Recently, Harry Styles announced his “Together, Together” World Tour. He is touring in a total of 7 cities, which is a big difference from the average 20-30 major cities most artists see. The cities include Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City, Melbourne, and Sydney. If you plan on being anywhere near the city from the end of August through October, beware of crowds! The reappearing popstar is performing 30 shows at Madison Square Garden. The tour has had a very high demand for tickets and many complain about equally high prices. 

But what is his reason for not performing multiple nights in different cities around the world? This model of touring is called residency. Though it is not common, it is also not new. Artists such as Celine Dion, Billy Joel and Brittany Spears have also performed in certain locations for long periods of time. Harry Styles choosing Madison Square Garden (MSG) creates a long and enduring cultural moment in NYC. Touring residentially allows for artists for a less stressful lifestyle. Instead of hopping from city to city, they can stay in one place and not have to worry about transporting entire stages, lighting and video equipment from each location. Shows can be more elaborate since the artist and their team don’t have to think of ways to make the show special and think about how those special effects will fit every stadium or arena they visit. Chaotic travel schedules can cause burnout and for an artist who is coming back after 3 years, it is crucial that he doesn’t overwork himself as he gets back into the groove of touring. However, residency touring causes people from different regions to not have access to an artist’s tour because of far and expensive travels. Staying in one place may create routine but it can also create boredom quicker from doing the same thing multiple flights in the same place in a row.