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After an impressive 100-show residency in Las Vegas and the Friday release of his new album, Coming home, Usher finally took the main stage on Sunday for his long-awaited Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance. It’s been three decades since Usher’s self-titled debut album, and after a lifetime of creating hits with the industry’s biggest and best, the world was waiting to see not only what songs the R&B legend would perform, but also what special guests would have. would bring out.
The singer born in Atlanta Vogue Promised that R&B would “take center stage,” and it was a given that, at the very least, it would bring out the collaborators of his most popular hit, “Yeah!”, Lil Jon and Ludacris. But that didn’t stop fans from speculating about her other, yet-to-be-revealed guests: Would they include the Grammys’ most recent Best New Artist? Victoria Monet? Would Usher give Janet Jackson a moment of redemption? Or, perhaps, considering the fact that Taylor Swift would be on hand to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, would the country-pop princess jump on stage for a genre crossover? But the potential guest there was all hopeful was Usher’s protégé, Justin Bieber, whom Usher took from YouTube virality to pop stardom; Actually, TMZ even reported that the two were in talks for a special team moment during the big game.
To the disappointment of believers around the world, that special meeting did not end up materializing. Instead, true to his word, Usher served us a glorious night of R&B, with guest appearances from HER for “Bad Girl” and, naturally, Alicia Keys for “My boo.” Of course, Lil Jon and Ludacris showed up for “Yes!”; Jermaine Dupri, Usher’s mentor and legendary R&B and hip-hop producer, had his moment in the spotlight; Black Eyed Pea will.i.am joined for “MY GOD.”
It turns out that the absence of the Biebz left room for something much more significant on Sunday night: a beautiful showcase of some important touchstones within black music and culture, specifically, the Atlanta black scene of the early ’90s. 2000. With the exception of the circus-themed spectacle that opened the show, complete with a dancer on stilts, the 13-minute show seemed straight out of an Atlanta nightclub. After an electric hug with Alicia Keys, Usher’s performance turned into something reminiscent of a campus house party. There were dancers doing moves inspired by black college life, such as the popular shoulder-swinging dance known as a walk, with canes that black fraternity members Kappa Alpha Psi are known for, and marching bands that spell Usher’s name on the field. Sure, black Greek life and marching bands have a huge influence on historically black colleges and universities across the country, but the South, specifically Atlanta, is known for its homecomings, being the hotbed of the culture black greek and a main stage for extravagant marching band performances. . In fact, there’s even a 2002 film about this particular spectacle of Atlanta college culture: battery line starring Nick Cannon.
Usher then doubled down on the Southern issue with other references to life in his hometown, including pole dancers in the background as a nod to Atlanta’s historic strip club scene, as well as an exciting moment of Usher skating alongside a group of background dancers on roller skates. doing tricks Skating rinks are an important part of Atlanta culture, perhaps most captured in the 2006 film. ATLa coming-of-age film starring rapper TI, in which the action centers on the local skating rink.
In the final song, a perfect rendition of “Yes!” delivered alongside Lil Jon and Ludacris: the singer had taken us on what seemed like a journey through different realms, both fantastical and more earthly, from the circus to the club and even, dare I say, the world of music . tronwhen it appeared in a bright, futuristic, blue and black Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle style outfit that showed off his abs. But, even more fitting, Usher accomplished the great feat of taking “the world to A” while singing on stage: a moving tribute to his musical and geographical roots, however sentimental it may be. dancing.