where the room can let loose, help you connect. Keep them under a third of the set.
Setlists that order themselves
In BandManager you build your repertoire, see the energy curve and export the setlist as a PDF.
Keep reading
- How to run band rehearsalsHow to plan rehearsals that get results: frequency, a goal for each session, a shared calendar and how to stop wasting time.
- How to run a soundcheckHow to prepare and order a band’s soundcheck: input list, channel order, monitors, talking to the engineer and how much time to spend.
- How to promote a gigA week-by-week promotion plan for a gig: poster, socials, trackable links, local press and how to fill the room.
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