+34
For artists, residencies are a ‘much kinder way of touring’. For Ireland, the shift towards long runs in big cities presents a particular challenge
For artists, residencies are a ‘much kinder way of touring’. For Ireland, the move towards multiple concerts in big cities presents a particular challengeperform their greatest hits in Ireland this year have just two options: Dublin or Belfast.
The band, who are about to begin their 25th-anniversary world tour, will take up a residency atWestlife’s decision to hold court borrows from the new playbook for top-tier artists, who are reversing the mechanics of a traditional tour and asking fans to come to them instead. In the past, the artist’s tour bus rolling from city to city for months on end was seen as a sometimes glamorous, sometimes gruelling but essential part of a musician’s lifestyle.
Now it’s fans who bear the expense of travelling to see their favourite artist, potentially booking flights and accommodation, as well as factoring in other expenses. ’ schedule is one of the best examples of how this trend has evolved in recent years. During his 2022 Love on Tour run, Styles’ North America leg consisted of 42 shows in five cities.
In 2026 he’s performing in just one North American venue for his Together Together tour, taking over New York’s Madison Square Garden for 30 consecutive nights. The Music Quiz: Which boy band did Simon Cowell call the ‘ugliest band I have ever seen’?
The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue: ‘I was in therapy, saying all the right things but drinking at weekends’travelling to Londonin 2026 will have to fly to Madrid for her European Residency, a 12-night stadium run in the Spanish capital. The growing popularity of this new approach could have particular implications for Ireland, whose smaller population makes it harder to compete with big European capitals for big residencies, and the cultural and economic windfall they bring.
Hosting residencies in megacities such as London and New York makes sense for artists, as the infrastructure is already there to support an influx of fans, and the location itself doubles as a draw for fans looking to make a holiday of the trip.
“Rather than aiming for the biggest cities, some artists are turning their focus to where their biggest fans are,” says Olivia Jones, a music analyst at Midia Research, citing the example of Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency last year, which built on the cultural theme of his latest album and aimed to uplift his community and the fans there. Westlife members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan and Kian Egan at a press briefing for their world tour at the 3Arena in Dublin.
Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos The idea of a residency was first established in the 1940s in Las Vegas and revitalised by Céline Dion in the Nevada city in the early 2000s. Why are they experiencing such a boost now? Music-industry veterans say it comes down to cost, comfort and production opportunities at a time when audience expectations are at an all-time high.
There is an obvious saving in camping out in one location for 20 shows rather than visiting 10 cities to do the same; it simplifies logistics and maximises revenue. For artists and crew, it vastly reduces time spent in transit and offers a better work-life balance than a traditional tour ever could.
“It’s about the convenience for people of being able to go to half a dozen cities in the world rather than a hundred of them,” says Bren Berry, a musician and long-time music promoter with. “The costs of touring are so expensive, particularly now with fuel prices; it’s a lot to move stuff around the world at the moment. There’s obviously a huge saving to be made in setting up camp in one place.
” Berry cautions that Westlife’s 3Arena run isn’t necessarily a residency but more a band with mass appeal in Ireland selling out as many arena dates as they can. The vast majority of Westlife’s world tour outside Ireland consists of one- or two-night stops. For artists with enough star power to draw fans to wherever they are, there are serious benefits to them of not moving city and country every night.
They can get into a routine, get a good sleep and ultimately put on a better show.
“It’s a much kinder way of touring,” says Sarah Yeoman, who has worked in the music industry for 30 years, most recently as backstage manager on’s worldwide Tension Tour. “For everyone involved, from wardrobe to catering, it’s logical. It gives people more time, which is so precious to us.
” From a production perspective, a set-up that can remain in place over multiple nights gives the crew more time to assemble and disassemble, and offers the opportunity to employ more high-tech staging. With conventional touring, it doesn’t matter how innovative current technology is if it can’t be set up and taken down again in a few hours. Viva Las Vegas: Brandon Flowers of The Killers in his hometown in 2022.
Photograph: Denise Truscello via Getty“In a residency show, for the most part it will get built and then stay in place for a longer period of time, so building things that have to be disassembled quickly isn’t as big of a concern. ” For a Las Vegas show that lasts years rather than nights, production can be highly specific, says Douglas, who worked on Aerosmith’s Deuces Are Wild Vegas residency, which ran from 2019 to 2022 and hosted 55 shows at the Park MGM.
For that show the set designers used a walkway that emerged from the roof, allowing the band members to get very close to fans in the venue’s highest seating. There is also the potential for artists to create better branding and a buzz around their show in person and online if they stay in one city for longer.
Christian Tierney, a tour photographer favoured by A-listers such as Hozier and Niall Horan, says staying put gives the tour a chance to create bigger, more impactful content that is relevant to their chosen city than if they are moving constantly.tour last year, where they were doing a few nights in each place. It wasn’t necessarily a residency, but it was a few gigs in big cities rather than a big long tour of a million different cities.
“They could go out during the day and do pieces based around the city they were in,” Tierney says. “If you’re somewhere for two weeks you can make a bigger piece of content there than having to try and make 90 pieces of small content. ” For promoters the shift is bigger than simply introducing a cheaper way to put on concerts. If fans are willing to travel, the concert itself becomes part of a wider tourism economy.
In late September, the world’s largest promoter, is hosting a tourism summit in New York to “explore how live events are changing the way people travel”. It is billing fan travel as the “next chapter of global tourism”. For Ireland the shift towards residencies presents a potential challenge and means Irish fans could miss out on seeing their favourite artists locally. Some big artists have already been leaving Ireland off their touring schedules for years, despite the demand.
Beyoncé has not played here since 2016, leaving Ireland out of her Cowboy Carter stadium tour. Olivia Rodrigo, who brought her Guts world tour to the 3Arena for two nights in 2024 and played a headline gig at Marlay Park in 2025, has no dates set for Ireland in 2027, but she will play 11 nights at the O2 in London for her Unravelled Tour.at Brick Yards, in Dublin’s docklands, could strengthen the capital’s position, giving artists another large-scale option as the industry streamlines towards fewer cities and longer stays.
But there is still a limit to how far the residency model can go, and for whom.
“I don’t think a band going on tour is going to become a thing of the past any time soon,” says Steven Douglas. “People still want their favourite band to come to their town and play.
”are at 3Arena in Dublin from Thursday, September 10th, until Saturday, September 26th, and at the O2 in Belfast between Tuesday, October 27th, and Friday, November 6thArab Strap: Half-Told Tales review – The beautifully bleak Scots’ finest album since the 1990sThe Script’s Danny O’Donoghue: ‘I was in therapy, saying all the right things but drinking at weekends’‘Everything was bled out’: Publican says he can’t pay cleaner after losing nearly €200,000Aer Lingus pilot reports sighting of large drone close to Dublin BayBrent oil pushes toward $100 after US attacks Iranian tankersFirst job interview: Expert tips on everything from your outfit to ‘the dreaded question’
3Arena Harry-Styles Shakira Aiken-Promotions Kylie-Minogue The-Killers Oasis Live-Nation Beyonce Olivia-Rodrigo
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fourth man arrested in fatal brawl death of Siminic Rostas in DublinA fourth man in his 30s has been arrested by Gardaí investigating a fatal brawl at an abandoned premises housing about 15 members of the Roma community, which led to the death of Siminic Rostas (24). A third man, Augustin Rostas, appeared in court and was granted conditional bail. The arrested man was released without charge pending a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Another victim who suffered stab wounds was treated and released from hospital.
Read more »
Dublin Book Festival Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Star-Studded ProgrammeThe Dublin Book Festival marks its 20th anniversary with a vibrant programme featuring Booker Prize winners Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright in conversation, alongside appearances by Sebastian Barry, Louise O'Neill, Kevin Barry, Jodi Picoult, Oliver Jeffers and many more. Founded 20 years ago by Michael O'Brien of The O'Brien Press and a group of Irish publishers, the festival has grown into a key cultural fixture in Dublin, celebrating Irish writing, publishing and the exchange of ideas. Highlights include literary talks, book launches, walking tours, workshops, family events, performances and the After Dark Festival Club.
Read more »
Major security operation for US president visit to Dublin and Co ClareUS President Donald Trump will visit Ireland on September 12th and 13th for engagements in Dublin and the Irish Open in Co Clare, necessitating significant security resources coordinated by An Garda Síochána.
Read more »
Kenny Cunningham argues Ireland should have hosted Israel in Dublin despite political tensionsFormer Republic of Ireland defender Kenny Cunningham believes the upcoming Nations League games against Israel should proceed as planned, with the home fixture hosted in Dublin. He argues that playing the match would demonstrate respect for the Israeli team and allow the Irish people to express their shared humanity with them, rather than succumbing to fear of protests or vandalism.
Read more »