Usher performed the halftime show for Super bowl LVIII on February 11th, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. He arrived on stage sitting on a throne in a sparkling white outfit, mirroring flashy vibes to represent Vegas, and he opened up the show with his 2004 hit, “Caught Up”.
After “Caught Up”, Usher dove into “U Don’t Have to Call’, then into “Superstar”, and then he sang “Love in This Club”. A little bit into his performance, Usher was joined by Alicia Keys, who was wearing a sequined red jumpsuit, and they performed “If I Ain’t Got You.” Keys flubbed on the opening note of her piano ballad but made a quick recovery, and then, they performed their duet, “My Boo.” The rest of Usher’s performance had him covering the entire football field. At one point he was even found on roller skates.
For Usher, this was a huge moment. Early into his set he shouted out, “They said I wouldn’t make it, they said I wouldn’t be here today, but I am,” then followed up with, “Hey mama, we made it.”
There have been many thoughts and opinions about Usher’s superbowl performance. ABC news wrote, “It was an immediate confirmation of his position as the ideal halftime performer: one with timeless, well-known hits, masterful choreography, and a devoted audience.”
Claire Hanson, a freshman at Weddington was asked if she liked the performance, “I did.” She was then asked if it could’ve been better. “Yeah, I do.” Her favorite part was “When Alicia Keys was singing with him.” Ariana Bongiovanni, a sophomore at Weddington, wasn’t a fan of Usher’s performance and thought it would be better if “Usher brought out Justin Bieber.”
Usher’s performance, as stated by NPR, was “all over the place.” He proved that he had a lot of well known hits, such as “Superstar” and “Yeah”, which Usher concluded the performance with by bringing out Lil Jon decked out in black and blue gladiatorial gear, and he is still thought to be the King of R&B. “It wasn’t his best performance, but it was still fun, and a testament to his star power.” NPR expressed.
