Move in and rock out: why bands love a residency

From Harry Styles to Adele and Hot Chip, residencies are increasingly popular – but what do they mean for fans? When you are a pop star on the scale of Harry Styles, you have the glorious luxury of opting out of normal touring, requesting that the audience come to you instead. As part of his Love on Tour 2022 “tour” this autumn, he set up camp at Madison Square Garden in New York for 15 nights, and then at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for a fortnight. Styles isn’t the only musician at it: this summer, LCD Soundsystem planted themselves at London’s Brixton Academy for five nights; Hot Chip did four at the same venue in September. Next spring, Bono will take root at New York City’s Beacon Theatre for eight nights in support of his memoir. (It’s happening in comedy, too: Peter Kay’s return to live performance sees him giving a show a month at London’s O2 Arena until November 2023, zipping between national venues in between.) Continue reading...