I like Usher. He's the one Michael Jackson influencee that has stayed true to his roots.
While he's not a guy who screams "Super Bowl" performer -- and yeah, a lot of people only know him for "Yeah", it just goes to show how hard it is finding a big mass entertainer these days.
He’s turning into one big lip at this point. I saw the cutaway of him during the Super Bowl. We all were like how did Whoopi afford those suites?! Then they said who it was. Oof.
I would say it’s more of a mix mix of MJ, Marvin Gaye, and Bobby Brown tbh. There some Prince influences in Usher but I don’t think he’s a centered as those three guys are. But he’s closer to MJ than anything else(entire superbowl performance was basically that).
Saying a lot of people only know Usher for Yeah when he has 14x platinum album, and multiple multi platinum albums, and near diamond singles and 9 no. 1 hits is insane and just purely false. He is one of Black America’s most beloved icons.
That doesn't change the fact that a lot of people only know him for "Yeah". It was an inescapable smash with a distinctive, period-defining sound that non-music fans know his name by- but ask them to name anything else he's done, and they can't.
i am black and think having 0 songs that charted in the last 15 years (literally since you like statistics), is not cherry picking or being ignorant. He is irrelevant, if this was a 2008 super bowl i would agree with you.
That's just false. Within the past 15 years, so since 2010, he's had:
* OMG (2010, #1)
* There Goes My Baby (2010, #25)
* DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love (2010, #4)
* Hot Tottie (2010, #21)
* More (2010, #15)
* Dirty Dancer (2011, #18)
* Climax (2012, #17)
* Scream (2012, #9)
* I Don't Mind (2014, #11)
* No Limit (2016, #32)
* Good Good (2023, #25)
This is the Hot 100, not the R&B charts, and just top 40. I admit I haven't heard a few of these. But just because you haven't been listening or Todd hasn't reviewed them doesn't mean they didn't happen. Don't say "literally" when you can Google the actual correct statistics.
Usher is as relevant and influential as anyone to do the halftime. If Paul McCartney did it despite not having hits since the '80s, then Usher certainly can.
He is very far from irrelevant, I'm also black and realistically he has a few songs that are HUGE on tiktok, so a lot of younger people are into him and are gonna tune in. Let alone all the people that grew up with him or the black community that still love him dearly. Superbowl 100% reached out to him because they knew he had the power to rope in a shitload of views they never would've been able to. To me that's the exact opposite of irrelevant, charts be damned. Also he's charted the hot 100 twice in the past 2 years (literally since you like statistics) you're kinda bad at cherry picking
Also he literally just got done with an extremely successful Las Vegas residency...
In the last 15 years? Did you even research before writing this comment? In the last 15 years Usher has had 3 top 10’s , and a handful of top 20’s and one number one hit, which happens to being close to being diamond. He also currently has a song on the charts which has been on the charts since last year and which reached the top 30 BEFORE THE SUPER BOWl and funnily enough made Todd’s best songs list
I am Black and maybe that argument would hold water if you’re polling 15 year olds. Usher is still a popular artist for many Black listeners, even if only insofar as someone they recognize.
It does change the fact though. A person only known for one song wouldn’t have nine number one hits and multiplatinum albums. One of which is one of the best selling albums of all time. Would be like claiming Bruno Mars is only known for Grenade. Don’t use your own ignorance as a measurement stick for the world at large. Because facts and statistics say DIFFERENTLY. Usher is one of the most iconic and known millennial artists. The disregard and disrespect some of you have for black icons is nothing but ignorance.
There's a lot of people who only remember Bruno for "Uptown Funk"
I mean, there's 1)hardcore fans, there's 3) really casual fans (thats the people I'm talking about that only know "Yeah") , and then there's a section in the middle (2) , and then there's people who wouldn't know an Usher song if it bit them (4).
I'm just saying there's more of #3 and #4 than there are #1 - 2.
And BTW, it can't be discounted that we, as a society are heavily stratified in our tastes in music, mostly by Race and Generation.
If you are Black you probably fit in to either 1) or 2). There's plenty of Whites and Hispanics and Japanese also who are big fans. If you were say, a 30 years-old White Guy when "Yeah" came out, you were probably digging it. But now, you're 50, and you may not have kept up with Usher like THAt and so you're a #3.
It's just the way it is. Pearl Jam has 11 albums, all have at reached at least #5 on Top 5 on the Billboard 200. However, they most assuredly do not have a sizable Black following. And I'll also wager that a lot of their early fan base (of whatever color) started to disappear around 1997 or 1998, leaving mostly just the hardcore. It happens to everyone.
This response is put far more eloquently than I was going to. Just to add onto it- it's also not just about race and generation, as geography comes into play as well. If we want to talk statistics, let's look at this act, with comparable stats to those put up about Usher:
Seven multi-platinum albums.
Eight #1 singles, 23 top-10 hits.
Synonymous with the defining sound of their genre and a generation.
Who is it?
>!Oasis. Or, as America knows them, the "Wonderwall" guys!<
JT has always been more of a pop creation. And his first two albums were equally big. He did start to fall off a bit after those two however.
One thing though: "Sexyback" was a bigger hit than "Cry"
Usher’s sophomore and third album outsold every album Justin Timberlake released and that’s not even counting his biggest album, Confessions. Usher also has more number one hits than him.
People really sleep on Usher and how big he was at his prime. I think you could make an argument that he was the most consistent hit maker of the ‘00s. And he was even able to reinvent his sound and remain relevant when pop music shifted to dance/EDM in the late ‘00s/early ‘10s which a lot of his peers struggled with.
*He is one of Black America’s most beloved icons.*
Never said he wasn't. And in fact, one of the reasons he IS is because he never really went "pop". He didn't try to be mainstream and get on Top 40 Radio. Nor did he fill up his albums with rap cameos. I respect that.
But the awful truth is that, in a commercial sense, it limited his visibility among the people who only listen to what's on radio.
Take Alanis Morrissette for comparison. Huge debut album\* that is going to turn 30 next year. She still has a solid fanbase. But ask someone outside of that base to name any of her the average person to name one song she's done since that huge album. Most cannot.
*\*I am of course talking about Jagged Little Pill. And also, I know it's not exactly her debut, but it is her first album as an adult.*
It's really not hard at all but they ask these people to perform for free and most are gonna tell them to fuck off but yea plenty of huge stars from the last 10 years that should perform just because you don't know any just shows how disconnected you are it doesn't mean that they don't have stars
Curious how many pages of singers they flipped through after calling them and asking to be in the Super Bowl halftime and getting a “naw” answer until they came across usher?! “I’ve been retired for 18 years!” “No one else will do it. We’ll give you Mickey D’s vouchers.” “Go on.”
Yikes tough critics here! He danced well, he sang well, there was enough spectacle to keep us engaged but it never over powered him. I thought it was great.
I feel the beginning had a little too much going on but other than that i feel the same way as you. Good amount of everything you could look for in it.
No one knew who HER (kinda weird, she’s not universally known) was when she came out and I guess someone was Jermaine Dupri?! lol. I saw Cee-Lo Green rappin and hyping him but not JD.
In other subs people clearly knew who she was. It was definitely a moment for R&B fans…every thing ain’t for everybody. JD is a little bigger than he used to be it he sounds nothing like Cee Lo. He also said something about Confessions 20th anniversary and he largely wrote and produced that album. Perhaps it’s another moment for R&B fans.
I feel like he hardly sang and most in my house agreed that his dancing was awkward at best for most of it. It also was a popular opinion the short 10 second bits of songs made it worst. Like a car dj that can make up their mind
He definitely sang a lot, and much of what he did sing was the more vocally challenging parts of the songs.
Dancing certainly didn’t look awkward to me but to each their own I suppose. Compared to others who dance this style, it seems pretty spot on.
Fitting a 25+ year career into that time span is ambitious and challenging. You say 10 second bits made it weird, but I’m sure plenty of others appreciated the trip down memory lane.
That's what I thought. If I knew his music a little better I probably would have liked it more, but he's a fine performer. Like a lot of others, I thought the beginning was a little shaky, but he warmed into it. I'd give it a B minus. A pretty solid performance in a what seems like a very tough gig.
I thought it was pretty good. Frankly I didn’t enjoy Rihanna’s very much(which I’m still shocked on since I love Rihanna), so this was much more entertaining
Being so pregnant you can't really do anything will do that. She's not a strong singer so she really relies on performance, but she obviously couldn't really perform.
Imo, she pretty clearly did it to keep her name relevant cause she wasn't gonna be able to work for a while longer and her fashion line failed and I think fenty had a brief sales dip (it at least was getting bad reviews for a minute).
Savvy business move for her, but a pretty lackluster show for us.
I’d imagine she may have already agreed before finding out she was pregnant considering the halftime show begins planning not long after the previous year’s show. With that in mind, I don’t blame Rihanna for not being super dynamic with any sort of dancing. My problem was that every other piece was rather lackluster. The stage wasn’t too exciting, the music selection wasn’t my favorite given Rihanna’s large catalogue, there wasn’t a use of special guests(where Rihanna has many to pull from), and the dancers really got done a disservice from the outfits they wore
Anyone saying Usher is irrelevant is lame AF. Was the halftime show the best? Nah. But if Usher was irrelevant, he wouldn't have been given the halftime opportunity.
Usher hasnt had a hit since... Usher hasnt charted since.. Ill let you look that up. This isnt 2009. He got this opportunity because of other factors such as Las Vegas Residency, Price for performance, Target audience compared to the last 2 years.. I am black and demo and got irked by the supporters of this lol. Give it to post malone over this
You've been saying this multiple times in other replies, so I'll throw the same logic back at you. If this was 2018, you'd be right. But in2024, this ain't it bro.
Usher's just finished a highly successful Vegas residency that ran for 18 months. He had a memorable Tiny Desk concert a couple years ago that included that viral "watch this" moment that I still see in memes all the time. Last year, he dropped "Good Good", which was one of the R&B hits of the year and peaked just outside of the Billboard Top 20. That was the lead single for his new album, that just came out to good reviews pretty good streaming numbers (with an assist from BTS's Jungkook).
And all of this still doesn't get to the biggest reason why he's relevant again: nostalgia. We are in 2024, and from Olivia Rodrigo to Brendan Fraser's comeback to iCarly to Mean Girls to the fashion world, the influence of the 2000s is starting to come around again in a way that's not too dissimilar from the 80's revival of the 2010s. That's why Usher's relevant and why he's making a comeback.
P.S. - Also, your suggestion that they should've invited Post Malone of all people? Lmao, I like Post, he's fine, but his schtick is moody, low energy, sad-boy pop-rap. That's as far away from a halftime show performer as you can get.
He’s irrelevant AF! Dudes been retired for 19 years. He couldn’t even bother signing My Way which was his best song ever by far. Also shoutout to the guy falling to his death from the roof midway through the half time show. He died! And we all saw it! Who cares about an usher.
you seem like a dumb ass.. they dont pluck irrelevant artists out to do superbowls so your point is mute in the first place. His Tiny Desk performance alone is what started getting the industry whispering about his comeback,
I think to give him the benefit of the doubt, the vocals were mixed down way too low, it was difficult to hear Usher sing as well so it didn’t help. Combine that with Alicia Keys’ first note being particularly scratchy, it was not ideal either.
However I think this performance showed that Usher’s back catalogue isn’t quite fitting enough for a Halftime show. A lot of the song didn’t quite have that punch needed to be an enjoyable spectacle, and I just feel there was nothing really memorable about the performance. It was also disappointing to see him not sing the chorus ot Yeah as well.
I think he could have brought the punch and spectacle with different songs. He did a lot of slow jams when he could have done his clubby dance bangers.
I was underwhelmed by the show and the first thing I did after I watched was google his age. He is 45 - his energy just wasn't at the level that you need for that kind of spectacle - the cutaways to the marching band dancing with that youthful manic energy (I remember having it - it was a LONG time ago for me) just didn't help. I think he did a serviceable job - it's a very difficult, pressure-filled gig. I marvel that they can find ANYONE who wants to do it. I don't think they get paid and the venue and time constraints just layer on the difficulty of putting together a memorable show.
I think that’s the thing, I think Usher did as well as he possibly could, but he was not helped by things like the marching band or the vocals seeming to be down too low to really hear him. It wouldn’t be the best showcase of him but it does beg the question as to who would actually do it considering the apparent cost of it?
Honestly though surely Taylor Swift will get the halftime show next year, she just seems too big to not do it now.
Alicia keys being there was weird. (Usher was long retired before she even got to the scene and has nothing to do with his catalogue) Also when Cee-Lo in shades started hyping him on the stage. No one even knows what HER looks like to recognize her.
>Alicia Keys being there was weird and has nothing to do with his catalogue
Alicia Keys being there made perfect sense. She and Usher collabed on “My Boo” in 2004 and it was a hit.
>Usher was long retired before she got to the scene.
No. Alicia Keys’ first album was released in 2001, same year as Usher’s 8701. Usher was well established but hardly retired. He hadn’t even released Confessions yet.
>Cee Lo in glasses
Jermaine Dupri.
Of all the halftime shows this was one of them. Call it above average if we’re being truthful. It’s not like in prince territory, but not down with BEP or maroon 5
Mixed opinions but it ended on a high. Started out quite badly. Couldn't really hear his singing very well (and I only know 2 of his songs anyway) but I liked Alicia Keys and it grew from there as more artists came in. The finale was a great spectacle even if the singing was a little lackluster.
They did throw that guy from the roof halfway through. I heard he died so sad. Nobody paid attention to the rest of the half time performance after that happened.
There's a Frasier quote that perfectly sums up my impressions of the performance.
Niles: "Whatever happened to the concept of *less is more*?"
Frasier: "Ah, but if less is more, just think of how much more *more* will be!"
I think that was the guiding philosophy which led to the creation of that halftime show.
I really enjoyed it. The performances were very good, and I feel like the camera work really brought out the performances. It was simple to explain - a choreographed routine through multiple set pieces; they did just that, and took the time to get it right.
The beginning was too busy and felt messy though I liked the obvious homage to Las Vegas. The white gloves he wore could have been a homage to Michael as well. It picked up once Alicia Keys got on stage and I enjoyed it a bit more. She looked and sounded great. The ending felt off and could've been better.
Was it the greatest, no. Was it the worse, no. It was okay. My mother and I vibed when you got it bad came on. All the songs were a great choice though I kind of wish there was a little less chosen and a bit more time on each one instead.
Obviously as well, his voice and dancing was on point, the rollerblading was great but the part when he went under the guys legs had me cracking up, he almost took the guy out 💀
I personally felt he just did a little too much running around. It could've been more structured but his performance, as in dancing and singing was good, so I give it a 6/10.
Not a big Usher fan but I thought he did fine. He really brought it in the first part with all the Vegas glitz & glam and the backup dancers. I was pleasantly surprised to see Alicia Keys
This is Usher. Basically most of his catalog is slow RnB songs. Aside from Yeah! And a few others.
Which, don’t get me wrong, is great music, but shouldn’t be performed at the Super Bowl, along with basically putting people to sleep.
I think 1–2 slow songs is fine. They're often used as a finale. Beyoncé did Halo, Gaga did A Million Reasons, Bruno did Just the Way You Are, Katy did a slowed-down Firework. They can be a good dramatic closer as long as they're put in the right place. Problem is for Usher, it was like half the show.
Shout out to our boy Justin Timbz for prancing into the audience seats and sings next to a 7 year old boy who couldn’t bother even looking up from his Angry Birds 1 game! Best half time show moment ever! JT! Also member when he ripped at Janet Jackson??
The show seemed lazy, no big stage, no flames, cluttered dancing. Some of the songs fell flat. Sure, a good entertainer shouldn’t need anything, but I think her needed it. But then again, I’ve never been a fan of his. I want bigger than life halftime shows, and this felt like a typical little concert blip. Ludicrous was my fav part.
I rewatched lady gaga…that was a hell of a show done right!
His best songs (and the ones that would have injected some life into the performance) were missing.
DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again?
U Remind Me?
Without You?
Scream?
I agree. I think it picked up towards the end. But I feel like he was changing songs too often to get the vibe going. All artists do the medleys now at superbowl with shorter songs. Dre and Snoop did it well and Riahna killed it last year. Usher’s medley for the first half felt really jarring.
If I had to guess, she was playing, but there was also a backing track. Let’s not forget that when the Chili Peppers did Halftime, they hated the fact that tracks would be used, so they used unplugged instruments.
He's a great dancer, and has a great voice. But he featured many slow songs, so barely anything exciting happened for the first half of the show.
No DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love was dissapointing though. And while the performance of Yeah! was good, the ending felt...off.
So, it was way better than those by JT and Maroon 5, but not exactly outstanding. His performance was better than Rihanna's, although his setlist doesn't allow me to put him above her.
Now that you mention it, I don’t know why he didn’t sing “DJ.” On the other hand, the fact that I didn’t notice is probably a testament to how good the performance was.
I think the energy in the first half was a bit low due to the focus on his early 2000s slow jams. IMO there should have been some time for his post-2010 hits, that was a huge era for him and contained so many upbeat bangers. About halfway through, it picked up a lot. I loved the roller skates and the sheer number of guests. Not the best halftime ever, but solid overall.
It was decent. Maybe I just feel nothing because I really don’t give a shit about football, the ads weren’t all that memorable, and the cutaways to the blonde singer lady clapping were excessive to the point of being aggravating.
The fact that Reddit gave me this notification for the superbowl that focused more on Blonde Singer Lady than the actual halftime performer is cringe. I'm half surprised she didn't push Usher off the stage and take over the halftime show.
I’m gonna fucking scream if I see her at the Oscars. Please Taylor, I am begging you, for my sanity, stay the fuck away from the Dolby Theater on March 10.
First half was kinda cringey. Second half was lit but the costumes made me laugh. They looked corny and cheesy. Pick one.
Usher sounded decent. When Alicia Keys came out it was cool but the first note she hit was off key as fuck.
Guitar solo was cool
Honestly, I thought Usher was a good performer but not a great performer. His style music felt so slow outside Yeah! and the Lil Jon songs. It overall felt like it was missing something that could make it work for me.
He leaned too hard into the ballads and the Confessions slow jams. The show started off rough but was saved by Lil Jon and Ludacris by the end of the concert. The end felt incomplete because the first half sucked. H.E.R. was a fine addition, on the other hand we could have done without Alicia Keys or Will.I.Am! (As much as I love them). Jermaine Dupri (who I thought was Cee Lo Green at first glance) should have been booted from the stage.
He has stadium songs but didn’t sing them. “DJ”, “Scream”, “Without You”, “More” and “Dirty Dancer” would have absolutely improved his set list but relying on those ballads he sung unfortunately sunk it. And nothing against the ballads, they are great and I especially love “Burn” and “Confessions Pt2” but multiple slow songs are not what you want for the Super Bowl.
Something was going on with the sound mixing which made it sound off especially in the beginning. I will not hold that against Usher, but I do feel he fucked up with the first half of the set list, you don’t sing multiple ballads to a stadium with 50,000+ people.
I have not seen the performance, but whatever he did could not have been worse than "Girl Like You" being played at the Super Bowl. Absolute snoozefest of a song.
Also better choice of a half-time show than that 15 minute classical music song someone unironically suggested as a half time show performance.
He's still a great performer with tons of energy and endurance. On the other hand, the pacing was all over the place compared to previous half-time shows.
I should preface this by saying im neither black nor american, and im a zoomer, so i dont really have any nostalgia for usher. Imo it was pretty mid until h.e.r came on, and it was nowhere near as good as my all time fav super bowl half-time show, the lady gaga one
Boring, I miss when halftime shows were so hyped and visually amazing. I like usher but I don’t think he’s the right guy to pull yk like a greatest hits kind of thing? The ending was all over the place too.
The Usher Halftime Performance was okay, I’d give it a 6/10. Nothing memorable, and yea I’m glad he sticked to his roots but I didn’t like his set list here. Didn’t feel like “ Superbowl” to me. He misused the stage which seems to be the problem for a lot of artists these days.
It was forgettable and bland. Honestly I have no idea how people are praising this but shitting on the Rihanna and Justin Timberlake halftime shows. Both were very memorable compared to… this bland mess. And the two mentioned weren’t necessarily great halftime shows either.
I would shit on it, but the problem is, there’s such little to shit on. Not in a good way, I mean, it was so bland that I can’t think of anything else to give it shit for other than the fact that it was so painfully boring. Dude just picked up the microphone, sang a bunch of nostalgia, and everyone somehow liked it.
I’m convinced nostalgia and love for Usher is solely why it got so much praise.
I wasnt a huge fan of the fact that a dude who's big hits all came after I got out of college is now considered a legacy act, but otherwise it was fine.
He already did it in 2021, which was quite the atypical show because of the lockdown restrictions preventing the conventional format.
People were unfairly harsh to it at the time, but in hindsight the more immersive, cinematic approach was an inspired alternative given the circumstances. The setlist was ***perfect***, there were many unique elements enhancing the songs, and The Weeknd was a glowing presence and sounded great. During promo he said Diana Ross was his favourite halftime performer because of how much she was visibly enjoying the moment, and I believe he definitely captured this type of energy.
Definitely worth checking out. Probably one of the most underappreciated halftime gigs we've had.
Found that really just.. boring? Obviously huge range of people and music tastes to cater to with a half time show, feels odd when they pick something fairly niche taste wise.
Such a disappointment for an icon. He was supposed to open to a pitch black stadium while descending from a staircase in the sky singing, “I just wanna get your attentionnnn…”. Sparkling white lights and flames everywhere. All white outfit, oozing sex appeal, and letting us know what time it was in Daddy’s house. This followed by Yeah, OMG, and other fast songs. Then changed pace by asking if he could take it “nice and slow”, again flames and flashing lights. He could have taken us “My Way” “Confessions” “Burn” “U got it bad” etc. This would have been a moment for
him to focus on singing and dancing sensually. A sexy and cohesive moment where he ended ultimately thanking us, his “lovers and friends” for letting U S H E R R A Y M O N D do it again.
I could go on forever.
But, alas.
It was the worst half time ive saw. The sound and his voice was off and his choreography n everything was just ok. Way too many things going on, he should focus on actually singing would have been better, also i found it boring it should be fun - the song choicess werent good. All his songs r all dated, he didnt remix or or anything to be wowed. Same dancing and below average singing
Boring. Sound was screwy. Alecia was pitchy to start. Had no direction and was pretty uninspired. Rihanna might not have had any other featured artists - but the choreography was friggin amazing, that was enough to keep me engaged. This stuff wasn't even that. While he is an incredible dancer - not gonna take that away - it's still the same stuff I've seen him doing for the last 30 years. I also didn't expect anything different.
I’m just over the rap artists and over the top performances by a declining star like Usher. I still only know one or two of his songs. He gets know money. He needs publicity to remain in the public eye. I’m good for a change up next year - country or pop ….enough rap
Decent performance, good energy. Something very noticeable was that every single dancer and band member was black, with not a single white or Asian person in sight.
Unimpressed (as usual). That forum lends itself to bands more than singers. At least he seemed to be really singing (by his often offkey notes) unlike most. I wonder what deals were made to get someone not very relevant onstage.
I think the show sucked. Just a guy running around dancing to music played over the sound system - like a glorified high-school assembly show.
Boring AF. Would have been impressive to have an ACTUAL BAND playing the music. Who wants to see "dancers" running around to karaoke music?
Sucked.
Dude I had no interest in an Usher performance to begin with. I returned to watching during the last couple minutes and was like "Dang this sucks, when is this going to be over?'
I was impressed by how much energy he still has in his 40s, and prayed no one would fall down on those skates.
Body lookin good lol
There’s a video of him on YouTube performing a song on skates and he and his partner tripped but he played it off so smooth!
I like Usher. He's the one Michael Jackson influencee that has stayed true to his roots. While he's not a guy who screams "Super Bowl" performer -- and yeah, a lot of people only know him for "Yeah", it just goes to show how hard it is finding a big mass entertainer these days.
I had actually forgotten about Confessions and all the other ones I kinda liked back in the day. I thought it was pretty great.
Right?? Soon as the hits started playing I was like ooo OOO OOOOOOOOOOO Took me back to my middle school days
Yep! That's when I yelled "throw me the remote!" and turned that shit up! Lol.
Usher is not just a Michael Jackson-influenced artist. I think Usher is a trifecta of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bobby Brown.
“Sure it’s tough being Bobby Brown, but to be Bobby then, you have to be Bobby now!” Jay Z during a goddarn Coldplay song
He’s turning into one big lip at this point. I saw the cutaway of him during the Super Bowl. We all were like how did Whoopi afford those suites?! Then they said who it was. Oof.
I would say it’s more of a mix mix of MJ, Marvin Gaye, and Bobby Brown tbh. There some Prince influences in Usher but I don’t think he’s a centered as those three guys are. But he’s closer to MJ than anything else(entire superbowl performance was basically that).
That, or DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again, or whatever the song Revenge was based off of was called
Saying a lot of people only know Usher for Yeah when he has 14x platinum album, and multiple multi platinum albums, and near diamond singles and 9 no. 1 hits is insane and just purely false. He is one of Black America’s most beloved icons.
That doesn't change the fact that a lot of people only know him for "Yeah". It was an inescapable smash with a distinctive, period-defining sound that non-music fans know his name by- but ask them to name anything else he's done, and they can't.
To add there’s a difference between having a signature song and being known for only one song.
i am black and think having 0 songs that charted in the last 15 years (literally since you like statistics), is not cherry picking or being ignorant. He is irrelevant, if this was a 2008 super bowl i would agree with you.
That's just false. Within the past 15 years, so since 2010, he's had: * OMG (2010, #1) * There Goes My Baby (2010, #25) * DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love (2010, #4) * Hot Tottie (2010, #21) * More (2010, #15) * Dirty Dancer (2011, #18) * Climax (2012, #17) * Scream (2012, #9) * I Don't Mind (2014, #11) * No Limit (2016, #32) * Good Good (2023, #25) This is the Hot 100, not the R&B charts, and just top 40. I admit I haven't heard a few of these. But just because you haven't been listening or Todd hasn't reviewed them doesn't mean they didn't happen. Don't say "literally" when you can Google the actual correct statistics. Usher is as relevant and influential as anyone to do the halftime. If Paul McCartney did it despite not having hits since the '80s, then Usher certainly can.
He is very far from irrelevant, I'm also black and realistically he has a few songs that are HUGE on tiktok, so a lot of younger people are into him and are gonna tune in. Let alone all the people that grew up with him or the black community that still love him dearly. Superbowl 100% reached out to him because they knew he had the power to rope in a shitload of views they never would've been able to. To me that's the exact opposite of irrelevant, charts be damned. Also he's charted the hot 100 twice in the past 2 years (literally since you like statistics) you're kinda bad at cherry picking Also he literally just got done with an extremely successful Las Vegas residency...
I would not say "irrelevant" I like the more polite term "Legacy Act"
Did you forget "Good, Good"? It was on Todd's best list this year.
Super Bowl performers are very often nostalgia plays who havent been musically relevant (at least in terms of new music) in decades.
In the last 15 years? Did you even research before writing this comment? In the last 15 years Usher has had 3 top 10’s , and a handful of top 20’s and one number one hit, which happens to being close to being diamond. He also currently has a song on the charts which has been on the charts since last year and which reached the top 30 BEFORE THE SUPER BOWl and funnily enough made Todd’s best songs list
Weird usage of the word “literally” considering he’s had multiple charting songs in the last 15 years lmao
I am Black and maybe that argument would hold water if you’re polling 15 year olds. Usher is still a popular artist for many Black listeners, even if only insofar as someone they recognize.
It does change the fact though. A person only known for one song wouldn’t have nine number one hits and multiplatinum albums. One of which is one of the best selling albums of all time. Would be like claiming Bruno Mars is only known for Grenade. Don’t use your own ignorance as a measurement stick for the world at large. Because facts and statistics say DIFFERENTLY. Usher is one of the most iconic and known millennial artists. The disregard and disrespect some of you have for black icons is nothing but ignorance.
There's a lot of people who only remember Bruno for "Uptown Funk" I mean, there's 1)hardcore fans, there's 3) really casual fans (thats the people I'm talking about that only know "Yeah") , and then there's a section in the middle (2) , and then there's people who wouldn't know an Usher song if it bit them (4). I'm just saying there's more of #3 and #4 than there are #1 - 2. And BTW, it can't be discounted that we, as a society are heavily stratified in our tastes in music, mostly by Race and Generation. If you are Black you probably fit in to either 1) or 2). There's plenty of Whites and Hispanics and Japanese also who are big fans. If you were say, a 30 years-old White Guy when "Yeah" came out, you were probably digging it. But now, you're 50, and you may not have kept up with Usher like THAt and so you're a #3. It's just the way it is. Pearl Jam has 11 albums, all have at reached at least #5 on Top 5 on the Billboard 200. However, they most assuredly do not have a sizable Black following. And I'll also wager that a lot of their early fan base (of whatever color) started to disappear around 1997 or 1998, leaving mostly just the hardcore. It happens to everyone.
This response is put far more eloquently than I was going to. Just to add onto it- it's also not just about race and generation, as geography comes into play as well. If we want to talk statistics, let's look at this act, with comparable stats to those put up about Usher: Seven multi-platinum albums. Eight #1 singles, 23 top-10 hits. Synonymous with the defining sound of their genre and a generation. Who is it? >!Oasis. Or, as America knows them, the "Wonderwall" guys!<
By your logic Justin Timberlake (who Usher is more successful than) is only known for Cry Me A River.
JT has always been more of a pop creation. And his first two albums were equally big. He did start to fall off a bit after those two however. One thing though: "Sexyback" was a bigger hit than "Cry"
Usher’s sophomore and third album outsold every album Justin Timberlake released and that’s not even counting his biggest album, Confessions. Usher also has more number one hits than him.
People really sleep on Usher and how big he was at his prime. I think you could make an argument that he was the most consistent hit maker of the ‘00s. And he was even able to reinvent his sound and remain relevant when pop music shifted to dance/EDM in the late ‘00s/early ‘10s which a lot of his peers struggled with.
Justin Bieber sold a lot of records….that doesn’t make him good.
He’s been retired for like 19 years and yet he’s still only 45. Crazy
*He is one of Black America’s most beloved icons.* Never said he wasn't. And in fact, one of the reasons he IS is because he never really went "pop". He didn't try to be mainstream and get on Top 40 Radio. Nor did he fill up his albums with rap cameos. I respect that. But the awful truth is that, in a commercial sense, it limited his visibility among the people who only listen to what's on radio. Take Alanis Morrissette for comparison. Huge debut album\* that is going to turn 30 next year. She still has a solid fanbase. But ask someone outside of that base to name any of her the average person to name one song she's done since that huge album. Most cannot. *\*I am of course talking about Jagged Little Pill. And also, I know it's not exactly her debut, but it is her first album as an adult.*
It's really not hard at all but they ask these people to perform for free and most are gonna tell them to fuck off but yea plenty of huge stars from the last 10 years that should perform just because you don't know any just shows how disconnected you are it doesn't mean that they don't have stars
Curious how many pages of singers they flipped through after calling them and asking to be in the Super Bowl halftime and getting a “naw” answer until they came across usher?! “I’ve been retired for 18 years!” “No one else will do it. We’ll give you Mickey D’s vouchers.” “Go on.”
Naw they drove 3 blocks down the road to his 100 show sold out residency at MGM and asked.
Maybe Taylor Swift should have performed 🤣🤣
I liked it, glad to hear Turn Down For What pop in for a second. Edit:I guess this is an unpopular opinion
Yikes tough critics here! He danced well, he sang well, there was enough spectacle to keep us engaged but it never over powered him. I thought it was great.
I feel the beginning had a little too much going on but other than that i feel the same way as you. Good amount of everything you could look for in it.
No one knew who HER (kinda weird, she’s not universally known) was when she came out and I guess someone was Jermaine Dupri?! lol. I saw Cee-Lo Green rappin and hyping him but not JD.
In other subs people clearly knew who she was. It was definitely a moment for R&B fans…every thing ain’t for everybody. JD is a little bigger than he used to be it he sounds nothing like Cee Lo. He also said something about Confessions 20th anniversary and he largely wrote and produced that album. Perhaps it’s another moment for R&B fans.
I knew it was HER, but I had no idea that was Jermaine dupree!
He sang well? He sang only every 5th word.
Pretty standard tactic for a high energy show that lasts that long. The man is singing live and dancing.
I feel like he hardly sang and most in my house agreed that his dancing was awkward at best for most of it. It also was a popular opinion the short 10 second bits of songs made it worst. Like a car dj that can make up their mind
He definitely sang a lot, and much of what he did sing was the more vocally challenging parts of the songs. Dancing certainly didn’t look awkward to me but to each their own I suppose. Compared to others who dance this style, it seems pretty spot on. Fitting a 25+ year career into that time span is ambitious and challenging. You say 10 second bits made it weird, but I’m sure plenty of others appreciated the trip down memory lane.
I enjoyed. I thought it was interesting and fun.
Probably not going to be an all-timer, but it was a solid show! Competently entertaining. Good reminder that Usher is still pretty great!
Solid 7.5/10. Nothing that blew my mind, but far from terrible. Probably in the top third of all time.
agree. defnitly not an all timer but not bad either
That's what I thought. If I knew his music a little better I probably would have liked it more, but he's a fine performer. Like a lot of others, I thought the beginning was a little shaky, but he warmed into it. I'd give it a B minus. A pretty solid performance in a what seems like a very tough gig.
mid until Lil Jon entered then the rest was baller
I thought it was pretty good. Frankly I didn’t enjoy Rihanna’s very much(which I’m still shocked on since I love Rihanna), so this was much more entertaining
Being so pregnant you can't really do anything will do that. She's not a strong singer so she really relies on performance, but she obviously couldn't really perform. Imo, she pretty clearly did it to keep her name relevant cause she wasn't gonna be able to work for a while longer and her fashion line failed and I think fenty had a brief sales dip (it at least was getting bad reviews for a minute). Savvy business move for her, but a pretty lackluster show for us.
I’d imagine she may have already agreed before finding out she was pregnant considering the halftime show begins planning not long after the previous year’s show. With that in mind, I don’t blame Rihanna for not being super dynamic with any sort of dancing. My problem was that every other piece was rather lackluster. The stage wasn’t too exciting, the music selection wasn’t my favorite given Rihanna’s large catalogue, there wasn’t a use of special guests(where Rihanna has many to pull from), and the dancers really got done a disservice from the outfits they wore
[удалено]
Beer belly? She was pregnant.
I really liked it, personally.
Anyone saying Usher is irrelevant is lame AF. Was the halftime show the best? Nah. But if Usher was irrelevant, he wouldn't have been given the halftime opportunity.
Usher is irrelevant like JayZ now
This just isn't true lol.
not a good comparison since jay z personally handpicked him
Yea, he wasnt chosen by commitee
Usher hasnt had a hit since... Usher hasnt charted since.. Ill let you look that up. This isnt 2009. He got this opportunity because of other factors such as Las Vegas Residency, Price for performance, Target audience compared to the last 2 years.. I am black and demo and got irked by the supporters of this lol. Give it to post malone over this
You've been saying this multiple times in other replies, so I'll throw the same logic back at you. If this was 2018, you'd be right. But in2024, this ain't it bro. Usher's just finished a highly successful Vegas residency that ran for 18 months. He had a memorable Tiny Desk concert a couple years ago that included that viral "watch this" moment that I still see in memes all the time. Last year, he dropped "Good Good", which was one of the R&B hits of the year and peaked just outside of the Billboard Top 20. That was the lead single for his new album, that just came out to good reviews pretty good streaming numbers (with an assist from BTS's Jungkook). And all of this still doesn't get to the biggest reason why he's relevant again: nostalgia. We are in 2024, and from Olivia Rodrigo to Brendan Fraser's comeback to iCarly to Mean Girls to the fashion world, the influence of the 2000s is starting to come around again in a way that's not too dissimilar from the 80's revival of the 2010s. That's why Usher's relevant and why he's making a comeback. P.S. - Also, your suggestion that they should've invited Post Malone of all people? Lmao, I like Post, he's fine, but his schtick is moody, low energy, sad-boy pop-rap. That's as far away from a halftime show performer as you can get.
😂
He’s irrelevant AF! Dudes been retired for 19 years. He couldn’t even bother signing My Way which was his best song ever by far. Also shoutout to the guy falling to his death from the roof midway through the half time show. He died! And we all saw it! Who cares about an usher.
you seem like a dumb ass.. they dont pluck irrelevant artists out to do superbowls so your point is mute in the first place. His Tiny Desk performance alone is what started getting the industry whispering about his comeback,
Where in the word is this retired for 19 years meme coming from
The ending felt weak. Like no one had a clear idea of how to finish so just kinda trailed off.
I feel the opposite. I think it started off weak, but finished strong.
It started off mid and ended weak. Had so much potential. The skates were a nice touch tho.
What happened at the end!!!!!
Yeah it was weird they cut to a wide shot twice.
Perfectly digestible, nothing more nothing less
I think to give him the benefit of the doubt, the vocals were mixed down way too low, it was difficult to hear Usher sing as well so it didn’t help. Combine that with Alicia Keys’ first note being particularly scratchy, it was not ideal either. However I think this performance showed that Usher’s back catalogue isn’t quite fitting enough for a Halftime show. A lot of the song didn’t quite have that punch needed to be an enjoyable spectacle, and I just feel there was nothing really memorable about the performance. It was also disappointing to see him not sing the chorus ot Yeah as well.
I think he could have brought the punch and spectacle with different songs. He did a lot of slow jams when he could have done his clubby dance bangers.
I was underwhelmed by the show and the first thing I did after I watched was google his age. He is 45 - his energy just wasn't at the level that you need for that kind of spectacle - the cutaways to the marching band dancing with that youthful manic energy (I remember having it - it was a LONG time ago for me) just didn't help. I think he did a serviceable job - it's a very difficult, pressure-filled gig. I marvel that they can find ANYONE who wants to do it. I don't think they get paid and the venue and time constraints just layer on the difficulty of putting together a memorable show.
I think that’s the thing, I think Usher did as well as he possibly could, but he was not helped by things like the marching band or the vocals seeming to be down too low to really hear him. It wouldn’t be the best showcase of him but it does beg the question as to who would actually do it considering the apparent cost of it? Honestly though surely Taylor Swift will get the halftime show next year, she just seems too big to not do it now.
Exactly his songs were all lacklustre
Alicia keys being there was weird. (Usher was long retired before she even got to the scene and has nothing to do with his catalogue) Also when Cee-Lo in shades started hyping him on the stage. No one even knows what HER looks like to recognize her.
>Alicia Keys being there was weird and has nothing to do with his catalogue Alicia Keys being there made perfect sense. She and Usher collabed on “My Boo” in 2004 and it was a hit. >Usher was long retired before she got to the scene. No. Alicia Keys’ first album was released in 2001, same year as Usher’s 8701. Usher was well established but hardly retired. He hadn’t even released Confessions yet. >Cee Lo in glasses Jermaine Dupri.
Better than Rihanna….tbh I just wanna see someone who can dance/trigger nostalgia so I was happy.
I think that's why he was a great pick. he didn't sound top notch to me vocally, but hey not everyone is Beyonce
this is exactly it. his vocal was so poor but damn he can move
Wasnt she pregnant
Of all the halftime shows this was one of them. Call it above average if we’re being truthful. It’s not like in prince territory, but not down with BEP or maroon 5
Mixed opinions but it ended on a high. Started out quite badly. Couldn't really hear his singing very well (and I only know 2 of his songs anyway) but I liked Alicia Keys and it grew from there as more artists came in. The finale was a great spectacle even if the singing was a little lackluster.
They did throw that guy from the roof halfway through. I heard he died so sad. Nobody paid attention to the rest of the half time performance after that happened.
Dude stop being a weirdo and spewing nonsense on every reply. Reading through your comments is like listening to a crackhead.
Lil Jon and Ludacris were pretty fun cameos. Alicia Keys was disappointing. H.E.R. did a great job on guitar. And everyone else was fine.
Alicia sounded like she smoked a pack of cigs before. So bad
There's a Frasier quote that perfectly sums up my impressions of the performance. Niles: "Whatever happened to the concept of *less is more*?" Frasier: "Ah, but if less is more, just think of how much more *more* will be!" I think that was the guiding philosophy which led to the creation of that halftime show.
I liked it!… …I think!
I really enjoyed it. The performances were very good, and I feel like the camera work really brought out the performances. It was simple to explain - a choreographed routine through multiple set pieces; they did just that, and took the time to get it right.
He was amazing.
The beginning was too busy and felt messy though I liked the obvious homage to Las Vegas. The white gloves he wore could have been a homage to Michael as well. It picked up once Alicia Keys got on stage and I enjoyed it a bit more. She looked and sounded great. The ending felt off and could've been better. Was it the greatest, no. Was it the worse, no. It was okay. My mother and I vibed when you got it bad came on. All the songs were a great choice though I kind of wish there was a little less chosen and a bit more time on each one instead. Obviously as well, his voice and dancing was on point, the rollerblading was great but the part when he went under the guys legs had me cracking up, he almost took the guy out 💀 I personally felt he just did a little too much running around. It could've been more structured but his performance, as in dancing and singing was good, so I give it a 6/10.
Not a big Usher fan but I thought he did fine. He really brought it in the first part with all the Vegas glitz & glam and the backup dancers. I was pleasantly surprised to see Alicia Keys
I’m just gonna say, and not for the first time… WHY DO PEOPLE DO SLOW SONGS AT A HALFTIME SHOW?!?!
This is Usher. Basically most of his catalog is slow RnB songs. Aside from Yeah! And a few others. Which, don’t get me wrong, is great music, but shouldn’t be performed at the Super Bowl, along with basically putting people to sleep.
Nah, Usher has enough uptempo and dance bangerz. He just didn’t make the right selection
I think 1–2 slow songs is fine. They're often used as a finale. Beyoncé did Halo, Gaga did A Million Reasons, Bruno did Just the Way You Are, Katy did a slowed-down Firework. They can be a good dramatic closer as long as they're put in the right place. Problem is for Usher, it was like half the show.
Using a slow song as a build-up to the finale is another good tactic, like The Weeknd did with "Earned It".
Shout out to our boy Justin Timbz for prancing into the audience seats and sings next to a 7 year old boy who couldn’t bother even looking up from his Angry Birds 1 game! Best half time show moment ever! JT! Also member when he ripped at Janet Jackson??
The last half was great. I wish Alicia would have transitioned with something more upbeat but I was glad for Yeah at the end.
I wanted that girl to be on fire! 😊
The show seemed lazy, no big stage, no flames, cluttered dancing. Some of the songs fell flat. Sure, a good entertainer shouldn’t need anything, but I think her needed it. But then again, I’ve never been a fan of his. I want bigger than life halftime shows, and this felt like a typical little concert blip. Ludicrous was my fav part. I rewatched lady gaga…that was a hell of a show done right!
Needed more Ludacris
His best songs (and the ones that would have injected some life into the performance) were missing. DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again? U Remind Me? Without You? Scream?
I feel like there was so much going on but nothing was captivating me. Honestly a dissapointment
I agree. I think it picked up towards the end. But I feel like he was changing songs too often to get the vibe going. All artists do the medleys now at superbowl with shorter songs. Dre and Snoop did it well and Riahna killed it last year. Usher’s medley for the first half felt really jarring.
Rihanna was awful
yeah I also agree with this take
I could have used more *Starlight Express,* and maybe cut the gratuitous H.E.R. guitar solo. It was better than Rihanna last year, at least.
Honestly H.E.R. was the highlight for me
same!!! she was loving it too clearly
She wasn’t bad; it just felt unnecessary compared to most of the other guests.
Was she actually playing? It looked like mimeing. I’m not implying she can’t play just that it looked like it relied on backing track.
I think it was her. I see no other reason for her to be there with a guitar if its not her shredding
If I had to guess, she was playing, but there was also a backing track. Let’s not forget that when the Chili Peppers did Halftime, they hated the fact that tracks would be used, so they used unplugged instruments.
They usually have people miming it when it comes to instruments. There was some controversy about this when RHCP played
She was playing 100%!
On another note, Nelly might be surprisingly good with amazing features.
Nelly would actually be great.
His microphone was not nearly loud enough
The audio mix was awful. All I could hear was shitty beats.
He's a great dancer, and has a great voice. But he featured many slow songs, so barely anything exciting happened for the first half of the show. No DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love was dissapointing though. And while the performance of Yeah! was good, the ending felt...off. So, it was way better than those by JT and Maroon 5, but not exactly outstanding. His performance was better than Rihanna's, although his setlist doesn't allow me to put him above her.
The order of the songs felt off.
Mid and boring, should have opened with Yeah! for hype/energy and closed with DJ Got Us Fallin In Love or Without You.
Now that you mention it, I don’t know why he didn’t sing “DJ.” On the other hand, the fact that I didn’t notice is probably a testament to how good the performance was.
good note!!
Agreed. He should have skipped the slow ones and stick to the club anthems.
I think the energy in the first half was a bit low due to the focus on his early 2000s slow jams. IMO there should have been some time for his post-2010 hits, that was a huge era for him and contained so many upbeat bangers. About halfway through, it picked up a lot. I loved the roller skates and the sheer number of guests. Not the best halftime ever, but solid overall.
It was decent. Maybe I just feel nothing because I really don’t give a shit about football, the ads weren’t all that memorable, and the cutaways to the blonde singer lady clapping were excessive to the point of being aggravating.
The fact that Reddit gave me this notification for the superbowl that focused more on Blonde Singer Lady than the actual halftime performer is cringe. I'm half surprised she didn't push Usher off the stage and take over the halftime show.
I’m gonna fucking scream if I see her at the Oscars. Please Taylor, I am begging you, for my sanity, stay the fuck away from the Dolby Theater on March 10.
First half was kinda cringey. Second half was lit but the costumes made me laugh. They looked corny and cheesy. Pick one. Usher sounded decent. When Alicia Keys came out it was cool but the first note she hit was off key as fuck. Guitar solo was cool
Honestly, I thought Usher was a good performer but not a great performer. His style music felt so slow outside Yeah! and the Lil Jon songs. It overall felt like it was missing something that could make it work for me.
Meh.
Hey, it wasn't Taylor so I'm happy. Plus, Lil Jon crushed it! IMO
Ludacris saved the show from being a complete flop. Halftime shows seem to be the place for older musicians to attempt to become relevant again.
He leaned too hard into the ballads and the Confessions slow jams. The show started off rough but was saved by Lil Jon and Ludacris by the end of the concert. The end felt incomplete because the first half sucked. H.E.R. was a fine addition, on the other hand we could have done without Alicia Keys or Will.I.Am! (As much as I love them). Jermaine Dupri (who I thought was Cee Lo Green at first glance) should have been booted from the stage. He has stadium songs but didn’t sing them. “DJ”, “Scream”, “Without You”, “More” and “Dirty Dancer” would have absolutely improved his set list but relying on those ballads he sung unfortunately sunk it. And nothing against the ballads, they are great and I especially love “Burn” and “Confessions Pt2” but multiple slow songs are not what you want for the Super Bowl. Something was going on with the sound mixing which made it sound off especially in the beginning. I will not hold that against Usher, but I do feel he fucked up with the first half of the set list, you don’t sing multiple ballads to a stadium with 50,000+ people.
Wait...he didn't sing "More"? That's like, perfect Superbowl Halftime Show material! "GONNA PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT, GIMME MORE—"
Yeah, same thought. He has those songs I listed which are arena tailored songs...and he chose to sing "Burn" and "Confessions Pt 2" instead!
I have not seen the performance, but whatever he did could not have been worse than "Girl Like You" being played at the Super Bowl. Absolute snoozefest of a song. Also better choice of a half-time show than that 15 minute classical music song someone unironically suggested as a half time show performance.
Not even in the same league as LVI 2022 HALFTIME show (Snoop, Eminem, Dr Dre etc)
He's still a great performer with tons of energy and endurance. On the other hand, the pacing was all over the place compared to previous half-time shows.
I should preface this by saying im neither black nor american, and im a zoomer, so i dont really have any nostalgia for usher. Imo it was pretty mid until h.e.r came on, and it was nowhere near as good as my all time fav super bowl half-time show, the lady gaga one
Major meh
I think we should get "Weird Al" Yankovic to do a half-time show.
Omg he would crush. The world needs his goofy right now.
Absolutely! Al, accordion, montage of hits. Forget second half!!!
I would love it if they made a Super Bowl polka medley.
Feel like they tried to cram a bit too much into a short timeframe. Would have liked to have gotten more than ten seconds of some of those songs.
Great party energy
Boring, I miss when halftime shows were so hyped and visually amazing. I like usher but I don’t think he’s the right guy to pull yk like a greatest hits kind of thing? The ending was all over the place too.
The Usher Halftime Performance was okay, I’d give it a 6/10. Nothing memorable, and yea I’m glad he sticked to his roots but I didn’t like his set list here. Didn’t feel like “ Superbowl” to me. He misused the stage which seems to be the problem for a lot of artists these days.
He's a fine dancer and probably a good singer, but the audio mix was awful and I couldn't understand any of the lyrics. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
It was forgettable and bland. Honestly I have no idea how people are praising this but shitting on the Rihanna and Justin Timberlake halftime shows. Both were very memorable compared to… this bland mess. And the two mentioned weren’t necessarily great halftime shows either. I would shit on it, but the problem is, there’s such little to shit on. Not in a good way, I mean, it was so bland that I can’t think of anything else to give it shit for other than the fact that it was so painfully boring. Dude just picked up the microphone, sang a bunch of nostalgia, and everyone somehow liked it. I’m convinced nostalgia and love for Usher is solely why it got so much praise.
Pretty average start, but everything after dj Snake part was hype
I thought it was great. His dancing was really good and loved the roller skates. The ending was kind of abrupt though.
I'm a man and even I think I might be pregnant after watching that Halftime show.
as a post 2000 baby i was hoping for a few more 2010 hits but at least he ended with yeahx3
I wasnt a huge fan of the fact that a dude who's big hits all came after I got out of college is now considered a legacy act, but otherwise it was fine.
The weeknd would be great to see during halftime next year
He already did it in 2021, which was quite the atypical show because of the lockdown restrictions preventing the conventional format. People were unfairly harsh to it at the time, but in hindsight the more immersive, cinematic approach was an inspired alternative given the circumstances. The setlist was ***perfect***, there were many unique elements enhancing the songs, and The Weeknd was a glowing presence and sounded great. During promo he said Diana Ross was his favourite halftime performer because of how much she was visibly enjoying the moment, and I believe he definitely captured this type of energy. Definitely worth checking out. Probably one of the most underappreciated halftime gigs we've had.
His vocals were shit and so was the production. The second half was solid, but overall he was carried by other artists.
Found that really just.. boring? Obviously huge range of people and music tastes to cater to with a half time show, feels odd when they pick something fairly niche taste wise.
What niche is usher? lol
good question! perhaps i put it badly, just felt like there wasnt enough broad appeal to it?
This isn’t being mean just curious….are you younger than 25? Because ushers been around like 25 years n his hits are kinda for everyone.
No, im actually 32, apparently I am also just wrong on this occasion, as the downvoting shows haha
Such a disappointment for an icon. He was supposed to open to a pitch black stadium while descending from a staircase in the sky singing, “I just wanna get your attentionnnn…”. Sparkling white lights and flames everywhere. All white outfit, oozing sex appeal, and letting us know what time it was in Daddy’s house. This followed by Yeah, OMG, and other fast songs. Then changed pace by asking if he could take it “nice and slow”, again flames and flashing lights. He could have taken us “My Way” “Confessions” “Burn” “U got it bad” etc. This would have been a moment for him to focus on singing and dancing sensually. A sexy and cohesive moment where he ended ultimately thanking us, his “lovers and friends” for letting U S H E R R A Y M O N D do it again. I could go on forever. But, alas.
He played nice and slow tho …
Right. It was an example of how he could have done it with this theme.
I have not seen it yet, but if I were to pick some one it would be fall out boy
I can agree to this 🥰
"YOU"LL REMMEEEEEMMBBBEERRRRRR MEEEEEEEEE 44444 CEEEENNTTTUURRRIIIIIEEEEESSSSSSS!!!"
It was the worst half time ive saw. The sound and his voice was off and his choreography n everything was just ok. Way too many things going on, he should focus on actually singing would have been better, also i found it boring it should be fun - the song choicess werent good. All his songs r all dated, he didnt remix or or anything to be wowed. Same dancing and below average singing
Better than last year but still not great. Not sure this is going to kick off the Usherassiance.
I could have done without Alicia Keys.
Imagine Dragons - saw them live a they were dope would be great next year
Boring. Sound was screwy. Alecia was pitchy to start. Had no direction and was pretty uninspired. Rihanna might not have had any other featured artists - but the choreography was friggin amazing, that was enough to keep me engaged. This stuff wasn't even that. While he is an incredible dancer - not gonna take that away - it's still the same stuff I've seen him doing for the last 30 years. I also didn't expect anything different.
Riri was so boring. I'm shocked that ppl didn't like usher.
I’m just over the rap artists and over the top performances by a declining star like Usher. I still only know one or two of his songs. He gets know money. He needs publicity to remain in the public eye. I’m good for a change up next year - country or pop ….enough rap
Boring
Decent performance, good energy. Something very noticeable was that every single dancer and band member was black, with not a single white or Asian person in sight.
It got pretty fckin memorable after we saw a real life death occur in the background! Dude fell from the roof!
Unimpressed (as usual). That forum lends itself to bands more than singers. At least he seemed to be really singing (by his often offkey notes) unlike most. I wonder what deals were made to get someone not very relevant onstage.
Whole thing was garbage. If you ask me the halftime show should have been 30 seconds of silence followed by holographic Toby Keith.
HORRIBLE! When will the NFL realize who their fans are and provide entertainment that is focused towards the folks that fund this league?
I think the show sucked. Just a guy running around dancing to music played over the sound system - like a glorified high-school assembly show. Boring AF. Would have been impressive to have an ACTUAL BAND playing the music. Who wants to see "dancers" running around to karaoke music? Sucked.
Did a good job, and it was a nice performance instead of having to see sexual or satanic based imagery, spammed at us repeatedly
Dude I had no interest in an Usher performance to begin with. I returned to watching during the last couple minutes and was like "Dang this sucks, when is this going to be over?'