The Story Of Shore Power

A term came up recently during the Economical and Ecological Tour Production panel discussion at the Concert Industry Consortium: shore power.

Live Nation’s Reid Bartlett explained that many terms in theater come from the nautical tradition. Because the original stagehands were all riggers used to working with the ropes of a ship’s sails, their knowledge readily translated to working with the stage rigging.

“The term ‘shore power’ refers to the ‘city power’ that a boat can plug in to when it ties up at a dock in port. This allows those with on-board generators for their electrical needs to shut them off in port and eliminate the exhaust fumes and generator noises,” Bartlett told Pollstar.

“‘Shore power’ in the performance world refers to a temporary electrical tie-in that is available for buses or trucks to connect to when they arrive and park at a venue.”