Usher promised a celebration for his Super Bowl halftime show and he did not fumble.
The Grammy-winning artist kicked off a 13-minute mashup of his hits with “Caught Up” and a performance that was a nod to his Las Vegas residency. Accompanied by dozens of dancers, showgirls and acrobats, the set could have been dubbed “Cirque de Usher.”
“U Don’t Have to Call” followed, along with a shout out to his mom before Usher turned the “Spotlight” on special guest Alicia Keys, who rolled from “If I Ain’t Got You” before they segued in to their hit duet “My Boo.”
Since it wouldn’t be an Usher performance if there wasn’t some Atlanta in the house, one of that city’s most famous producers Jermaine Dupri introduced “Confessions,” which Usher followed up with “Let It Burn” and “U Got It Bad.” Drenched in sweat, Usher took off his shirt off for a few minutes – likely much to the delight of many.
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He was later joined by singer H.E.R. on guitar. She was his “Bad Girl” and provided a moment for the headliner to don his famous roller skates for a routine that flowed right into Lil Jon asking, “Turn Down For What?”
You know what that meant – a pop of their hit “Yeah!” with rapper Ludacris and his famous rhymes joining.
In November, the singer told CNN he had “worked my entire life to be able to” perform at the Super Bowl.
“I’ll be celebrating a multitude of things. I’m celebrating the places I’ve gone. I’m celebrating the inspirations. I’m celebrating the music,” he said. “I’m celebrating the dance. I’m celebrating the idea of this momentous moment for all the entertainers who played it before and how they managed to bring the world together.”
Usher also touched on those themes during the press event held in Las Vegas earlier this week.
“I was very mindful of my past celebrating my present, which is here in Las Vegas, and thinking about where we’re headed in the future,” he said.
The star had a months long highly acclaimed residency in Las Vegas.
