Beyond the glitz of performing to millions of fans across the globe, life on the road can take a significant toll on the mental wellbeing of artists. A packed touring schedule dates can easily culminate in anxiety, stress, and burnout for performers.
As such, mental wellbeing support has become an essential facet of a sustainable touring environment. To complement proactive steps to mitigate burnout and stress, well-structured non-appearance insurance can help protect artists and keep the show on the road.
Under pressure: the growing demands placed on performers
For major artists, worldwide tours have become an increasingly important opportunity to generate income through ticket sales, merchandise, and sponsorship or brand partnerships.
Extensive tours can prove extremely lucrative. For example, beginning in mid-2022, The Weeknd’s ongoing ‘After Hours til Dawn Tour’ has already grossed $1.07 billion (opens a new window) as of September 2026.
Furthermore, increased social media exposure and a new class of consumers have enabled performers to connect with fans further afield. Acts are capitalising on this emerging trend (opens a new window) by elongating tours to include performances outside of Western Europe and North America.
Consequently, modern tours can become multiyear efforts with artists travelling to all corners of the globe. Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’, concluded in late 2024 after starting almost two years previously. During this period, Swift performed 149 times (opens a new window) across five continents. Meanwhile, Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’ ran from March 2022 to September 2025 – comprising 223 shows across 43 nations (opens a new window).
Each show is a significant undertaking, taxing acts both physically and mentally. Coldplay will perform up to 25 hits each show, while Taylor Swift regularly performs for in excess of three hours each night.
How does touring affect performers?
Long periods away from home can leave artist feeling disorientated and isolated. Demanding schedules and incessant travel can disrupt sleep, exhaust performers, and lead to artists suffering from stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Some artists may be influenced by commercial pressures to spend longer on the road. And without adequate rest and recovery, the mental and physical health of performers may be negatively affected. If left unchecked, this will impair performances and artists may eventually be physically or medically unable to fulfil their planned tour dates.
This isn’t a novel risk, the strain of constantly performing is well understood by all artists. In 2016, Selena Gomez cancelled UK dates (opens a new window) of her ‘Revival’ world tour due to experiencing “anxiety, panic attacks, and depression”. More recently, Arlo Parks (2022) cancelled US shows after her mental health “deteriorated to a debilitating place (opens a new window)”, and Lewis Capaldi (2023) halted an ongoing tour to give himself time to “rest and recover (opens a new window)”.
Recovery as the energy booster: sustaining performance on the road
For a sustainable career, it is critical artists prioritise their mental wellbeing. This can be achieved by structuring tours with sufficient periods of rest that enable acts to recuperate and decompress between particularly hectic tour legs.
To mitigate the chaos of constant travelling, artists can build predictable, daily habits or take up hobbies that alleviate stress, such as regular exercise. Consistent sleep and clean nutrition are also vital for combatting exhaustion from repeated performing. Recovery can be bolstered further by access to occupational health and psychological support, for both artists and the team supporting them.
In a trailblazing initiative, Dua Lipa appointed a Welfare Officer (opens a new window) as part of her team for her 81 date ‘Radical Optimism’ tour. This progressive move proved successful, with 96% of tour members reporting positive experiences with the Welfare Officer.
The appointee, an experienced psychiatric nurse, helped develop coping strategies to prevent burnout and provided counselling and mediation to tour members. While helping the show “look and sound better”, the inclusion of a Welfare Officer also demonstrated how innovative approaches can effectively manage the risks associated with touring.
Collaborating to secure the broadest coverage
For non-appearance coverage, mental health conditions are not without their complications in comparison to more mundane issues, such as travel disruption or adverse weather.
To underwrite the broadest cover and price risk confidently, insurers require detailed background information. It is in the interest of all parties for as much information to be provided as possible.
This could include a medical report, for example. Insurers will routinely lean on in-house medical expertise for review of such documentation, and ensure all sensitive material is handled correctly and confidentially. While detailed medical information is not always necessary, it can enable underwriters to provide better coverage.
Where there is a history of claims or a known pre-existing condition, it is important that artists collaborate with all relevant parties to clearly demonstrate how the risk in question is currently being managed.
Evidencing the controls and medical management in place allows cover to be provided on a known basis – giving both insurers and insureds clarity on how the policy would respond in event of a claim. Where information is limited, insurers may take a more cautious approach. This can result in narrower terms, higher premiums, or wider exclusions.
Beyond obtaining cover, avoiding unnecessary exclusions is just as crucial. Comprehensive disclosure, that reflects the individual circumstances and gives sufficient context, limits the possibilities of a condition being categorised too broadly. Furthermore, while artists may speak openly about their condition, either in the media or through their music, this does not necessarily make them uninsurable.
The Lockton difference: the role of the broker
For artists, effective protection should be comprised of both proactive risk management and tailored insurance solutions. By developing a thorough understanding of the risks surrounding a performer, we can help identify opportunities to mitigate potential issues before they arise, and ensure insurance is focused on the residual risks that remain.
For non-appearance cover, brokers can help artists navigate the placement process by providing insurers with a clear depiction of the condition, how well it is managed, and details of support being received. By presenting the strongest picture of the risk to insurers, brokers ensure there is a shared understanding of the known condition – reducing uncertainty for all parties and helping to avoid disputes at the point of claim.
For further information on how we can support your live event, please reach out to a member of the Entertainment practice here. (opens a new window)
Lockton is proud to be a founding funder of MITC’s pay-it-forward fund, learn more here (opens a new window).