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Artists Take Their Residencies Worldwide
Fillin’ up the calendar // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
An increasing number of musical artists are planting their flags and doing residencies around the world, not just in hotspots like Las Vegas and NYC.
Why It Hits: One of the big new trends in music is “gig-tripping” — taking vacations with the specific intention of seeing an artist live. A Bandsintown report found that gig-tripping skyrocketed by 32.6% between 2024 and 2025, driven by the desire to see acts like Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny. That’s music to tourism offices’ ears.
Behind The Shows: Throw a dart at a world map, and you may hit a city where a major artist has a residency, according to THR.
Celine Dion is starting a 16-show residency in Paris this month, with more dates to be added in 2027.
Sam Smith is doing a 20-show residency in San Francisco at the newly renovated Castro Theatre.
My Morning Jacket will also be in SF, doing seven shows at The Filmore.
Backstreet Boys are doing 10 shows in Dusseldorf, Germany, expanding their residency at the Sphere.
Encore: The overarching theme of these residencies is that each place means something personal to the artists. For example, Dion has French heritage, and France has consistently been one of her biggest markets, while Smith wanted to honor the venue where he connected with the city’s queer community. It’s the same motivation that led to Bad Bunny’s 31-date residency in Puerto Rico, which generated $700 million in economic impact on the island.
It’s the type of show that turns a concert into a cultural event.
The Future: Considering the pressure to sell out shows among even the biggest artists, expect more to program unique residencies that feel like can’t-miss engagements.
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.