On a balmy August night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tania Rivera Bullard was forever changed by the “homecoming” she never knew she needed at a Bad Bunny concert. The 30-year-old fan had travelled from Alabama for the superstar’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency. The title translates to “I Don’t Want to Leave Here” — which is exactly how Bullard felt afterward.
“We left the island when I was in elementary school and I’m eternally grateful for the life my parents gave me Stateside, but sometimes I feel like I’m mourning what could’ve been had they stayed, especially with my [family] still there,” she reflects. “The concert felt like I’d been reunited with a part of myself I didn’t realize was missing. It lit a fire in me to return home, reconnect and get more involved in the issues affecting its people.”
The show was just as moving for Michelle Pier, 44, who flew from California with her mom and sister. “My dad was from Puerto Rico and passed away in 2021, so traveling together to the island where he was from to see Bad Bunny was the greatest experience of my life,” she says. “I’ll never forget hugging my sister and crying while singing ‘DtMF.’”
Bad Bunny’s 31-date stint rolled a tsunami of tourism, joy and an estimated $700 million into Puerto Rico, which is why cities around the globe are clamoring to secure such live events. Yet, it’s experiences like Bullard’s and Pier’s that highlight the deep ties artists have with specific locations and fans — connections that are driving a growing trend of ditching traditional pop residency locations like Las Vegas, New York and London, for elsewhere.
When Celine Dion settles into Paris, France, for her September residency, she’ll be honoring her Francophone heritage and reconnecting with one of her strongest markets after cancelling her last planned visit due to health issues, which had fans questioning if she would ever return to the stage. When Sam Smith reopened San Francisco’s Castro Theatre with a 20-show run, it was a nod to the pivotal first time he felt the presence of the queer community while visiting the venue at age 20, and when My Morning Jacket commence seven nights at nearby spot The Fillmore, they’ll be celebrating the venue’s “sacred” place in the band’s history. If Oasis’ rumored Manchester residency comes to life, it will be a mighty homecoming for the brothers, 35 years after their first hometown gig. And when the Backstreet Boys kick off their 10-date Germany engagement, they’ll be honoring the place where they first found fame.
With “gig-tripping” at a high (the number of fans traveling globally for concerts rose by 32.6 percent from 2024 to 2025, according to a Bandsintown report), this could only be the beginning.
“Vegas is still ground zero for our business and I don’t see that changing because Vegas was built for what we do,” says Harvey Cohen, president of LiveNation offshoot Vibee, which curates music-focused destination experiences, including those offered by Bad Bunny and Backstreet Boys. “But we’re seeing proof that it doesn’t need to be the hot spot. If you’re an artist with a connection to a specific area, as long it has hotels and event infrastructure, a residency can be anywhere. If somebody had told me Dusseldorf’s a great residency destination, I would’ve gone, ‘Really?’ But knowing the Backstreet Boys broke out in Germany first, it made perfect sense. A connection to a market’s all you need.”
Of course, the lucrative, stable and settled nature of residencies continues enticing artists. It’s what attracted Liberace, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to sign onto the early stints that birthed the model in Las Vegas. Dion and Elton John reignited the scene in the early 2000s, and a decade later, Britney Spears triggered shows serving younger fans and shaking the notion that Sin City’s where singers “went to die.” Then came game-changing Sphere, opened by U2 in 2023 and reaffirming Las Vegas as one of the world’s greatest live entertainment destinations.
Granted, the residency model has never been exclusive to Vegas. New York’s Madison Square Garden hosted historic runs from Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, Harry Styles recently played a 12-night stand with Shania Twain in London and Adele performed 10 nights in Munich in 2024. In Los Angeles, Neil Diamond enjoyed 10 nights at The Forum in 1989, while Mexican band Grupo Firme sold out seven consecutive shows at Crypto.com Arena in 2021. Meanwhile, DJs like Calvin Harris and Tiesto have long enjoyed residencies in Ibiza and Miami.
So why has it taken this long for more mainstream acts to explore jet-setting stints beyond the usual locations? Cohen believes promoters are deterred by the uncertainty of getting a decent return on the investment, time and effort involved with compliance, legalities and building out large-scale productions abroad. He adds that even the world’s biggest acts are fearful of failure. “There are artists who I’m like, ‘This is a slam dunk,’ but they’re like, ‘I don’t know.’ Thankfully, the risk generally pays off.”
Bad Bunny’s San Juan soiree showcased just how fruitful that risk can prove. Jorge Perez was managing venue Coliseo de Puerto Rico, when the singer’s team called in 2023. “It was a well-thought-out series of concerts with one mission — to promote Puerto Rico,” says Perez, now CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “They strategically designed it to boost tourism, but also help small/medium businesses and hotels by having it in our low season. When I saw how they’d planned it, I understood this was more than a series of concerts. It was an effort to give back to the island.”
Vibee sold 87,702 packages, working with locals to help curate an authentically Puerto Rican experience. The shows generated an estimated $733 million in economic gains, with ticket and concessions sales alone surpassing $70 million.
Pier spent $3,000-$4,000 on accommodation, transport, food and tourist activities, like snorkeling and visiting Castillo San Cristóbal. Chamorro Mercado, 35, spent around $1,500 attending from Texas, while 25-year-old Boston fan, Amanda Echevarria, dropped $1,300 on her trip. “It was worth every penny,” says Echevarria. “It felt like a homecoming parade, watching my Boricua culture being celebrated in such a beautiful and detailed manner.”
The residency reportedly created 8,000 jobs, with Perez alone hiring thousands of extra venue personnel.
It was a climactic moment for an island that began rebuilding after 2017 disaster Hurricane Maria, only to plummet into the pandemic. Following the formation of tourism body Discover Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory has sustained the post-COVID-19 boom that many destinations couldn’t maintain, with visitor spending doubling from $4.2 billion in 2019 to $8.9 billion in 2025. Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) bolstered tourist interest, with a report by Forward Keys showing online searches for Puerto Rico during the residency were 44 percent higher than the same period in 2024.
The powerful global spotlight Bad Bunny shone on San Juan is what Dusseldorf hopes to replicate when the Backstreet Boys arrive for Into The Millennium — Homecoming: Live in Germany, an adaptation of their historic Las Vegas Sphere residency. The shows are part of Dusseldorf’s City of Live campaign, which facilitates collaboration between the city, event organizers and tourism operators and aims to strengthen Dusseldorf’s standing when competing for live events against cities like London.
Visit Dusseldorf CEO Jens Ihsen says the Backstreet Boys were “really surprised” by the invitation, but given Germany’s where they found their earliest success, it’s not surprising tickets sold so fast they added dates. “Without Germany, there would be no Backstreet Boys, so it’s really special they’re recognizing that and picking Germany for their first residency outside America,” says U.S.-based German fan Nina Rübsam, 39, who’s flying home for three shows. “It’s a full-circle moment.”
Rübsam’s one of 400,000 ticketholders, who are expected to bring millions into the city. Saga Wessman, 37, from Sydney, Australia, will fly to Irish boy band Westlife’s Dublin residency before Dusseldorf, where she’s budgeted $700 over five days.
Meanwhile in France, Dion’s concert promoter Jackie Lombard says around 70 percent of tickets for Dion’s initial 16 Celine Dion: Paris 2026 shows were snapped up by locals, but she expects more out-of-towners for the additional 2027 concerts.
Lombard had already explored the idea of a pop residency in Paris, previously sending a proposal to Justin Bieber’s agent. “I said, ‘Can you do a residency and we’ll bring everybody to France?’ [After Dion’s announcement] he said, ‘Congratulations on Celine.’ I said, ‘This is the residency I offered you! Justin could’ve done a 10-show run.’ Now everybody knows Paris can hold a residency, not just Vegas.”
Dion’s shows are predicted to bring up to US$569 million into Paris. However, the non-monetary windfall of such residencies is equally valuable to destinations. Bad Bunny fan Noa Figueiras, 25, says witnessing concertgoers from different backgrounds come together “in a world full of hate,” felt invaluable, while Perez lights up recalling how San Juan came alive with positive energy and camaraderie, which was broadcast globally via social media. He’s still moved by a concessions worker who gifted a Spanish fan dinner after her credit card was declined. “This girl was live streaming saying, ‘Look how amazing this is. Where I come from, this would never happen!’” says Perez. “The value of having people from all over the world in Puerto Rico saying how amazing it is on social media is incalculable.”
Local fan Kathy Rossy is still feeling the power of those posts. “People everywhere want to visit the island, learn about our culture and speak our language,” says Rossy, 39. “I have friends from all over the world planning trips. Bad Bunny created something much bigger than a residency. He reminded the world of everything Puerto Rico has to offer.”
Indeed, while artists may attract new visitors to destinations, it’s the ripple effect that’s key to tourism. Ihsen hopes Backstreet Boys fans explore Dusseldorf’s rich art, thriving gastronomy and lively riverside promenade, then “spread the good news”. “The best case would be if fans leave Dusseldorf as repeat visitors, but also [tell friends and family], ‘You’ve never been to Dusseldorf? You should go!’”
The boy band has teased plans to take the residency further around the globe, with fans speculating stops could include Tokyo, London and Sydney. Australia’s no stranger to hosting an artist for an extended period — Pink played 17 shows in Melbourne on her 2009 Funhouse Tour, then 18 on 2013’s The Truth About Love Tour. Hotel occupancy in Melbourne rose by 7.9 percent-9.2 percent during the months of her 2013 shows.
Pink’s Australian promoter Michael Coppel recognizes the economic value such chart-toppers spawn, citing Coldplay’s two 2023 Perth shows, for which the Western Australia government invested AUD$8 million and reaped $43.4 million in economic return. However, Coppel believes there are few acts who could sell as many shows in one Australian city as Pink. And given the dispersed population, plus the live music boom occurring in cities like Christchurch, New Zealand, traditional touring remains his preference Down Under.
He adds that given the rocketing costs of shipping increasingly elaborate tour productions, like Taylor Swift’s, cross-country, Australasian tours are following the industry-wide trend of more shows in fewer cities, and any talk of longer engagements are artist-driven. “I think artists have been influenced by Sphere — seeing U2 and The Eagles and realizing, ‘I can sit somewhere for three weeks,’” says Coppel. “With Pink, even best judgment didn’t give us the insight to say, ‘Let’s book 17 shows,’ so it took several visits to do those shows and she preferred that touring feel back then. Now, Alecia’s moved more towards saying, ‘If we’re going to play lots of shows, I’d rather sit in one city than go back and forth with kids and domestic commitments.’”
Cohen adds that musicians enjoy more creative freedom, from production elements to venue décor, with knowing the venue’s the same every night.
So, it’s no surprise that since Bad Bunny’s shows, other artists have been in touch with Perez about potential Puerto Rico stints. Ihsen would meanwhile love to get Bruno Mars to Dusseldorf next and believes destination residencies are “part of the future of tourism.”
Cohen agrees: “We’ve barely scratched the surface of what the destination event business is. Somebody could tell me 50 more entrepreneurs were getting into the space and I would say, ‘Welcome to the club.’ The world’s one big canvas for this.”
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