DarkStage is a tablet-first setlist and performance management app for musicians.
This is the screen you’ll actually be looking at on stage: full-screen, high-contrast, and built to be readable and navigable without breaking your focus on playing.
From a show’s detail pane, tap the Play button to start a real performance session, or Demo to preview the show without it counting against anything (see Demo Mode below). You can also start a performance from the Performance tab’s show picker.
Each song or talk block shows:
Nearly every one of these elements—BPM, Key, Time Signature, the next-song preview—can be individually turned on or off in Settings if you’d rather simplify the screen down to just what you actually use. See Settings for the full list.
Talk/Intro blocks show a mic icon, the block’s name, and its description instead of song details.
Once you adjust brightness this way (or if Full Bright by Default or Pin Brightness on Performance Launch is on), your device’s automatic brightness adjustment is disabled for the remainder of the performance. It’s released back to normal the moment you exit.
The first time you enter Performance mode (or Demo mode, whichever comes first), a one-time overlay walks you through these gestures directly on the real screen layout.
Press your device’s Back button or use the back gesture to bring up an Exit Performance confirmation. If you exit this way mid-show, your position is saved; coming back to the same show picks up right where you left off. Finishing a show naturally (by swiping past “That’s a wrap!”) resets that position, so your next run-through starts fresh from the top.
Between sets, you’ll see a Set Break card with a running timer. If you gave the set a target break duration back in Shows, you’ll also see a countdown; the display turns red if you go over. Swipe when you’re ready to continue into the next set.
Demo mode runs through a show automatically (about every 3 seconds per card, or swipe manually to override), with a small “DEMO” watermark in the corner. It’s meant for previewing a show or trying out the app risk-free; it never counts against your session limit and doesn’t save your position.
A handful of settings change what you see and how brightness behaves during a performance; full details are on the Settings page, but here’s what’s worth knowing: