Ushers Super Bowl Halftime Show: All you need to know
KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY
Arguably one of the best super bowl shows in the past few years – from his dancing, to the setlist, to the myriad of surprise special guests, Usher’s performance was one for the history books.
When it comes to showmanship, Usher never fails to shine, and his Las Vegas take over was a spectacular show to celebrate not only the Superbowl, but the 30-year anniversary of his career. The nostalgia was present all through the show and seeing an R&B show in this large of capacity with dancers and energy and pure fun reinstated everyone’s love for Usher and his unique sound. Choreography is usually diminished at the Superbowl yet this year every inch of the stage was met with energy from street dancers, for cheerleaders, to skaters, this show had so many throughout out elements that brought life to the stage again and was a true frenzy of fun.
Usher’s career has been on the up and up and his discography was the perfect encapsulation of his sound at different stages of his life. Starting with hit songs ‘Caught Up’ and ‘You Don’t Have To Call’ energy was met from the outset and roars erupted from the very second he hit the stage. The rumoured special guests were a perfect embellishment to the stage and mirrored Usher’s performance perfectly. Alicia Keys was our first guest and graced the stage with their rendition of ‘If I Ain’t Got You/My Boo’, a very heartfelt performance from both parties. Following a lapse in energy, the next revealed guest was H.E.R who delivered a show stopping guitar solo during ‘U Got It Bad’- a perfect fusion of their joint talents. The introduction of Will.i.am was met with even more energy with skaters bombarding the stage and usher and Will.i.am re-joining again for their iconic song ‘OMG’, and all I can say this was genuinely the best live performances of this song to date. Finishing the set with our favourite Lil Jon was the perfect round up to this show and left a yearning for more in the air.
The introduction of these guests and added extras was a risk that completed paid off in what I believe to be one of the most fruitful and unforgettable half time shows in history and I am happy to see the King of Las Vegas re-dominate the stage for his well-deserved anniversary.
By Assiya Foukrache
Assiya is on Instagram