Usher emerged at Las Vegas鈥� Allegiant Stadium for the halftime show seated on a throne, joined by a marching band and a trove of Vegas performers 鈥� but stayed its center.
It was an immediate confirmation of his position as the ideal halftime performer: , masterful choreography, and a devoted audience.
He started with 鈥淐aught Up,鈥� moving into 鈥淯 Don鈥檛 Have to Call,鈥� 鈥淪uperstar,鈥� and 鈥淟ove in the Club.鈥�
Then Alicia Keys joined in front of bright red piano for her song 鈥淚f I Ain鈥檛 Got You,鈥� which morphed into 鈥淢y Boo,鈥� Usher losing a glove in an apparent tribute to Michael Jackson 鈥� notable for a performance during Black History Month.
鈥淭hey said I wouldn鈥檛 make it,鈥� he told the crowd, dedicating the set to his 鈥渕ama.鈥�
Across 13 minutes during the halftime show , Usher brought out a number of guests including H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon (for 鈥淭urn Down for What,鈥� which became 鈥淵eah!鈥� 鈥� and included a guest appearance from Ludacris).
Across three decades, the R&B superstar had an endless treasure trove of hits to pull from 鈥� and did so with costume changes, and a rolling performance of 鈥淥MG鈥� while wearing roller skates 鈥� at one moment, sliding between will.i.am鈥檚 legs.
His album 鈥淐onfessions鈥� ranks among one of the best-selling music projects of all time and turned 20 this year; 鈥淏urn鈥� became an easy performance highlight.
Over the past two years, Usher, 45, has made Vegas a home for his unique talents, with his sold-out residency, 鈥淯sher: My Way,鈥� at Dolby Live at Park MGM making him the perfect pick for Sunday鈥檚 game.
The eight-time Grammy award winner is also no stranger to the Super Bowl stage 鈥� he made a guest appearance with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011.
鈥淚 got a chance to see a bit of what it felt like,鈥� Usher in a recent interview. In , he descended from the stadium ceiling to perform 鈥淥MG鈥� in Arlington, Texas.
鈥淒on鈥檛 take the moments for granted because you only get 13 of them,鈥� he said in advance of his 2024 performance, referring to the usually allotted 13-minute run time. 鈥淭he hardest part is trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in when you actually have a large catalog, or a lot of records people celebrate and love.鈥�
Without a doubt 鈥� he figured out exactly how to do just that.
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