Fans who want to see Westlife perform 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 at 3Arena for 13 nights, followed by a total of seven at the O2.Westlife’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.Harry Styles’ 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.Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden in New York in August. Photograph: The New York Times For Irish fans who wanted to see Styles perform this year, travelling to London for one of his dozen shows at Wembley Stadium was their nearest option. Similarly, Irish fans wanting to see Shakira in 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. But the choice of where to perform can also be personal and very artist-specific. “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