On Jan. 22, following the announcement of his new album and the release of its lead single, Harry Styles unveiled the dates for his “Together, Together” tour.
Styles will be playing a series of residencies — groupings of multiple dates in the same venue — in Europe and South America, with a few dates in Australia. In the United States, he’ll be playing a whopping 30 nights in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
Fans are ecstatic about the British artist’s return to the stage, but not so much about its impact on their wallets.
Under his tour announcement post, one fan commented, “Together, together — only if you can afford airfare, lodging, and an ungodly priced ticket.”
Even though Boston is just a few hours from New York, Boston-based fans will still have to pay for at least a train or bus ticket and possibly a hotel. Fans who are further away from New York will be spending even more extra money.
The growing discourse about Styles’ tour builds on the conversation that began with Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster debacle for “The Eras Tour.” It leaves me wondering: What’s fair for fans when it comes to touring?
Concert residencies have been around since the 1940s and often happen in Las Vegas, where the trend began with Liberace, and later Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. The model continues to this day — a little over a year ago, Adele finished up 100 nights at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Artists like residencies simply because they’re easier. Less traveling means fewer costs and easier load-in and load-out logistics, and it also puts less stress on them.
Fans can benefit from residencies, too. The English pop band Hot Chip was able to price tickets for their four nights at London’s Brixton Academy at just £20. Although some wouldn’t consider this short run to be a true residency, it’s still an example of how multiple shows in one venue can allow performers to cut costs for fans.
Oftentimes residencies are marketed as a special event rather than a tour supporting an album. Adele’s Las Vegas residency was called “Weekends With Adele” and didn’t begin until a year after the release of her most recent album, “30.”
But due to the proximity of the two announcements, Styles’ tour is clearly attached to his new record, “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.,” which makes his tour choice a bit strange.
And the tickets don’t cost any less than if he had played a regular tour — prices for his New York City shows range from $94.15 to $1,179.40, based on the early presales.
Those prices are already inaccessible to many fans, but with the added costs of transportation and lodging, even more fans are shut out.
It would have been nice to see Styles choose to do something similar to Hot Chip’s dates in London but on a larger scale, like Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour.” He could play multiple cities, but stay in each one for three or four nights.
Even during his previous tour, “Love On Tour,” Styles visited more cities while still playing a 15-night residency at Madison Square Garden. Those were the days.
Ultimately, the crowds at the “Together, Together” tour will probably contain some of the most dedicated fans, due to the time and money it will take them to get there. The influx of visitors will no doubt boost the economies of the few cities he is visiting, too.
And with less travel, life on tour hopefully won’t be too grueling for Styles — an artist’s mental health should never be sacrificed for the fans’ experience.
But many fans will indeed be disappointed if they can’t afford to see him. It would be unfortunate for music lovers if Styles’ tour sets a precedent for other tours in the future.
The concert residency has its place, but that place is not part of the “Together, Together” tour.
