Usher performs at halftime, but Taylor Swift and Beyoncé steal the show

Usher gave everything to thrill the 60,000 spectators at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday during halftime of the Super Bowl. The late 1990s R&B star, who hasn’t had a number one in over thirteen years, is looking to relaunch himself ahead of a major summer tour.

American crooner Usher lit up Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 11, during the sacrosanct Super Bowl halftime show. The 45-year-old singer, with more than a quarter of a century in the music elite, delivered an effective performance, as the charismatic performer that he is, very influenced by the mythology of Las Vegas.

Revue dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers, fake dealers and even pole dancers accompanied him during this medley concert which traditionally marks halftime of the Super Bowl, the final of the NFL American football championship. Usher Raymond IV, his full name, spared no effort, leveraging the qualities of a dancer that contributed to his popularity.

“Yeah!”, “Love In This Club” and “Burn” resonated in Las Vegas

One by one, he listed the titles that have marked his career, with nine songs, number one in sales in the United States and more than 75 million albums sold worldwide. Yeah!, Love In This Club Or Burn resonated in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where Usher was artist in residence from July 2022 to December 2023.

Followed by the artist Her and the rapper Ludacris, the singer Alicia Keys briefly joined him on stage to perform their duet My Boo, another number one on the American charts.

Usher, who hasn’t had a number one in over thirteen years, is looking to relaunch himself with a new album, Coming Home, released Friday February 9, and a tour which will start in August. Although he helped revitalize R&B at the end of the 1990s, the Atlanta artist is now one of the representatives of a musical style that is struggling to remain relevant.

Fanfare, outfit changes, swaying hips, Usher gave everything to thrill the 60,000 spectators present, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, basketball player LeBron James… and Taylor Swift.

Arriving directly from Tokyo, where she had performed the day before, the artist with 14 Grammy Awards was in the dressing room to support her companion Travis Kelce, player for the Kansas City Chiefs, who were facing the San Francisco 49ers. Social networks have been ablaze for several days in anticipation of the appearance of the queen of pop, who remained discreet, but could not escape the attention of the cameras.

Usher was also overshadowed by Beyoncé, who posted on her Instagram account, at the same time as the halftime show, a short film announcing what appears to be new music, to be released on March 29. The short video shows a woman, who appears to be Beyoncé, driving a taxi through arid landscapes, with country music playing in the background.