Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium has yet to recover from last night’s electrifying, Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. As the crowd cheered with anticipation, Usher soon emerged, clad in all white.
Flanked by a multitude of Vegas-style dancers, Usher wasted no time, as he jumped immediately into a brief, yet energetic medley of some of his biggest hits. The nostalgia ran wild as he glided through “Caught Up”, “U Don’t Have to Call”, “Superstar”, and “Love in This Club”.
Soon after, superstar Alicia Keys appeared in front of a red piano. As the crowd cheered with delight, she belted out an impromptu performance of her mega hit, “If I Ain’t Got You”. As Usher harmonized along, the two then morphed into their 2004 hit duet, “My Boo”. As Keys sashayed across the stage in a glittery red catsuit, Usher seductively danced along. The two eventually ended their melodic trip down memory lane, with a delightfully flirtatious embrace.
The multifaceted Jermaine Dupri soon emerged to amp the crowd for “Confessions Part II”, before Usher joined in. This shortly morphed into the opening of his 1998 hit, “Nice and Slow”. As he stood on a lighted stage resembling a giant clock, the stage’s appearance changed into imagery of a raging fire. This perfectly set the tone, as he smoothly transitioned into his 2004 hit, “Burn”. He soon slowed things down further, with his sultry ballad, “U Got It Bad”.
Seconds later, singer/musician H.E.R appeared, to accompany him with the song’s searing guitar solo. As the crowd cheered with delight, she smoothly transitioned into the opening for his hit, “Bad Girl”. During this time, Usher was off-stage, but soon reappears. Now clad in a blue/black, futuristic ensemble, the R&B superstar is now on roller skates. Flanked by others also on roller skates, Will.i.am soon appears. The crowd goes further into a frenzy, as the two hopped right into a rousing performance of their number-one hit, “OMG”.
Just when things couldn’t get anymore exhilarating, Atlanta’s electrifying culture soon engulfed the stage. The crowd’s excitement went through the roof, as rapper/producer, Lil Jon appeared in the crowd. He further ignited an already raging fire, with his energetic performance of “Turn Down For What”. Soon after, Usher effortlessly slid into the 2004 mega hit “Yeah!”. The crowd went ballistic, as rapper/actor Ludacris also appeared to deliver his verse.
Backed by Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South, the hit song briefly transitions into Lil Jon’s 2003 club banger, “Get Low”. The performance ended with everyone cheerfully assembled on stage. The crowd roared with amazement, as Usher gleefully chanted, “I turned the world to the A.” An endearing ode to Atlanta.
